Bas Meelker Landscape Photography

Well, I am back from a short trip to the Mosel region. Two days of travel, three days of location scouting, sunsets, sunrises, relaxation and wine. It could be worse. Autumn is really picking up it's pace now and the colors were great. So was the wine. On such a short trip, luck plays an important part in getting the right shots. Re-shoots and waiting for better light are mostly out of the question. You have to deal with what's given to you. And on the second day, I thought my luck had run out. The first two days gave us overcast conditions with dull light and colorless sunsets and sunrises. Bring on more wine. But you just have to keep on trying and so on day three there was another early rise to catch the sunrise. 

Village on fire - Wolf, Mosel region, Germany - Canon EOS 5D Mark II + Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 L at 200mm. F8, 1/800 sec., ISO 100, handheld with -2ev exposure compensation.

This time, luck was on my side with a beautiful fog hanging over the Mosel Valley, and the sun slowly burning it away. The constantly changing scenery was breathtaking. New compositions turned up again and again with the fog clearing and returning, giving us short glimpses of the landscape beneath. For me, this one single morning was worth the entire trip. Yes, I would have liked better light and more shooting opportunities on the first two days, but that's all in the game. As landscape photographers, we just can't set up our lights and scenery. The earth is our studio and the sun and the moon are our lights. In the end mother nature always decides and that's fine by me!

The Climpse - Wolf, Mosel region, Germany - Canon EOS 5D Mark II + Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 L at 195mm. F8, 1/60 sec., ISO 100, Tripod, remote, +2/3ev exposure compensation.

One more thing. I don't normally talk about equipment a lot but I would like to make an exception this time. I've recently started using Páramo clothing for my outdoors shooting and I must say I'm impressed! For me as a landscape photographer they have nailed it right on the head! It's 100% waterproof, very comfortable and extremely 'breathable'. And best of all, it's very light. You hardly notice it when you're wearing it. We all know that being cold, wet or too warm will affect our shooting. So having the right outdoor gear is important. And now, it's also available in the Netherlands. Check it out! It's got my vote.

The Mosel Valley - Mosel region, Germany - Canon EOS 5D Mark II + Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 L at 200mm. F8, 1/800 sec., ISO 100, handheld with +2/3ev exposure compensation.