If you’re looking for a swift look at my work in a rather small selection of images, I recommend to browse through this showcase. Here you’ll also find a few image captions and titles of some of my favorites. As you can see, this collection is pretty various and quite mixed, but it reflects my approach to embrace whatever comes my way out there. Everyone, who would like to spend more time on my images or is interested in specific subjects, as fine art prints for example, is invited to have a much wider look into my archive in the extensive galleries or my series on this website.
Please note, that you can find two separated galleries here. Horizontal images above, vertical ones below.
For your best experience, I recommend to view in full screen mode by pressing F11.
Swell of Gold
The swell in this bay was actually picture-perfect. So I spent lots of time just watching the waves break until I noticed a hector’s dolphin riding one of them. I didn’t expect that at all, but after that, I knew what I will have to look out for. I was observing and photographing these amazing animals for about a week on this particular beach and in the end I was rewarded with some of my most memorable wildlife moments so far. I’m pretty sure the main reason for the dolphins to ride the waves is just joy and playfulness. But beside that, they probably also use them to save energy and gather pace without any effort. Hector’s dolphins are declared as endangered on the IUCN Red List and can only be found in the waters around New Zealand. According to the Department of Conservation today the total number of Hector’s Dolphins is estimated around 15,000 animals. They are mainly threatened by fishing (nets), which is/are responsible for substantial population declines in the last four decades, but also by oil and gas exploration, boat strikes, mining, tourism, noise and diseases. At approximately 1.2 to 1.6m in length, they are one of the smallest and rarest cetaceans.
Hector’s dolphins, The Catlins, New Zealand, 2019
Hector’s dolphins, The Catlins, New Zealand, 2019
Dialogue in Gold
As far as I know there are only two pretty small locations in Austria where wild chess flowers can be found and they’re in full bloom only for a couple of days. To take the best advantage of the blooming period I decided to drive at night to be there for sunrise. And finally this was a really good choice because I experienced the best conditions during the first and the last morning during the four days I’ve been there in spring 2016. Although there are hundreds of chess flowers on these meadows it’s always a challenge to find some particular individuals which are reachable without entering the protected areas and which can make a pleasing picture. After a cold spring night there, all the chess flowers where covered in dew and this particular couple was probably my favorite one to photograph and all the magic just happened in the morning as the first sunlight hit the carpet of dew.
Chess flowers, Styria, Austria, 2016
Chess flowers, Styria, Austria, 2016
Soul Delight
This particular morning was nothing but priceless. Since I was constantly visiting these wetlands for about five years at that time, I was always hoping for some deer to cross the water. But in all the years before I only spotted a deer once in the far distance before everything fell into place just perfectly that misty morning as a roe deer doe and her fawn appeared at the waterside at the best possible position and crossed the stream twice just as the light was out of this world. Although this image is nothing innovative, I deeply enjoyed these moments observing the totally relaxed little deer family without any hide from close distance in a wonderful area surrounded by some absolutely fantastic morning conditions, numerous kingfishers, egrets and herons. Beside showing the beauty, importance and fragility of nature to a wide audience, experiences like this are what it’s all about.
Roe deer, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2018
Roe deer, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2018
Glimpse of Glow
A breathtaking morning in Slovenia, as the rising sun struggles to break through the soft morning mist at the edge of Lake Cerknisko. Since the lake is a vital habitat for a wide variety of birds, the chances were good that one would appear in the scene at just the right moment. In the end, I had the necessary luck.
Gray heron, Lake Cerknisko, Slovenia, 2024
Gray heron, Lake Cerknisko, Slovenia, 2024
Spy
A marsh harrier spying out the reeds around Lake Neusiedl for prey, while I’m spying out the bird. I love to capture wildlife in small scale and as a silhouette. In this case I used the orange skies at sunrise and a bush rather close to me for this composition, in which I tried to use the bokeh to show the „spying-character“ of the scene, while I constantly tried to focus on the bird manually.
Marsh harrier, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2018
Marsh harrier, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2018
Youth of Nature
The ease with which alpine ibexes move through their habitat amazes and fascinates me every single time. Even the younger ones seem to have no trouble or fear navigating the rugged and impressive terrain. Alpine ibexes have almost been extinct in Europe by the beginning of the 19th century. Only about 100 individuals survived in Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park. In 1924 the rewilding of these mammals in Austria started. Now there are about 4,500 (2019) alpine ibexes in Austria, most of them in the areas of the Hohe Tauern National Park.
Alpine ibex, Karwendel, Austria, 2025
Alpine ibex, Karwendel, Austria, 2025
Facing Forces
You know, I’m a big fan of alpine ibexes and also of silhouette shots. And since these magnificent mammals are totally qualified for such images, I love to capture them in this way to show their majesty and their peerless shape. And beside the ibexes themselves, also the mostly very changeable montane weather conditions are quite spectacular and can be captured properly with this approach. And especially when the sun and the clouds seem to battle for dominance, I know what I have to look for.
Alpine ibex, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2021
Alpine ibex, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2021
Dawn of Majesties
It was a wonderful clear morning that particular day and I was able to discover the alpine ibexes very quickly in darkness in the area I left them the evening before. The herd spent the night on a slope with a stunning view on Austria’s highest peak, Mount Großglockner. And right before sunrise, just minutes before the first light hit the top of the mountain, this kind guy posed perfectly for a silhouette shot in front of the great backdrop.
Alpine ibex & Mount Großglockner, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2016
Alpine ibex & Mount Großglockner, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2016
Malcolm
Two perfectly aligned adult guanacos caught my eye in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park. The animals are always very attentive and constantly watching out for pumas, I guess. Since I really love capturing animals as silhouettes, I knew this might be a good chance for a lovely image. I decided to close the aperture pretty much to get the distant animal also rather sharp but still blurred enough to let the viewers know, that these are two adult animals in different distances and not a mother with her fawn. And I’m just still very delighted about how perfectly the shape of the distant guanaco fits into the shape of the legs and belly of the closer one.
Guanacos, Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile, 2016
Guanacos, Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile, 2016
Night Visions
An actually rather blind shot of a rutting red deer bull taken in almost complete darkness. I really like how this image turned out, because it represents the conditions, in which the human eye actually fails, very well. Luckily I could clearly hear him roar, so I had an idea where the bull was located.
Red deer, Donau-Auen National Park, Austria, 2016
Red deer, Donau-Auen National Park, Austria, 2016
Her male Shadow
It’s very difficult to photograph red deer in Austria because these animals are extremely shy and especially during the rutting season almost all areas where they could be found are closed off for hunting and the vast majority of the huntsman doesn’t accept to see other persons around. So, it always takes a lot of patience and luck, to succeed. On this particular evening wonderful autumn fog fell in right before it got dark and created a fantastic mood. And finally all of a sudden this doe came up behind that beautiful oak tree. As I looked through my viewfinder I noticed that also a bull was already here but almost invisible because of the thick ground fog. They both crossed the meadow rather fast and so I could only capture a few frames trying to get them in focus manually due to the darkness. I especially like this particular picture, because it quite tells the story of the bulls which somehow behave like the shadows of the females, never leaving their sides during the rutting season.
Red deer, Donau-Auen National Park, Austria, 2016
Red deer, Donau-Auen National Park, Austria, 2016
Tender Change of Shift
This area is probably by far the most beautiful and stunning landscape vista Upper Austria has to offer. Although the location is super easy to reach and quite popular, the scenery never disappoints and though this place is very crowded on sunny days, it seems still rather intact and it could have been a role model for similar areas, which are trampled down in the mean time.
Lake Almsee, Austria, 2016
Lake Almsee, Austria, 2016
Get going
Argentina’s stunning Cerro Fitz Roy during a pretty frosty night as the moon slowly sets. This was actually the very first image I took in Patagonia. The rough beauty of this wild land is just breathtaking and standing there all alone with my partner long before sunrise, after we discovered the spot in the evening before, will be just unforgettable.
Cerro Fitz Roy, Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Cerro Fitz Roy, Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Wings of Fortune
White-tailed eagles are quite rare in „my“ wetlands and I was only fortunate enough to encounter one two times during the last thirteen years there. So this particular day, with a wonderful winter morning scenery and the unexpected appearance of one of these huge birds will be always one to remember. White-tailed eagles have been declared as extinct in Austria by 1950 due to hunting, habitat loss and pesticides. Thanks to conservation efforts and protection, the birds make a comeback, but it’s still very rare to spot one in these areas around the town of Linz.
White-tailed eagle, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2021
White-tailed eagle, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2021
Modest Mountain
Fog is definitely among my favorite conditions. Even much more, when the sun light and soft, scattering fog merge in the air. This combination can actually flood everything with amazing mellow light and colors. So, because of the thin fog around me, I was also able to get a view on the mountains in the distance. But this lovely grove in the foreground caught my attention even more. So I just tried to find a position, where I could frame the distant peaks appealing with the charismatic trees to show this pastel morning scenery.
Kalkalpen National Park, Austria, 2021
Kalkalpen National Park, Austria, 2021
Stoic Armada
This lovely beech forest of slim grown trees completely covered in heavy fog caught my attention and gave me calmness and peace. And of course, I knew, it also will be a good place to spend some time and to capture a few impressions.
Beech forest, Lower Austria, 2021
Beech forest, Lower Austria, 2021
Hidden Worlds
Dew covered landscapes, in the fresh air of an upcoming day, are also among my absolute favorite conditions. Literally countless little pearls convert the entire surroundings in magic little glittering sceneries.
