Noir Flohay & Baraque Michel

A beautiful winters day in Belgium. Hiking with my dad and brother. We were just enjoying ourselves and taking it easy as we were walking towards Noir Flohay in the Baraque Michel area of the "The High Fens"

The High Fens is a nature reserve located at an altitude of 700 meters on the border of eastern Belgium and Germany. The area is characterized by, due to the high altitude, extreme rainfall. But also a lot of fog and in the winter lots of snow. An ideal area for photography. On the vast plateau you will find scattered solitary trees and groups of trees.

One of the most beautiful places on the plateau is the burnt forest Noir Flohay. Over 10 years ago, a fire destroyed this piece of forest and now there are only bare, partly blackened trees. A wonderful place to stroll around and enjoy the bizarre shapes that some trees have.

And here’s a few more drone photographs of a nearby forest. Managed to capture some of that beautiful winter afternoon light!

And why not watch this drone video footage I also managed to capture whilst spending some time here. Feel free to subscribe to my Youtube channel if you liked this video for updates on more content in the future. Thank you!

Band photoshoot: Probation

A few weeks ago my friends in Probation asked me if I could do a nice photoshoot with them in a urbex location somewhere in Belgium. Obviously I did not hesitate in my answer, and was stoked straight away. Especially because we had planned to go out to some very photogenic and awesome location. This shot below right here, some decent fisheye action going on, yes. But look at the location!! Just so perfect for a band shoot. Its an old and abandoned mine located just outside of Liëge, Belgium. 

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Probation is a no-nonsense hardcore/metal/punk band from my area. I have shared the stage with them with my own band a few times actually. They have been playing for about 1,5 years now. But all of the members have played in other bands before. These guys pack a punch and play one hell of a tight live set! Make sure to check out some of their music!
Warning, if you are not in to loud, fast and agressive music this might not for you... Or, take a leap into the unknown and prepare to get blown away.

Also, check their facebook page out RIGHT HERE

Anyways, here are a few more shots from the amazing photoshoot! The fact that it was freezing cold really added to the feel of the shots. The guys didn't complain and posed liked experts. Really fun shoot. Lets'do more of these! Click the images below to see them in their full size.

You play in a band, or you are a musician? You want a photoshoot? Don't hesitate to contact me. Lets go and shoot!

Hoge Venen & Bieley

Last week we had a public holiday, Kings-day. We celebrated the 50th birthday of our King. I had this day off just like many other Dutch people. I went and celebrated this day, you guessed it... Not in The Netherlands, haha. Instead of staying home I got into my car and drove off southbound. Into the Hoge Venen in Belgium and in Germany. I have always wanted to pay a proper visit to this area. And the weather was pretty good, skies full with nice clouds so off I went.

I first made my way down to this area just down south of Monschau, Germany. I have seen some photos of this rock called the "Bieley" and I was quite curios to how it would look and what kind of photographic perspective it offered over the valley beneath. I have seen a few photographs that looked promising. And boy, was I right. I had to walk for a few kilometers over some well organized paths through the forest to finally come up to a much smaller and "less traveled" path. At first I was skeptical to take this path and see where it would end up. Although I was pretty sure that this was going towards the rock I was looking for. So off I went deeper and deeper into the woods. All of a sudden I saw the rock peep out between the trees and overlooking this little valley beneath. Breathtaking place. With a little stream curving and finding its way through the valley. Surrounded by mighty pine forests. On top of this rock it really felt as if I was in the Alps or something. Really spectacular viewpoint and location. It was so good to be alone for a bit, taking in the environment around me and enjoying it. This place is so good to photograph, everywhere you look there's great shots waiting to be captured.

After making my way back to the car I decided to drive back home through Belgium. And I had a little stop in "Parc naturel Hautes Fagnes - Eifel" close to Ternell.
I got out the car and shot some more photographs in these great forests that are all around you in this area. The road that I drove crosses these massive woods. You really feel like you are alone with nature, something I really love and makes me feel comfortable. With everything. A nice way to spend a day off and an even better way to recharge. 

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert