Bestseller from The Monochromes Collection
Looking straight up in a forest like this always puts things into perspective. The trees, stripped bare for winter, form these spindly patterns against the sky—like nature’s own version of a line drawing. This photo is really all about shape and rhythm. Every branch reaches out in its own direction, but together they fill the frame with this chaotic sort of symmetry.
Black and white felt like the only choice here. Without color, the contrast between the dark limbs and pale sky becomes more pronounced, giving the image a kind of graphic strength. The exposure was balanced to retain detail in the branches while keeping the background soft and unobtrusive. I wanted the trees to feel like they were encircling the viewer.
Composition-wise, I just stood in the middle of the path and tilted the camera straight up. Sometimes the simplest approach works best. There's no central subject, just a canopy of branches framing the void, which makes the photo feel both quiet and full at once.
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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