Spiderweb, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2021
Spiderweb, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2021
Showing up gently
The sudden appearance of a hoopoe always makes my heart race. Even more, if the bird places itself in an appealing setting like on this particular morning in Austria’s easternmost national park.
Hoopoe, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2024
Hoopoe, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2024
Unimpressed
Eurasian bee-eaters are for sure among the most colorful and spectacular birds, which can be spotted in Austria and they are also rather easy to photograph, since they are highly active in a quite small environment nearby their breeding burrows. So there is a good chance of predicting which branch they will land on. The bright skies in the afternoon invited me to create this high-key image, which allowed me to show the beautiful plumage of these birds towards the light.
Eurasian bee-eaters, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2018
Eurasian bee-eaters, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2018
Beauty of Plants
Chess flowers are so charming, that it’s actually hard to believe they aren’t designed by children for their favorite fairy tales. In this particular image, I intended to show the coexistence of the flowers and the grass, which is actually quite often higher than the flowers, and the grace and purity of the vegetal world, towards the bright morning sky. Of course, no scene manipulation, as always.
Chess flower, Styria, Austria, 2021
Chess flower, Styria, Austria, 2021
Scenes and Sceneries
A rather special setting revealed on this particular morning in the Gesäuse National Park. Actually I placed myself in front of a stunning montane vista to take landscape images. But, as always, I also tried to pay close attention to all my surroundings. So, at one point, I noticed these two marble leaves. One of them was transformed into a very interesting shape, by some insect, I guess. And the sun created a lovely shadow, which brought this interesting structure to life even more. After taking a few shots, I noticed a tiny hole in one of the leaves, which gave me the opportunity, to include a little sunstar in the frame. When I finally had finished my shots already, I also noticed a fly moving around this setting and landing on some leaves from time to time. So, of course, I had to get back to my camera and to hope for the insect, to place itself appealing on one of these two leaves … As you can see, finally it did and I was super happy, I got the shot of this quite perfect interplay of a lot of natural elements.
Fly & marble leaves, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2026
Fly & marble leaves, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2026
Bright Bride
A narcissus at the edge of a forest during a sunny afternoon. Due to the Corona lockdown in 2020, so much more narcissuses could be found that year, because the extensive harvestings for all the narcissus festivals didn’t take place.
Narcissus, Lower Austria, 2020
Narcissus, Lower Austria, 2020
Reed Rest
European tree frogs are probably the cutest frogs that can be found in Austria. And this one was doing what they do best. Sticking on a stalk of reed and taking it easy, while the sun created some gentle dots of light on the water surface in the background.
European tree frog, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2021
European tree frog, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2021
Fluffy Heart
Unforgettable hours with this gorgeous wild red fox, which finally approached so close, just because of its curiosity, that I could hear it breathing. It still drives me nuts, that around 70,000 of these wonderful creatures, which mainly feed on mice, are killed in just one year in Austria, for absolutely no reason. So, while you were browsing through my showcase for maybe about 30 minutes, four more foxes died in pain. Just the foxes. Just in this small country.
Red fox, Donau-Auen National Park, Austria, 2019
Red fox, Donau-Auen National Park, Austria, 2019
The Artist II
I met this little artist in Austria’s smallest national park one morning on a dew covered meadow. Glittering sceneries like this are certainly among my favorite experiences. So, as mostly, I was just wandering around, enjoying the morning light and awaiting whatever will come my way. I used a long lens and some dew drops in the foreground to frame the skipper and to capture the magic I witnessed.
Skipper, Thayatal / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2020
Skipper, Thayatal / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2020
Hidden Treasure
A lady’s slipper orchid hidden in the high grass and an amazing amount of morning dew. Since this spot is located in a rather dark valley, the dew lasts quite long and the sun comes up behind the hills and trees pretty late and already very bright.
Lady’s slipper orchid, Lower Austria, 2018
Lady’s slipper orchid, Lower Austria, 2018
Druids only
Where it was actually quite easy to take a closer look into the wetland forests in winter, the lush green vegetation of the summer months occupies almost every open space. And so the atmosphere of these woods is a special one, which conveys nativeness and vitality.
Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2020
Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2020
Essential Beat
I can hardly think of anything more rewarding than spending some time in a forest like this. Meanwhile I was lucky enough to visit such places already for a few times, but, at least for me, I still think it’s impossible to pay them justice in a single image. You can definitely feel nature’s heartbeat when you’re out there wet to the bones and as enriched as one can be.
Temperate rainforest, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand, 2019
Temperate rainforest, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand, 2019
Equality
For me there’s actually no noticeable difference in the behavior of children. No matter which species. Innocence, curiosity and playfulness. Since I’m a father myself, I literally see my children in the eyes and behavior of all children like these super adorable red fox cubs.
Red foxes, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2021
Red foxes, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2021
Cheeky Pleasures
I was already pretty excited to spot that lovely wild rabbit in this gorgeous back-lit-wildflower-sunrise-setting. But as I noticed, that two hoopoes also appeared somewhere behind the little bank of sand, I knew I had to be prepared to press the shutter. As they suddenly took off, I got about two appealing frames of this experience.
Wild rabbit & hoopoe, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2020
Wild rabbit & hoopoe, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2020
Dressed for Success
A large rutting red deer bull put on his very best dress and placed himself in the very best light. I was lucky enough to be there at the right time, to witness the spectacle, as the animals broke out from the woods and quickly crossed the open meadow.
Red deer, Donau-Auen National Park, Austria, 2017
Red deer, Donau-Auen National Park, Austria, 2017
Spreading Pleasure
Eurasian otters are one of my all time favorite animals. But since they are extremely hard to spot at all, moments like this are just unbeatable. It’s super sad, that these actually strictly protected mammals are hunted again in Austria, since they made a little comeback after being almost completely extinct.
Eurasien otter, Thaya Valley / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2020
Eurasien otter, Thaya Valley / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2020
Gentle Crossing
All of a sudden this beautiful wild boar gently crossed the open water just a few meters behind my back and placed itself in the very best morning light. I quickly but carefully lowered myself, to get a more pleasing point of view and also to bring out the soft mist a little more.
Wild boar, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2018
Wild boar, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2018
Sea of Sparkles
A great crested grebe was fishing right in front of me, as I took this image in the course of my long-term project Natürliche Nähe. I could spent quite some time with the animal and was finally rewarded with a colorful sunset right behind the trees on the other side of the lake. The gentle glimpse of the sun between the trees provided an even more gentle reflection on the water surface.
Great crested grebe, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2024
Great crested grebe, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2024
Glimpse of Gold
A thin layer of clouds and a gentle movement of the water united and so the surface just looked like liquid metal. So for me it was instantly quite clear, that I would like to capture a banded demoiselle in front of this background, which also shows the animals habitat of reed and water.
Banded demoiselle, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2020
Banded demoiselle, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2020
Light Fairy
When lovely skies and a gentle movement of the water unit, the reflections can occur in lots of different stunning appearances. And the fairytale-like setting of wetland vegetation in front of a calm stream actually fits perfectly to the fairytale-like appearance of beautiful demoiselles, like this one.
Beautiful demoiselle, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2020
Beautiful demoiselle, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2020
Memories of Light
An other endangered bird species on the Red List here in Austria, which finds crucial habitat in the areas of the Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park. Also the black-winged stilts depend on these wetlands and shallow lakes. Due to the flatness of these terrains and the often sunny conditions, the early morning and late evening light mostly provide some special and warm conditions.
Black-winged stilt, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2025
Black-winged stilt, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2025
Heat of Hoar
Close to my hometown of Linz, Austria, there’s a hill partially covered with some rather nice forest areas. And since in late autumn, there’s quite often heavy fog in Linz, I like to go up this hill, from time to time, hoping for some sun above the layer of clouds. Especially the areas where sun and fog merge in the woods, are the ones I’m looking for. Even more when the temperatures are below zero and the fog creates mesmerizing patterns of hoar frost on the branches of the trees. This particular day I was lucky enough to experience these conditions, but not enough of that, the sun was already very low and the light was warm. But the most fascinating thing to me actually was, that the sun melted the hoar frost in the tree tops and these particles of ice finally fell down as a glittering curtain from time to time. So I just tried to find an appealing composition hoping for the rays not to disappear and some ice coming down in front of me, backlit by the sun, while I used a wide aperture to enlarge and blur the glittering dots. Again nature’s magic delivered a memorable and enriching moment.
Spruce-beech forest, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2020
Spruce-beech forest, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2020
Headlong into Spring
The setting spring sun provides some last light and warmth for the very first spring flowers. The appearance of the liverleaves is always a great delight, since these flowers are among the first ones, which bring back some colors into the barren woodlands.
Liverleaf, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2022
Liverleaf, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2022
Universe of Light
An unknown pollen covered tiny midge on some pilewort in front of a magical reflection of the sun on a small forest stream. An absolutely mesmerizing scene and a great example of nature’s grace, magic and beauty. As all my images this one was also taken without the use of any artificial light, flash or special technique. For me it’s important to work with the natural light, because in my opinion it’s also part of the natural scenery I would like to capture in an authentic way. So the image is just a simple handheld shot.
