Breathtaking Landscape Photos

When I open Hive, every day, I am captured by breathtaking landscape photos. Before my eyes, photos of beautiful mountains that seem to touch the sky and vast lakes with reflective surfaces roll by. The dramatic rock formations along the coastlines, and tropical beaches lined with swaying palm trees. And when I see these images, I can't help it, I always have the desire to travel, to travel around the world and capture these breathtaking landscapes with my own camera. When I look outside again and see my own daily landscape, my courage sinks a bit. It's.... so gray, so dreary, and probably even a little lonely.

Dull And Ordinary Landscape

When I stare at the row of trees in the distance. As I look over the sometimes green and sometimes muddy meadows, I wonder whether I will ever be able to view and photograph such beautiful landscapes too. To me, my own everyday environment seems dull and ordinary compared to the majestic landscapes I admire in photos. Oh, don't get me wrong, I know that many people dream of the freedom and space that I experience here every day. But still, my daily view can't compete with the majesty of mountains or the serenity of tropical beaches, at least that's my personal feeling.

A 'Junk Forest'

I do live on the edge of a forest. But they are definitely not the most beautiful forests. In fact, when I walk through it with the dogs I actually think it's just a 'junk forest', and unfortunately my house is not adjacent to an exotic beach. The muddy meadow covered with rain puddles comes closest, but that usually doesn't invite me to grab my camera. My environment does not have the impressive landscape features admired by the world. But then, upon closer inspection, I realize I'm missing a plethora of potential photo material. I may not have the opportunity to capture the world's oceans with beautiful rock formations, but I do have my own piece of the world that I can explore every day.

Every Landscape Has Its Story

My daily walks with my dogs provide me with a time to take a good look around each day. Every day it is a moment to become aware of the vastness of the landscape in the small, busy Netherlands, and that in itself is unique. So every day is a moment to appreciate and capture that vastness. The large meadow in front of that house, covered with rain puddles and surrounded by trees, takes on a different perspective when I take the time to observe. It reveals a new charm, especially on a beautiful sunny autumn day, after a rain shower. Even the houses I see every day can suddenly tell a story when I look at them from a new point of view.

My Eyes Have The Power

I know, my longing for the grandeur of faraway destinations may have blinded me to the beauty of my own surroundings. But if I switch off my thoughts and let my eyes work for me, it turns out that my eyes still have the power to discover beauty in the everyday. As with everything, especially in photography, it's all a matter of perspective. I can keep dreaming of distant landscapes, but that won't get me anywhere. That option is simply not available for various reasons. So instead of beating myself up about that, I better start appreciating my own daily environment. That's where I am, that's what I have to do, and that's where I'll have to find the beauty.

If Only Nature Could Talk

Every place, no matter how ordinary it may seem, tells its own story. Maybe it's the history of that little house at the end of the meadow, which has witnessed changes in the landscape for generations. And what is the history of that house? What stories live there? What the trees on the edge have seen, oh if they could talk!

The Tranquil Beauty

My desire for different environments remains, and maybe one day I will get that chance. I don't know, I'm not counting on it for now. Because I don't count on it, I better make sure I see the beauty in my own environment again and realize that the world consists not only of iconic landscape markers but also of the tranquil beauty of my own daily environment. The vastness that is unique in the Netherlands, the vastness and space that I, as a tiny human being, walk around in every day.

Every landscape deserves to be captured.

And every day, 365 days a year, my own landscape offers new opportunities to explore and capture.

IT'S MY LANDSCAPE.