There was something calming about this moment that made me slow down. I had no plan to shoot here, but the stillness of the harbor drew me in. The composition came together naturally—I centered the pier just off to the right to anchor the scene and left a generous amount of negative space in the sky. That sky turned out to be the real subject anyway. Its subtle gradient from pale gray to warm orange felt almost weightless. I exposed for the highlights, wanting to keep those soft tones intact, even if it meant losing some detail in the darker areas. That silhouette of the mountain gave just enough structure to the right edge without overpowering the frame. The whole thing felt stripped back, and I liked that. There’s no drama here, no grand subject—just a stretch of sea, a quiet evening, and a bit of light hanging on. I remember thinking how rare it is to catch a sunset this empty, this quiet. It felt like being let in on something most people walked right past.
Welcome to my world of photography. I am Martijn Jebbink, born in the Netherlands and living in Rome.
I grew up in a small town, surrounded by an impressive forest. In that environment I developed my own way of looking at the world. At first, I didn’t see..
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