Pilewort & midge, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2020
Pilewort & midge, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2020
Fading Swell
The soft movement of the water itself and the sun setting behind some vegetation, created this lovely scenery of soft reflections. I was just trying to capture this display in combination with one of the numerous water striders, which live in these wetland areas.
Water strider, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2021
Water strider, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2021
Sun Surfer
I’m already fascinated by the tiny water deformations water striders create with their legs for quite some time. Just because these deformations can cause mesmerizing reflections. This time I was placed near some trees which cast a dark reflection on the water from my point of view but the insect was actually hit by the sun. The water deformations at the ends of the animals legs shaped the surface in a way that tiny parts of the surface created a reflection of the sun instead of the dark foliage and so they caused sunstars. And beside that, a gentle movement of the water surface created some waves of light, the water strider seemed to surf. As all my images this one was also taken without the use of any artificial light, flash or special technique.
Water strider, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2025
Water strider, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2025
Neat Nights
After a quite exhausting hike up in darkness, that particular morning I was lucky to spot the first ibex long before sunrise, as the moon was still very bright and fascinating. So, I just had to get in the right position, as quickly as I could, to line up the elements to show the graceful animal as a silhouette right in front of the moon.
Alpine ibex & moon, Karwendel, Austria, 2025
Alpine ibex & moon, Karwendel, Austria, 2025
Chimera
Since I wanted to capture the animal as a silhouette and I didn’t want to lose the structures in the clouds, I had to go to the maximum of my EOS 7DII by chosing ISO 100, f22, 1/8000 sec. But not enough of that, I also had to use a little rock formation right in front of my lense to partially cover the super harsh sun light. I just love how the colors in this little cloud came out, the glimpse of the harsh sun behind the rock and most of all, the quite appealing pose of the ibex, which reminds me pretty much of a fairy-like creature. Once more I was rewarded with deeply enriching moments that particular day and all the efforts of getting up super early for the rather long ascent to be up there in the habitat of these mammals at dawn, payed off.
Alpine ibex, Karwendel, Austria, 2025
Alpine ibex, Karwendel, Austria, 2025
His Holiness
After a couple of days by the side of this flock of alpine ibexes, they finally let me get very close. Actually I had already finished taking images, because the light was very harsh in the meantime. I was just sitting in the meadow observing the animals. But as the sun rose over this slope right behind that lying older ibex I grabbed my camera again and tried to make something out of the situation. As ibexes are very proud and majestic mammals to me, I tried to intensify their majesty by „letting them shine“. So I closed the aperture and shortened the exposure time as far as I could and started shooting. The difficulty was, that I had to take these images with my eyes mainly closed, because I put my camera straight towards the sun and the light was already so bright, that I was afraid to risk a serious damage to my eye. So I also needed quite a big bunch of luck for this result.
Alpine ibexes, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2015
Alpine ibexes, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2015
Sound of Colors
Countless times I was already lucky enough to witness super exciting montane conditions of a thrilling interaction of the sun and some fast moving clouds, but this one was probably among my favorites so far, because, beside the lovely colors, the mountain ridge created a spectacular shadow into the sky. Needless to say, I was happy, that this kind wheatear posed for a brief second in front of the spectacle.
European wheatear, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2021
European wheatear, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2021
Eclipse Escape
An European wheatear just takes off with a little prey, as the sun battles with the fast clouds up in the mountains. Since the scenery was extremely bright, I could close the aperture to its maximum and so it was easy to get the bird in focus and also to capture the sun rather unblurred.
European wheatear, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2021
European wheatear, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2021
Howling
A savi’s warbler performing its unmistakable songs in the reed belt of Lake Neusiedl in the very early morning hours, as the moon rises in gorgeous tones of orange and red. Shortly after I took the image, the moon disappeared behind the clouds and I was even more happy, we all were there moments before and right at the same time.
Savi’s warbler, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2022
Savi’s warbler, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2022
Moon Drops
Some Snowdrops in front of the rising moon in Upper Austria’s wetlands, as I was already back on my way from another enjoyable strolling in these woods. Sometimes things just line up pretty perfectly.
Snowdrops & moon, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2020
Snowdrops & moon, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2020
March of Velvet
To spot some liverleaves is always a special pleasure, because these fragile flowers are one of the very first colorful dots, which can be found in the rather barren woods of the early spring. On this particular location they grow in very large numbers and every now and then the bunches are so thick, that all you can see through the viewfinder is purple.
Liverleaf, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2020
Liverleaf, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2020
Spring Disco
When you point your camera towards some glittering water surfaces framed by wood anemones and you look through your viewfinder you’ll see all the magic of the fast moving glittering and the tiny flowers really seem to dance. Spring is sparkling.
Wood anemones, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2017
Wood anemones, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2017
Clean Calls
Although a clear sunrise on a morning meadow full of wildflowers is always a great pleasure and mostly all the glitter is mesmerizing, cloudy and foggy conditions can also provide fascinating sceneries full of grace, like this one with a white narcissus.
Narcissus, Kalkalpen National Park, Austria, 2022
Narcissus, Kalkalpen National Park, Austria, 2022
Shallow Acceptance
A great egret and very attentive and careful gray geese parents with goslings leery crossing each other in the shallow waters of Lake Neusiedl in some great bright afternoon light. I used the backlit situation for this high-key image which, in my opinion, fits perfectly to the beautiful white plumage of the egret.
Great egret & gray geese, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2018
Great egret & gray geese, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2018
We are Family
As we hit the road to Valdés peninsula and we checked our maps and guide books we came across a little area on the east-coast in the South of Valdés, which is called Cabo dos Bahías and home of a colony of Magellanic penguins. Finally we decided to go there for some days. The closer we got to the area, the more we felt like heading into a hot desert. The temperature was high, it was windy of course and the land was very barren with only a few bushes and toasted clumps of grass. Actually not that kind of terrain where one would first think of penguins. But these birds don’t always live in frozen habitats of ice. They can also be found side by side among animals like the guanacos which are in the same biological family than camels. In this lovely scenery a guanaco fawn and Magellanic penguins peacefully sharing the coastline while a petrel spreads its wings above the ocean.
Guanaco & Magellanic penguins, Cabo dos Bahías, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Guanaco & Magellanic penguins, Cabo dos Bahías, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Cordial Care
The chicks and the nests of spotted eggs of ground-breeding birds like the black-winged stilt can hardly be seen because of their almost perfect camouflage. So they’re facing the threat of being trampled down by humans, as soon as they enter breeding areas. And beside that, due to river and lake regulations, gravel banks are extremely rare here in Austria in the meantime. So, I also haven’t seen such a nest of eggs for my own until that particular day. Because due to the summer droughts, which becomes worse almost every year and often drain nearly all the natural shallow lakes in Eastern Austria, the birds are forced to breed on the shores of a public lake, which is accessible for everyone. That day, I actually went to the lake to relax and rather ran into the birds by accident. First I was quite happy to find lots of shorebirds there and so I grabbed my camera. But as soon as I realized, that this was their breeding ground now, I felt quite out of place and sorry for the birds. I took a handful images and left carefully. The nowadays hot and dry summers are not only a challenge for wildlife regarding the temperatures, lack of food and so on, they also force the animals to stay in areas, where they face different kinds of threats, like laying their eggs on rather crowded grounds.
Black-winged stilts, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2021
Black-winged stilts, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2021
Unwritten Wings
The year, I had this great encounter with a white-tailed eagle along the Thaya river, the first successful breading pair in the national park was documented. White-tailed eagles have almost been extinct in Austria, but these magnificent birds are among these species, which made quite a good comeback due to protection efforts.
White-tailed eagle, Thayatal / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2024
White-tailed eagle, Thayatal / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2024
Confident
At first sight, hummingbirds may seem very vulnerable and quite shy. But, as soon as one spends a little bit more time with these birds, this first impression might change. These beautiful little creatures are actually pretty proud and confident.
Anna’s hummingbird, California, USA, 2024
Anna’s hummingbird, California, USA, 2024
Land of Light
Great egrets are definitely among the most graceful birds in the wetlands of Upper Austria, backlit mist is definitely one of my favorite light conditions and habitat shots are definitely my favorite kind of wildlife images. So I knew, what I will have to go for. I tried to display the beauty and grace of „my“ wetlands and also the rather chaotic character of these mainly unaffected floodplains by including lots of the vegetation, water and light.
Great egret, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2021
Great egret, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2021
Eye Catcher
Most of the time, when I’m lucky enough to experience a close wildlife encounter, I seize the chance for a short lens picture, but every now and then I also go for a portrait image with my telephoto lens. Owls, like this long-eared owl, are just masters of hiding and so I wanted to show this capability by covering one of its mesmerizing orange eyes with some fresh spring foliage.
Long-eared owl, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2021
Long-eared owl, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2021
Flowers & Fur
I was already busy and unsuccessfully looking for bears for about three weeks until I was rewarded with the sudden appearance of this guy. While my loved and little ones still slept in the tent, I was out in the early morning hours again, looking for wildlife, enjoying the calm and beautiful wilderness and taking pictures. But as soon as this black bear emerged from the bushes, I knew, I have to rush back to the tent, grab my family and share this experience. In the end, we could observe this beauty for about an hour or so, leaving us (or at least me) with some of the most enriching nature experiences yet and also some tears in my eyes.
Black bear, Kings Canyon National Park, California, USA, 2024
Black bear, Kings Canyon National Park, California, USA, 2024
Who’s da King?
