PHOTOGRAPHY. NATURE. TRAVEL.

Black and White Photography of Sweden’s Wilderness

Slowing down in life and looking for the contrasts in nature

Colors are amazing. Colors can influence our mood. They can lift us, and make us feel happy but certain colors can also let us feel depressed. Colors found in nature often have a soothing effect on us.

Yet I chose to remove colors when I took the following photographs. By shooting in monochrome, the focus gets taken away from the brightness and power of color.

Detail and contrast are now what count.

Black and white photography always makes me feel nostalgic. It reminds me of times before I was born. Where black and white was the only way to photograph.

These photographs without colors also somehow display a certain stillness in my eyes. I don’t know what it is but it makes me stop for a moment and take in the silence.

On our recent mini road trip to Sweden, I took countless pictures on the road, in the forest, and while we hiked through the wilderness. And now and then I remembered to switch the camera settings to monochrome.

While I haven’t sorted through the pile of photographs yet, I started picking out these unique black and white shots.

Of course, they all represent nature. We haven’t seen or interacted with people outside the cities and while buying groceries in the store.

While in Germany all trees have finished blooming, here in the north of Europe the blossoms just started shining in their brightest beauty.

On one of our hikes through the bush, we eventually gave up on staying on the lake shore and escaped to a road nearby to finish the circle surrounding the lake.

All of a sudden a line of European Blue Lupine flowers was decorating the side of the street and made me stop. While I surely loved capturing their bright blue standing out from the lush green of the forest, I also tried to capture their unique shape in black and white photography.

Later that day, while we were resting in the car it was raining a bit. Once the rain stopped I had new objects to photograph. Perfectly shaped raindrops hanging from tall standing blades of grass.

I’m sure you are curious about more pictures and stories from Sweden. I’m getting there, I promise. But while the weather is great for once here in Germany I am busy jumping out of planes.

Pretty much from sunrise to sunset.

More to come.

“Black and white photography erases time from the equation.” — Jason Peterson

Here are other black and white photography stories of mine:

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