An expedition to Spitsbergen has always been high on my wish list as a nature photographer. This rugged and mystical archipelago high in the northern ice sea, a place where so much Dutch history lies of our sailors and explorers.
During the expedition we also visited this colony of little auks which nests on the flanks of the mountains on Spitsbergen during the spring and summer season. The picture was taken at 3 o'clock midnight with the purpose to show the little auks in their natural habitat of the great Magdalena fjord with the eponymous glacier in the background. The climb up is no sinecure, paths are missing, it is steep and slippery, and the birds are in the most impossible places. And then you have to reach them without them flying again and all the climbing has been for nothing. With a lot of patience I was able to make the perfect picture here, which reminds me of this fantastic place. The midnight sun made the experience complete and provided the beautiful pastel colors in the sky and on the mountains.
Passionate nature and wildlife photographer traveling to all corners of the world. Dirk-Jan's photography is mainly focused on depicting the beautiful and fragile nature on earth, but he also likes to depict landscapes on his travels and in The Netherlands.
Wild animals ranging from colourful birds and mountain gorillas to..
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