The rutting season of the red deer is always a special time, although it’s quite hard to observe here in my home country due to sheer endless restrictions by huntsmen. Most of the time one can just hear the unmistakable proud calls of the bulls, but, if you’re lucky, every now and then one of them might enter the stage and display a pretty impressing performance.
Red deer, Donau-Auen National Park, Austria, 2013
Red deer, Donau-Auen National Park, Austria, 2013
Much appreciated
One of those unforgettable, intense and unexpected moments, I was lucky to experience. As every early morning, also that particular day, I spent a few hours in the river, hoping for lovely conditions and some wildlife. Just as I grabbed my long lens again, after I captured the wonderful morning conditions with a short one, a red deer bull broke out of the reed all of a sudden and actually way too close. On the one hand, I was was super happy about that totally unexpected encounter, but on the other hand I really regretted, that I couldn’t include the entire morning atmosphere and all of the landscape with the telephoto lens. But I had to deal with it and so I tried my best to portrait the graceful animal, which didn’t seem to pay any attention to me, although I was just sitting there in the shallow waters without any camouflage. One of these moments, when you rather stop shooting and just enjoy.
Red deer, Dunajec River, Slovakian-polish border, 2025
Red deer, Dunajec River, Slovakian-polish border, 2025
Dawn of Dignity
That particular moment, when an Eurasian otter photobombed right as a flock of red deer crossed the river from Slovakia to Poland during the very, very first misty light of the day. Beside the otter, I was also pretty lucky to get a rather sharp frame handheld at ISO 20000, f2.8, 1/20sec.
Red deer & Eurasian otter, Dunajec River, Slovakian-polish border, 2025
Red deer & Eurasian otter, Dunajec River, Slovakian-polish border, 2025
Facing Elements
When I’m out shooting alpine ibexes, I’m mostly looking for compositions which also show the impressive habitat of these beautiful mammals. This particular trip, which was my very first to these animals, the weather was actually „bad“ all the time. But this was exactly what I was hoping for. I wanted to show the ibexes in a dramatic atmosphere and in their habitat. Already on my first evening there, right before it got completely dark, the clouds scattered for a brief moment and created a small window to this wall of rock partly covered with snow. And not enough of that, this ibex placed himself next to the edge for a second and I was only able to capture this one single image of the scene before the animal went further downhill and finally disappeared.
Alpine ibex, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2014
Alpine ibex, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2014
Tiny and humble
A classic view but still one of my favorite landscape vistas in Austria during one of the best night conditions I experienced there so far. Actually I was out looking for orchids in late afternoon light about ten kilometers away from Lake Almsee and intended to return home in the evening but finally I found myself shooting the Milky Way all night long until sunrise. It was one hell of a night with perfect conditions and probably one of the most exciting Milky Way displays I witnessed so far. A single exposure with the entire illumination coming from natural starlight.
Milky Way & Lake Almsee, Austria, 2018
Milky Way & Lake Almsee, Austria, 2018
Hurried Letters
Like the majority of all living beings, of course, also the fireflies depend on dark night skies. Light pollution is one of the main causes for the insect die-off. The International Dark Sky Reserve Naturnachtgebiet Eisenwurzen, is a promising initiative to save dark skies at least in some parts of Austria.
Firefly & Mount Ödstein, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2026
Firefly & Mount Ödstein, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2026
Pannonian Shapes
Beautiful silhouettes of the characteristic pannonian habitats and residents caught my attention that morning long before sunrise. I’m really into silhouette and habitat shots and so I knew that this would be a great chance for an appealing image connecting both approaches. Since I used a rather short lens I just had to move really carefully not do rouse the shy bird.
Great egret, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2020
Great egret, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2020
First Scent
Actually I can hardly describe, how much I enjoy scenes like this. Riding along the path on my bike in the very first morning light, with a great view to an even greater fog covered landscape. That’s just these moments, when I’m extremely eager to find some wildlife. That morning, everything came together, as some roe deer appeared right as the light was just superb.
Roe deer, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2024
Roe deer, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2024
Loyalty
Some forest floors are still covered by all the fall foliage of the past year in spring and when these leaves merge with the soft, warm light of the setting sun, they light up in wonderful tones of orange. The two liverleaves actually seemed to enjoy the last warm rays of the day, before to rather cold night fell in.
Liverleaf, Upper Austria, Austria 2014
Liverleaf, Upper Austria, Austria 2014
Disco
Sundew is among that very few carnivorous plants, that can be found in Austria. These organisms just grow on nutrient-poor soils, so that they also have to “feed” on insects and so on. The magical glittering of these pretty tiny plants comes from their little sticky tentacles, which can provide a great little light show towards the sun.
Sundew, Ibmer Moor, Austria, 2012
Sundew, Ibmer Moor, Austria, 2012
Colors of Gold
There’s hardly anything more exemplarily for the fragility and grace of the natural world than dragonfly wings. So this particular dew covered wings of a ruddy darter, flooded by the morning light, caught my eye. I just tried to display all the fragility, grace and colorful dots, which caught all the spectral colors, by pointing my lens towards some dark shady areas.
Ruddy darter, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2023
Ruddy darter, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2023
Alter Ego
At the gates of the Gesäuse National Park, there’s a small piece of moorland left and finally protected. And this area harbors a pond, where lots of dragonflies can be seen in summer. One day, I was there at the right time and found numerous exuvias and freshly hatched dragonflies. I wanted to frame my shots by the fragile gras around the water and all the background glitter, which was created by the harsh sunlight. At one point, I noticed this particular individual, which seemed to me, like it was having a last farewell-talk to its Alter Ego …
Scarlet darter, Styria, Austria, 2024
Scarlet darter, Styria, Austria, 2024
Remembering Bees
There’s a tiny forest stream near my former home where lots of wood anemones can be found in spring. And since some of them grow close to this stream I loved to go there on sunny days at noon, when the sun creates gorgeous reflections on the moving water which can make a lovely background. While I was just happily shooting these wonderful aligned two wood anemones and the fast moving reflections in their background, all of a sudden this honeybee showed up in my viewfinder and I just pressed the shutter two or three times and was super lucky to capture the insect right above the blossom and sharp at f2.8, looking into my direction and with one fleeting dot of light in its background.
Wood anemones & honeybee, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2018
Wood anemones & honeybee, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2018
Worlds of Water
When I started taking pictures, I always thought sunny days provide the best light and conditions. It didn’t take too long, until I realized, that it is so much easier to created appealing images during overcast, rainy or foggy days. So, like most photographers, I guess, I started to avoid the harsh sun around noon on clear days. But nowadays I actually go back and restart embracing conditions like this. I think they can actually create more extraordinary moments, but it is definitely much more challenging to get a proper result. It’s up to you to decide, whether I succeeded in this particular case, when I shot this banded demoiselle, but I liked the experience and I still like the image.
Banded demoiselle, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2020
Banded demoiselle, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2020
Sudden Shape
Nowadays I always pay close attention to rather harsh light and its reflections on a water surface. In this particular case, I was following and photographing some mute swans in late forenoon from a bridge. Again the liquid-metal-like appearance of the water surface mesmerized me completely and I’m quite happy how the „face“ of the swan came out in this frame.
Mute swan, Thaya Valley / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2021
Mute swan, Thaya Valley / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2021
Whirling Worlds
I’m just more and more mesmerized by all the different stunning reflections, which occur on water surfaces. And I’m paying more and more attention to them. Especially since these sceneries are actually something totally common and can be found in such a wide range of natural settings. All you need are a gently moving water, surrounding elements which reflect on the liquid surface and some interesting sunlight. It’s definitely worth to risk some closer looks to the waters, because these sceneries can provide super fascinating little experiences along the way.
Sky reflections, Donau-Auen National Park, Austria, 2023
Sky reflections, Donau-Auen National Park, Austria, 2023
Traces of Renewal
Natural forest fires are actually also an important part of some ecosystems. Specialized organisms, like the famous giant sequoias, which protect themselves from fires with their massive barks, depend on wildfires in order to germinate.
Burnt tree, Sequoia National Park, California, USA, 2024
Burnt tree, Sequoia National Park, California, USA, 2024
Mother Ship
Beside the obvious fascinating reflections of the sun light, this particular time I also observed the interesting behavior, that the very small young water striders often seeked the presence of an adult insect. I guess, they just feel safer close to them. I was placed near some trees which cast a dark reflection on the water from my point of view but the insects were actually hit by the sun and the water deformations at the ends of the animals legs shaped the surface in a way that tiny parts of the surface created a reflection of the sun instead of the dark foliage and so they caused sunstars. The entire setting with all these little colorful stars, caused by tiny pollen and dust particles on the water, reminds me very much of some cosmic scenery and the adult animal seemed to be kind of the mother ship for the small ones. Natural light and scenery. No manipulation, of course.
Water striders, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2025
Water striders, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2025
Nunaces of Noon
Harsh sunlight at a wetland pond hit this young scarlet darter during a rest in front of some shady bushes. Perhaps a rather good example, that high dynamic range don’t always has to be a challenge, it can also be very beneficial in photography.
Scarlet darter, Sytria, Austria, 2024
Scarlet darter, Sytria, Austria, 2024
Towards the Days
Since these particular couple of spring flowers grew higher up on the wooden slope of a hill, the setting sun went extremely low and red from this point of view. Right as the very, very last rays illuminated the blossoms, a tiny midge placed itself on a leaf and I used the root of a large tree to cover up the foreground floor.
