Shades of blue

Birds have always fascinated me with their grace in flight as they balance slight differences in wind with a tiny beat of their wings.

Shades of blue is a long-term photography project, for which I have focused on depicting special moments of bird life in light conditions dominated by the color blue. My favorite time for photography is at dawn, before sunrise, when darkness slowly retreats. I like this stretch of time between night and day, the soft light while nature gradually awakes. And it is all the same to me whether it is a timid egret or a common pigeon that I am photographing.

Every bird has its own beauty, which I would like to capture in extraordinary images. I am grateful for every day that I can spend outside and for all the special moments that I am allowed to witness through my lens.

„It was growing dusk, the blue hour when solid things take on a certain transparency and phantoms become palpable.“ - Kage Baker

Statue


In winter, Egrets have a difficult time. Lakes are frozen over and the fish which they depend on become cut off under the ice. Many of the birds move south to warmer climates looking for food but some stay in the hope that the weather gets better.

Air dancers


The encounter between two European Greenfinches lasted for a fraction of a second. They were tolerating each other but when they got too close, they flew up like a bullet. I instinctively pressed the shutter button.

White ladies


I love misty days. The light is smooth and everything looks mysterious. I built my hide at the lake edge, hours passed by but no bird came. Suddenly I saw a familiar shape in the distance, then one more, and another. Egrets were emerging from the fog and in a fleeting moment formed a perfect composition.

Spruce kingdom


In winter, Long-eared Owls are gathering together and are much easier to find. This one was sitting on an old spruce. It was very cold that day! Everything was covered in frost. I waited until the sun went down to catch the last rays of light.

Eye of Sauron


As I live in the city, I often photograph urban wildlife. Every animal is beautiful, even a common Pigeon, you just need to look a little further to see it.

Silence


One Autumn morning I photographed water birds on a pond. This was one of the thickest fogs I have ever seen. Complete silence accompanied two Snipes foraging for food in the mud. After some time, one spread its wings and quietly took off.

Phantoms of the morning


When fish ponds are being drained, thousands of birds gather for easy prey. While I was photographing these great egrets and gulls, a white-tailed eagle appeared all of a sudden. The gulls panicked while the egrets just froze and did not move. Using a long shutter speed, I managed to capture this fleeting moment.

Power of nature


I found this massive waterfall in Iceland with a colony of Fulmars nearby. I set my camera and waited for the bird to come into the right spot. The conditions were quite tricky because water droplets were constantly hitting my lens. Finally a bird appeared in the right place and I was able to get the image.each other but when they got too close, they flew up like a bullet. I instinctively pressed the shutter button.