Liverleaf & midge, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2025
Liverleaf & midge, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2025
Walls & Waves
The speed of the clouds up in the mountains can be just stunning. And so also the light conditions can change rapidly up there. This particular morning some thin layers of clouds just battled with the rising sun and the collision of them, together with the shadows of the mountains, created some quite thrilling sceneries like this.
Jotunheimen National Park, Norway, 2021
Jotunheimen National Park, Norway, 2021
Lifeline
The entire coast line was extremely fascinating and photogenic, but the areas where these colorful reef starfish could be found, were the most spectacular ones for sure. And beside the starfish lots of mussels (the starfish feed on them, as far as I know) also covered the rocks and I had to place my steps very carefully do not trample them down. It’s always very impressive to me, how these animals are able to stand their ground while they’re constantly hit by the crashing waves.
Reef starfish & mussels, Motukiekie Beach, New Zealand, 2019
Reef starfish & mussels, Motukiekie Beach, New Zealand, 2019
Tunnels of Treasures
Although I never plan any of my images in advance, I run into gorgeous sceneries every now and then, like that particular day in Slovenia as the gentle fog appeared through this little cave and the rising sun was just placed perfectly. And let me tell you, the coffee after such moments tastes way better then the regular one.
Rakov Skocjan, Slovenia, 2023
Rakov Skocjan, Slovenia, 2023
The Morning after
I spent the night at this shore along the Merced River to watch and photograph the amazing night skies. But, of course, I also intended to stay there for sunrise. Especially in summer, when the days break quite early, after a short night, dawn and the rising of the sun are always among the most delightful moments in nature. They convey some sense of hope.
Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2024
Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2024
Graveyard of Life
Upper Austria’s Kalkalpen National Park harbors some of the very last wide spread wild woodlands and hillsides in Central Europe. Of course vital woods also contain large amounts of deadwood, like on this slope. 2025 I had the great opportunity to stay in the heart of the national park for about a week, exploring delightful and vivid areas full of unaffected terrain.
Kalkalpen National Park, Austria, 2025
Kalkalpen National Park, Austria, 2025
Wings ’n Walls
One day, during a family evening stroll, I noticed quite a few very beautiful butterflies feeding on the lilies on this particular meadow. I decided to come back the next day without the kids to go for some back-lit wide-angle habitat images of the insects. But unfortunately this day, I couldn’t spot a single butterfly. After some time of waiting, I still couldn’t see one of them, but unexpectedly I noticed this red-winged blackbird flying over the area from time to time. So I sat down and went for the kind of image, I actually intended to do with the butterflies, but with the bird instead. My main goal was to show the fantastic habitat of the animal, with the lovely wildflowers, the meadow, some trees, the bright Californian sun and, of course, the stunning walls of rock, as a framing. Although, it took me just a few tries, until I was rather successful, I wanted to stay longer, for some more shots, but at one point, I was unsure, whether I might disturb the bird, so I decided to leave.
Red-winged blackbird, Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2024
Red-winged blackbird, Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2024
Clean Creature
Backlit plumage, backlit fall foliage and backlit mist are all very photogenic and attractive phenomenons and when all of them come together properly, an exciting scenery occurs. At least for me, great egrets are among the most graceful birds, which live in these wetlands and beside that, their white coat provides a great contrast to dark shady areas.
Great egret, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2021
Great egret, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2021
Crossing
Another unforgettable moment during our stay in Yellowstone. This morning I was out to photograph bisons in the first daylight. At the beginning there was heavy fog and mist everywhere and I did a few high-key images. But a little later it began to clear up and all the mist over this small river was lit up by the rising sun. Then I noticed that the herd of bisons began to wander over a meadow and in the direction of the river. So, of course, I was hoping, that they will cross the river in this amazing morning conditions. And they did. I placed myself and started to take pictures of the scenery. Suddenly this great blue heron appeared in my viewfinder and the situation was quite perfect. I just tried to focus on the bird and to capture the spirit of this moment of wilderness by getting all the essential elements in the frame.
Great blue heron & American bison, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, 2014
Great blue heron & American bison, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, 2014
Nursery of Peace
I was already observing the herd of alpine ibexes grazing on this montane meadow for some time and so I had this particular image and composition already in my mind. I wanted to capture all the elements of the scenery and the habitat of the animals. The glacier lake, the shadow of the mountain, the last sun light, the illuminated trees and the last little snow fields. So, I just had to wait and hope for an ibex to place himself right where I wanted it. And finally I was lucky enough to get the shot.
Alpine ibex, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2017
Alpine ibex, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2017
Get ready
Three impressive male alpine ibexes posed in a pretty lovely choreography, while the low sun of the late afternoon provided me this gorgeous light, which drenched the mammals and Austria’s highest summit, Mount Großglockner, in fantastic light.
Alpine ibexes & Mount Großglockner, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2015
Alpine ibexes & Mount Großglockner, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2015
Hospitality
It was actually quite an effort to be there in the very early morning hours for the first light of the day, but I knew it might pay off. And as some ibexes actually showed up in front of this magnificent vista, I was more than rewarded. Of course, I was eager to show the montane view alongside the animal. It seems crucial to me, not to separate animals from their habitats, so environment images like this always make me happy.
Alpine ibex, Karwendel, Austria, 2025
Alpine ibex, Karwendel, Austria, 2025
Painted Patience
Actually I was already on my way home, but I decided to stop for a little rest on this location, to enjoy the landscape. The sky was cloud covered and gray for hours already, but somehow I didn’t dare to leave. So in the end I spent two hours there just unsuccessfully hoping for the sun to break through for a moment but this didn’t happen until the sun finally set. Right as it ultimately went down for this particular day, the clouds opened for a brief moment and provided this surreal alpenglow.
Mount Ödstein, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2022
Mount Ödstein, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2022
Sense of Safety
The High Tatra isn’t only a wonderful wild place in the heart of Europe, it’s also a very good example for a peaceful coexistence of a wild ecosystem with all its inhabitants and humans (so far). Each year, about three million people share the hiking trails of these mountain terrains with around 200 European brown bears and also wolves, lynxes and so on. Quite a lot of them (like us) are families with kids or school classes. No drama, no cattle, just wild valleys, slopes and calm coexistence. In fact, the hiking region and tourism tout with the bears. I just enjoyed wandering around in a protected area, where I knew also large predators are accepted and appreciated and which also hides very gorgeous landscape views.
High Tatra, Slovakia, 2025
High Tatra, Slovakia, 2025
Wild Candy
One of those soothing places of wild and rough beauty, which bring me so much peace, calmness and the feeling of freedom and optimism. To experience this setting in gorgeous morning conditions and to capture this shot, took me a few attempts of hiking up there in darkness, but finally I was rewarded with a rather short moment of clearing up right as the first sun hit the peaks in the background.
Primary forest, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2020
Primary forest, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2020
Gentle Embrace
Fantastic cloud conditions made a great backdrop for these charismatic trees during this particular late morning in Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park. We hiked up there in darkness to experience sunrise and the early morning at the end of the valley. In the end we were rewarded with this wonderful display of old grown trees and woodland, mighty peaks and scattering clouds.
Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile, 2016
Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile, 2016
Remote Familiarity
Corsica definitely doesn’t disappoint when it comes to stunning mountain vistas. And the, on islands actually quite common, changeable and often dramatic weather conditions make these settings even more exciting. Although the coastlines are also pretty lovely, I enjoyed the hinterlands much more. Actually I didn’t expect so many stunning montane sceneries, crystal clear creeks and unaffected terrain. Especially one of our first destinations, the Asco Valley, really impressed me a lot with its wonderful montane streams, rough rocky mountains and gorgeous pine trees. Without much effort I found numerous untouched spots, which at least gave the impression that there has never been anybody before. This spot was probably my favorite location during the whole trip.
Asco Valley, Corsica, France, 2018
Asco Valley, Corsica, France, 2018
Marine Dentition
Kaikoura is mainly known for its commercial whale watching tours. But I think the place offers much more interesting and much more authentic experiences, especially when explored on ones own. After I spent the night under the mesmerizing stars of the southern hemisphere, I decided to also stay for sunrise. So I could witness this lovely vista of surf and awesome rock formations along the coast in the first light of the upcoming day.
Coast of Kaikoura, New Zealand, 2019
Coast of Kaikoura, New Zealand, 2019
Gloomy Dawn
The sun didn’t break through that particular morning at the shores of California’s Mono Lake, but nevertheless the color show was just great and all the crazy sand formations, called tufas, provided us some quite surreal experiences full of wonder.
Mono Lake, California, USA, 2014
Mono Lake, California, USA, 2014
Land of Luxury
Definitely not a secret spot, but for sure a place to remember and a rather lovely place to celebrate Sabine’s birthday. The conditions that morning where just breathtaking, but the mallards in the foreground also caught my attention and so I did, what I often prefer to do. I did a habitat shot.
Mallards, Lake Matheson, New Zealand, 2019
Mallards, Lake Matheson, New Zealand, 2019
Rough Ride
An alpine chough easily dealing with the changeable and sometimes rough conditions in its habitat, which make these environments so exciting and always thrilling for photography. Especially since high alpine areas are actually the last wild places in this country.
Alpine chough, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2021
Alpine chough, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2021
Cloud Guardian
Sceneries like this will actually never bore me. In fact, I could watch rocks and mountain peaks battling with the clouds all day long. For me this is one of the most entertaining things one can enjoy out there. You don’t have to hide yourself or behave careful in terms of not scaring your subject, but nevertheless there’s always action and stunning moments of mighty nature are guaranteed.
Mount Ödstein, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2021
Mount Ödstein, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2021
Mute Mates
A super delightful scene of simplicity in a rather chaotic surrounding and probably a good example for the benefits of a sunny day and some bright light. And, of course, the white trunks of these slim birches match very nice with the snow covered swamp.
Birches, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2022
Birches, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2022
Topping
As I discovered this location, I could observe a kingfisher for two times on this particular branch. After that, I started thinking of it when there’s some snow, the soft light of dawn and the kingfisher as a topping somewhere in the frame. There was only one day that particular winter with snow in this floodplains and I was lucky enough that the kind bird placed itself perfect on this branch for a few seconds. I had chosen the frame already before, but since my autofocus didn’t catch it, I quickly did a few manually focused shots and ended up with just one sharp image. It’s not often, that I get exactly the frame in my camera I was thinking of and hoping for, but this time I could picture what I wanted.
Common kingfisher, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2015
Common kingfisher, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2015
Morning Mikado
I was lucky enough to witness this lovely early morning scenery as these two common ducks cruised around on the mist covered surface of the lake. The enjoyment was even greater, since I knew that my little family was still sleeping peacefully nearby.
Common ducks, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, 2019
Common ducks, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, 2019
Infinite Walk
A lonely Darwin’s rhea strolls around in the sheer endless open spaces of the Patagonian pampas while the lovely clouds made a great backdrop. Although Patagonia is mainly known for its breathtaking montane vistas, most of this place are super flat areas, constantly whipped by the super strong winds.
Darwin’s rhea, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Darwin’s rhea, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Stateless
An impression of a rather brief moment and an exciting encounter with a gang of wild boars crossing the Thaya River from Czech Republic to Austria in the early morning. Finally I preferred this particular frame, where the leading animal showed up separately before the entire sounder followed.
Wild boar, Thaya Valley / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2020
Wild boar, Thaya Valley / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2020
Fooling Figures
The skies in the early morning hours of that particular day have been completely clear and so I was quite delighted, that a thin layer of clouds appeared, right as the rising sun went up behind this rocky ridge. So, one more time, it was mainly up to me, to place myself somewhere, where the alpine ibexes might show up and the sun will also be in the frame. That time I was successful and I got the shot with these two youngsters fooling around.
Alpine ibexes, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2022
Alpine ibexes, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2022
Sketch of Life
Because of the high mountains the sun comes up pretty late in the areas I normally photograph alpine ibexes, so, when the light finally hits them, it’s already very harsh. So I went for some high contrast back lit low-key images like this one and tried to show the characteristic shape of these magnificent mammals with just a few lines created by the blazing light of the sun.
Alpine ibex, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2016
Alpine ibex, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2016
Cosmic Peter
Actually I was always very attracted by the tiny water deformations water striders create. But somehow I never payed enough attention to them until that particular day in late summer. Back then I was actually waiting for some water birds but since the birds didn’t show up, I started playing around with the water striders. The picture is just a simple handheld shot showing the natural beauty and magic, but it was actually quite challenging to get a rather sharp shot because these little insects are always in motion and my autofocus didn’t catch them. Finally it took me many attempts to get a shot where all six sunstars lightened up simultaneously.
Water strider, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2018
Water strider, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2018
Beneath and beyond
Beside the fascinating reflections of the blue skies, partially hidden behind the surrounding trees, I was also very attracted by the cordial care of the swan parents, while they accompanied their offspring during one of their very first little explorations. They also seemed to have a very close eye on their chicks even when they were feeding under water. So I tried to show this careful behavior and the lovely reflections in one frame.
Mute swans, Thaya Valley / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2021
Mute swans, Thaya Valley / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2021
Flawless Flow
We spent about two weeks in a tent right at the river between Slovakia and Poland. Every morning, I went out, looking for wildlife and other delightful moments. In the evenings, I was lucky enough to sit down at the shores together with my family. One day, my six years old son and I spotted this beautiful otter as the light slowly faded. Since the river is very shallow, the animal was able feed on its prey right in the middle of the water, allowing us to observe it for quite some time. I wanted to show the perfect adaption of the otter to its liquid habitat, by showing the movement of the waters together with the animals wave-shapes body, by using a rather long exposure.
Eurasian otter, Dunajec River, Slovakian-polish border, 2025
Eurasian otter, Dunajec River, Slovakian-polish border, 2025
Liquid Layers
Although I am afraid, I couldn’t do justice to it, this was actually quite an extraordinary display on the water surface, because two kinds of reflections seemed to appear as some kind of two different layers. First, there was the gentle reflection of the blue sky and second there was the reflection of the setting sun, hidden behind some trees of the nearby woods. The fascinating thing to me was the fact, that these two layers seemed to act independently and so it somehow looked like a double exposure to me.
Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2026
Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2026
Towards Past
The reed areas of the Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park can provide some beautiful backlit settings, when the sun is getting low. But even much more important these terrains provide home for countless species, many of which are endangered, rare and rely on the reed belts.
Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2026
Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2026
Shattery Shapes
As the morning skies finally started to show some soft colors, the submerged vegetation of Slovenia’s Lake Cerknisko was still covered in black and invited me to create this kind of a silhouette shot, while trying to capture the fragility and peacefulness of the moment.
Reed, Lake Cerknisko, Slovenia, 2024
Reed, Lake Cerknisko, Slovenia, 2024
Barren Blue
The night falls in and covers the beautiful chaotic and barren wetland vegetation in early spring in soft bluish tones. I just love the way some plants create mesmerizing structures and patterns when they grow on other vegetation. And I also love, how the structures of plants are revealed by the colder seasons, when they lose their foliage.
Wild hop, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2021
Wild hop, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2021
Ancient Flames
A long lens and high contrast detail of an iceberg in Austria’s Sulzbachtäler, taken in the harsh light around noon. Since 2019 these valleys are Austria’s second Wilderness Area (IUCN category I) beside the Wildnisgebiet Dürrenstein (meanwhile Dürrenstein-Lassingtal), which was already established back in 2003.
Glacial ice, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2020
Glacial ice, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2020
Valley of Verts
Yosemite is probably one of the best places to witness the constructive power of glaciers. The massive towers, walls and slopes are just a great example of nature’s creativity and forces. I felt tiny, humble and enriched as I captured this sunset scenery one evening.
Glacier-shaped walls of rock, Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2024
Glacier-shaped walls of rock, Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2024
Color Spaces
As I was checking the current conditions in this area, prior to one of my workshops in the national park, I experienced these fantastic autumn setting with a great palette of colors on the diverse vegetation and some lovely clouds up in the sky.
Mount Buchstein, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2019
Mount Buchstein, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2019
Sweet Rewards
Hardly anything beats moments like this. One of New Zealand’s countless breathtaking beautiful and lonely beaches in the early morning. Unfortunately you cannot smell the sea, feel the winds, hear the surf and see the rainbow to my left.
Wharariki Beach, New Zealand, 2019
Wharariki Beach, New Zealand, 2019
Fables’ Peak
It took me a whole day of running up and down this stream to find a composition which at least pays a little justice to the magic of this place. Of course the volcano, called Lanín, is the eye catcher, but all the different mystic trees and lichen covered bushes growing on the rocky ground made this area so special. Finally I hiked up to this location four times to get some sweet conditions. I certainly couldn’t manage to capture all the beauty of this place, but I guess this is my best attempt.
Mount Lanín, Lanín National Park, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Mount Lanín, Lanín National Park, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Familiar Flows
Although the image might not appear pretty cold, it was a quite cold but heartwarming experience. I placed myself in the knee deep water of the Enns River, to include the waves close up at dawn. But since the sky was clear, there was no spectacular sunrise, so I decided to wait there for the sun to come up behind the trees and to illuminate parts of the water surface. In the end, I stood there for about two hours and I was quite happy but even much more cold.
Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2026
Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2026
Soul Scapes
I guess this might be among my top ten forest views I’ve ever had. You’re looking at a slope wrapped in a fantastic mixed forest in Czech Republic’s Podyjí National Park as seen from the Austrian side. I was lucky enough to experience this vista during great evening conditions with the last rays of sun on parts of the woods and some soft autumn mist. The forest shows countless different species of trees wearing their most colorful and diverse dresses.
Mixed forest, Thaya Valley / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2019
Mixed forest, Thaya Valley / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2019
Goblins’ Home
One more time I was out in Upper Austria, close to my home. That day there were great conditions of sun and fog. So I walked into the woods on a hill to reach the height where the fog ends and the sun comes through. And finally the rays of sunlight were amazing. Since it was the beginning of autumn I tried to find a beech in this forest full of spruces, to also get some colorful leaves. After I found this particular one, you can see on the picture, I quickly had to chose an appealing point of view, before the fleeting rays disappeared again.
Spruce-beech forest, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2012
Spruce-beech forest, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2012
Ballroom Beauty
Since I had to take this shot with a camera lacking a flip screen, it took quite a few attempts to capture a pleasing image that included all the essential elements. I chose this very low-angle perspective to convey the size of the orchid while also including its habitat and the afternoon sun into the frame.
Lady’s slipper orchid, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2026
Lady’s slipper orchid, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2026
We rely on the Wild
The Alpine longhorn beetle is one of the rarest and undoubtedly most spectacular beetles in this country. However, because the larvae must develop for five years inside dead beech wood, the species is severely endangered, just because there is hardly any dead wood left undisturbed for that long in our commercially managed forests.
Alpine longhorn beetles, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2026
Alpine longhorn beetles, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2026
Modest Moods
After the vivid months of spring and summer, autumn finally brings some quietness into the wetlands before the rather tough wintertime takes over. The quietness nature can provide is actually a special one and foggy conditions definitely increase the calmness and so also the mute swans seemed to enjoy their soothing lands.
Mute swans, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2020
Mute swans, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2020
Autumn Beat
I was out in the wetlands of Upper Austria hoping for a nice sunrise to do some backlit photography. But as often, things turned out different and it became a foggy but bright morning. At a nearby lake there are a couple birch trees and since it was autumn they carried their fall foliage which really looked great on their white trunks. As I noticed this tufted duck, I tried to capture the beauty of the tree together with the duck which made a great contrast to the reflection of the white skies on the water surface.
Tufted duck, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2015
Tufted duck, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2015
Sing for the Moment
The colors of the savi’s warbler match quite perfect to the colors of the reed and so these birds are often pretty hard to spot, even when their calls are actually rather unmistakable. Even more, since they mainly prefer to place themselves not too exposed.
Savi’s warbler, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2013
Savi’s warbler, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2013
Gentle Invitation
Sometimes the wild can be pretty rough, uncomfortable and even dangerous, of course. Sometimes it can be extremely inviting, cute and gentle. That morning, I felt quite welcome, as this gorgeous hummingbird set down right next to me along the track on a pretty photogenic branch, placed in front of the sunny backdrop.
Anna’s hummingbird, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA, 2024
Anna’s hummingbird, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA, 2024
Vertical World
One cannot protect a species without protecting its habitat. This endangered European tree frog sticks to its home made of Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park’s vast reed belts. Like literally countless other species, also these amphibians are also on the Red List, mainly because of the rapid loss of habitats, they rely on.
European tree frog, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2026
European tree frog, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2026
Tones of Delight
Some fallen leaves of the past year can often create very lovely colors of orange and bluish on the ground and so I like to include them as a foreground in my images from time to time. And when they are backlit by the sun, their colors become even more intense. In this case, I combined those leaves with the glittering dew and, of course, with the gorgeous chess flower.
Chess flower, Styria, Austria, 2021
Chess flower, Styria, Austria, 2021
Fairy Lights
If I can manage I’m always out in April in Styria for a couple of days to experience and photograph the amazing chess flowers which are among the most graceful plants I actually know. Although I’ve seen this flowers already a few times in the past years, I was again instantly and completely fascinated by their appearance. Beside their fabulous beauty, it always amazes me, how these lovely flowers seem to lighten up like little lanterns. Even when there’s just very poor light as on this image taken about an hour before sunrise.
Chess flower, Styria, Austria, 2018
Chess flower, Styria, Austria, 2018
In between the Worlds
The sunken and algae covered branch, in combination with the reflection of the leaf covered vital one, caught my attention. I think, both branches actually belong to the same tree. After I tried to find a proper perspective for the scenery, I noticed some fish passing by from time to time and I knew, what I want. A common rudd, with its lovely red fins, appearing between the bluish branches.
Common rudd, Drawienski National Park, Poland, 2026
Common rudd, Drawienski National Park, Poland, 2026
Stand your Ground
Before we visited the Olympic National Park back in 2014, there were lots of reports of a horrible disease among the starfish on the US Westcoast which actually killed most of the sea stars. So I was even more happy, that we could experience all the beauty of these fascinating purple and orange creatures, because it seemed, that there were still countless healthy starfish alive. But of course, I have no idea how the coasts looked like before the outbreak. In this image I tried to capture the behavior of waiting motionless until the next flood comes in, no matter whether the waves break over them.
Ochre starfish, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA, 2014
Ochre starfish, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA, 2014
Romance
I don’t know about you, but for me, this image is probably the most romantic one, I took so far. A couple of Eurasian avocets resting side by side in the shallow waters, while they seemed to watch the colorful sunset.
Eurasian avocets, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2022
Eurasian avocets, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2022
Colors of Black
While walking back after a day with my family at the beach in the Strunjan nature reserve, I discovered this little scene of a blackbird foraging in the meadow, the sun setting behind the clouds, and a few poppies adorning the foreground.
Back bird, Slovenia, 2023
Back bird, Slovenia, 2023
Light Impact
A pilewort growing pretty close to the water of a tiny stream, while the harsh sun at noon pierces through the fresh foliage. The next day, the blossom already touched the liquid surface and the setting was actually gone.
Pilewort, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2020
Pilewort, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2020
Shy Souls
To bring out all the details of this spectacular reflections, I created a rather dark image, showing this well shaped pilewort only as a black silhouette in front of the water.
Pilewort, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2021
Pilewort, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2021
Father & Sun
At the time I took this particular image, the sun was already high up and the light was very hard. So I felt invited for this kind of a silhouette shot, I took almost straight towards the light and with the little help of some dew covered vegetation in the foreground.
Alpine ibexes, Karwendel, Austria, 2025
Alpine ibexes, Karwendel, Austria, 2025
01
A rather thin layer of coastal fog, lightened up by the bright sun around noon, at the shores of the Pacific Northwest created this super high contrast silhouette scenery, as a sea gull placed itself on one of the coast’s fascinating sea stacks.
Seagull, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA, 2014
Seagull, Olympic National Park, Washington, USA, 2014
Siblings’ Visions
Two long-eared owl chicks getting ready for their adventures of the upcoming night. Knowing that this owl family was living up in the tress which surrounded our tent was quite a pleasure for all of us and we spent some time observing these extraordinary birds of prey.
Long-eared owls, Carinthia, Austria, 2021
Long-eared owls, Carinthia, Austria, 2021
Proud Posing
Mute swans are without a doubt some of the most graceful but also most unterrated birds. I just tried to show the proudness of this one by using the harsh sun light in combination with the rather dark waters of the wetlands. The reflection of some cottonwood trees close to the water invited me to complete the scenery.
Mute swan, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2024
Mute swan, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2024
Sunny Scribbles
There’s a particular area of a little birch forest in this swamp landscape. In early autumn, when the grass is still standing upright, but the green is already gone, the grass blades kind of match quite cool with the tree trunks and their reflection on the little lake. What especially caught my eyes, was the harmonic but nevertheless chaotic setting.
Birch trees, Styria, Austria, 2022
Birch trees, Styria, Austria, 2022
Shapes
The fascinating details of Scandinavian landscapes are sheer endless and the appearance of water lilies, which emerge from the dark waters of a Swedish lake is just wonderful. The rather bright sun in the evening just increased the contrast between the plants and the dark water and the contrast regarding the completely different shapes of the water lilies and the grass affected me even more.
Water lilies, Tresticklan National Park, Sweden, 2021
Water lilies, Tresticklan National Park, Sweden, 2021
Window in the Woods
I used some vegetation in the foreground to frame this lovely spring forest scenery. The snow drops were already in bloom, but the forest itself was still quite bald and so the last rays of the setting sun managed to pierce through the woods, providing gorgeous warm light.
Snow drop, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2024
Snow drop, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2024
The Calls beyond
A graceful wood anemone growing close to a small forest stream, as the sun partially hid behind a thin layer of clouds. The reflection of these skies made a lovely background for the portrait of the flower.
Wood anemone, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2022
Wood anemone, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2022
Sensitive Forest Beings
I never had reflections as cool as this before until that particular day when I started my Liquid Souls series. There was just a tiny spot on the water surface where the dots of light moved very slowely and created this little piece of magic. This special reflections were so small, that all of them are framed in this picture. I just tried to find a fitting couple of wood anemones, to get one in focus and the other one just as a shadow in the reflections. The fragile and fairylike reflections emphasize the fragility of the tiny flowers and of the entire natural world itself.
Wood anemone, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2017
Wood anemone, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2017
REM
Once more, the sun found its way throught the spring forest and created mesmerizing reflections on the water surface behind the flower. An absolutely fascinating scene and, once again, a great example of natural magic. Settings like this will never bore me at all.
Pilewort, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2020
Pilewort, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2020
Lucid Liquid
Soft movement of the water and the sun setting behind some vegetation, created this lovely scenery in the water strider’s rather small world. As long as one pays close attention, nature’s magic actually always delivers.
Water strider, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2024
Water strider, Traun-Danube Wetlands, Austria, 2024
Fleshlights
I was lucky to observe these two frogs clinched to each other in a small forest stream, while the sun, combined with the shadows of the forest, created superb patterns of light on the water surface. For me, all the glittering fits quite well to these two lovers and I tried to capture this little love story by choosing a slightly longer exposure time.
European grass frogs, Thaya Valley / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2024
European grass frogs, Thaya Valley / Podyjí National Park, Austria / Czech Republic, 2024
Deer Trunk
The mule deer you can see in the frame has a body length of about 1.5 meters and is quite bigger than the European roe deer. Just to give a sense of the size of the sequoia tree right behind the animal. Beside „using“ the deer for the scale, I also tried to pay justice to the massive trunk, by filling the entire frame with it … Tiny and humble we are.
Sequoia tree & mule deer, Sequoia National Park, California, USA, 2024
Sequoia tree & mule deer, Sequoia National Park, California, USA, 2024
Complete
Bristlecone pine trees are among the oldest living creatures on earth. Some of them are about 5,000 years old. Actually this fact alone is very impressing. But honestly, I had no idea how impressing, moving and intense the time up there would be. There’s not only the extremely high age of these trees. They also appear in extraordinary shapes and stunning color patterns. And furthermore the smell of these groves after some rain is also outstanding. Beside all the things, I mentioned before, the fact that these trees are growing on a completely scree covered ground is also very fascinating to me. And it makes them even more attractive and I knew, that I’d like to capture them under the stars, having no idea at that point, that countless astro images of these trees already exist. So, I didn’t care and still do not, to be honest. Finally, we went higher up, but the skies didn’t quite cooperate. One particular night, I got some minutes with scattering clouds and also lots of luck, as the setting moon painted the clouds in gentle red tones, at exactly the right time.
Bristlecone pine tree, White Mountains, California, USA, 2014
Bristlecone pine tree, White Mountains, California, USA, 2014
Inhaling Comfort
Although the tremendous walls of Yosemite are characterized by their rough, steel and high faces, they don’t appear threatening to me at all. Actually quite the opposite. They seem to protect the gentle, fairy-like meadows from the chaotic and fast moving world outside.
Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2024
Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2024
The Towers
Rough terrain, made of rock and water. Nevertheless these towers are well known, they are not even less impressing. That morning, I was blessed with some wonderful light at sunrise and rather soft gusts of wind.
Paine Towers, Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile, 2016
Paine Towers, Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile, 2016
Fire & Ice
After a frosty night an almost surreal windless morning provided this beautiful scenery of Mount Cerro Torre and a perfect reflection on the calm water surface while this small iceberg made a lovely foreground and a great contrast to the intense alpenglow.
Cerro Torre, Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Cerro Torre, Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Stranded in Light
My approach of photographing this seagull. The entire vista with a mesmerizing sunrise, a tidal stream and some tide pools was just to beautiful not to include.
Seagull, The Catlins, New Zealand, 2019
Seagull, The Catlins, New Zealand, 2019
Wasp Waist
Today I know, this crazy shaped rock called Kannesteinen is quite famous and probably photographed a million times. Nevertheless I haven’t heard or seen of it until we stumbled over it by accident during our 2015 Norway trip. Once there, I decided to give it a try. As I climbed down to the water I realized this wonderful patterned stone in front of me. So I knew I had to put it also in the frame. And finally I was very lucky with the conditions as the sun broke through the clouds right before it set.
Vågsøy, Norway, 2015
Vågsøy, Norway, 2015
Kingdom of Dignity
Actually I’m still very excited about this particular shot, because there are so many elements that came together just perfectly in this seconds and I guess I managed to fully catch the experience I had at this moment. That morning I was already quite exhausted. I couldn’t get just one proper shot the evening before, there were thunderstorms at night, so I hardly found some sleep and I wasn’t able to find the alpine ibexes in the early morning. As I was already losing hope to find them before the conditions get unappealing, I discovered them in an extremely beautiful area where I’ve never seen them before until that day. As I hiked into this terrain, the scenery was just stunning. The animals appeared right at the rocky edge above that roaring waterfall, the rising sun and the clouds created a wonderful morning sky, the still snow covered mountains made a lovely backdrop and these little wildflowers caught my eye for the foreground. So, I just quickly tried to get everything uncropped in the frame, hoping for the ibexes to do an appealing pose and to come close enough to the edge, so that I can also see their legs. And finally they actually did. Albeit for a few seconds and I ended up with only two frames of the scene.
Alpine ibexes, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2016
Alpine ibexes, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2016
Mighty Dwarf
The night was very frosty but extremely calm, so that Laguna Torre was partially covered with fresh thin ice in the morning which was used by this tiny bird to collect some insects on the frozen water surface, which was a very interesting behavior for me to witness. The entire scene was a kind reminder not to forget also paying attention to the small things, even when you’re standing in front of one of the most iconic mountains, like Cerro Torre. But of course I also wanted to include the awesome mountain scenery in the image, without losing the bird due to too small scale. So I quickly decided for this kind of a reflection shot.
Unknown bird, Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Unknown bird, Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Afterlife
An actually burnt tree lightens up beautifully in the first light of the upcoming day, as the moon slowly sets. I was totally delighted by the beauty of the light and the dignity of the entire scenery. Dead trees are equally beautiful as they are important to the ecosystem.
Pine tree, Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2024
Pine tree, Yosemite National Park, California, USA, 2024
Calm Rising
A rather extremely calm morning at the shores of Laguna Torre. The night skies have been super clear and so the temperatures dropped below zero, which provides us a refreshing morning and also some interesting ice formations on the lake, I payed my attention on a little later.
Cerro Torre, Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Cerro Torre, Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia, Argentina, 2016
Cooperation
After a very overcast day the clouds scattered in the evening and the sunset was super spectacular. Large parts of sky were on fire in red, but I couldn’t find an appealing frame. So, at one point, I just turned my back to the sunset and was rewarded with this little intense pink glow, right above some of the fascinating tufas.
Mono Lake, California, USA, 2014
Mono Lake, California, USA, 2014
The Recipe
Still hard to believe, that immense areas of this gorge were destroyed by the Eagle Creek Fire back in 2017, caused by the ignition of fireworks during a fire ban. If the vegetation will ever completely recover, it will probably take hundreds of years.
Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, USA, 2014
Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, USA, 2014
Pool of Tales
Since the weather was clear, I didn’t get the misty, rainy conditions, I was actually hoping for. So I went for this image in the early morning hours, before the sun came through. I figured out the composition already the day before, so I just had to go for this attempt to capture an other glimpse of New Zealand’s mesmerizing forests.
The Catlins, New Zealand, 2019
The Catlins, New Zealand, 2019
Color Gusts
The most dramatic conditions mainly appear right after or during some „bad“ weather as in this case. While my little family still slept in the van, I was exploring a little area of the Aoraki National Park in the early morning and could witness just superb conditions of thick rain clouds right above the glacier covered slopes and the rising sun. But I have to admit, this also was the heaviest storm I was ever photographing in. So it was quite difficult to get a rather sharp shot.
Aoraki (Mount Cook) National Park, New Zealand, 2019
Aoraki (Mount Cook) National Park, New Zealand, 2019
Rock-solid
After searching intensively for bears for about three weeks, I was understandably excited by this encounter. In this particular image, I tried to do justice to the overall situation, by including the surroundings and avoid later disappointment because I had overlooked exciting areas in the rush. When the black bear wandered to this slope and paused there briefly, I wanted to capture the steepness of its habitat, the wonderful vegetation and the colorful lichen growth in the frame. I reduced my focal length to its maximum setting, to managed to fit all the elements into the frame.
Black bear, Kings Canyon National Park, California, USA, 2024
Black bear, Kings Canyon National Park, California, USA, 2024
Vulnerable Valleys
After the expansion of the wilderness area Dürrenstein in 2021 (since then Wildnisgebiet Dürrenstein-Lassingtal) and the approval of the wilderness area Sulzbachtäler in 2019, there are two wilderness areas (IUCN category I, no management) in Austria yet, covering about 0.17% of the state area. The image above was taken in the valley of the Untersulzbachtal, where super vivid meadows lead to distant peaks and glaciers. No cattle on this slopes, but tons of wildflowers and butterflies.
Fritillary, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2024
Fritillary, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2024
Full Presence
An attentive male alpine ibex staring me down for a few moments, while I tried to show his full majesty in a high-key image towards the bright cloudy skies.
Alpine ibex, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2016
Alpine ibex, Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria, 2016
Tools
During one of my tours in the Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, I spotted a kestrel perched on a low bush. The bird appeared very relaxed, so I slowly moved closer. Eventually, the animal allowed me to get extremely close, making this close-up shot possible. However, the situation soon seemed rather odd to me, and I was unsure whether the bird was truly alright. So I decided to move away. A short while later, though, the falcon flew off, appearing healthy and vital.
Kestrel, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2020
Kestrel, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2020
Fragilities
Spiderwebs and dragonfly wings are arguably among the most fragile-looking elements of nature. So this particular setting of a dew covered web and a ruddy darter, flooded by the morning light, caught my eye and I just tried to display both of their different types of grace, fragility, beauty, shapes and patterns by excluding anything else in the frame.
Ruddy darter, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2023
Ruddy darter, Neusiedler See – Seewinkel National Park, Austria, 2023
Creature of Glory
One more time, the harsh light at noon allowed me to take this high-key image of a beautiful demoiselle. I mainly concentrated on the beautiful colored wings of this insect and tried to bring them out as good as possible, by choosing a bright exposure and by defocussing them.
Beautiful demoiselle, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2023
Beautiful demoiselle, Mühlviertel, Austria, 2023
Mesmer Ice
Some super mesmerizing ice structures right at the side of a small waterfall. I guess, on the one hand, the water was melting small parts of the ice and on the other hand, it was creating new frozen structures at the same time. So these extremely thin an interesting formations emerged along the stream and I wish you all could see them in full detail.
Ice structures, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2023
Ice structures, Gesäuse National Park, Austria, 2023
Entire photographic work, screen design & content by Rupert Kogler © 2026. All rights reserved worldwide.