The Frozen East

The Netherlands, January 2025

When I look outside and see the grey sky, a light drizzle and the sun trying to peak through from time to time, I can hardly believe I spent the last few days in a winter wonderland less than an hour away from my house. These last few days there were some photographic conditions that I had not seen for years. But they were extremely local. Only a handful of places in the Netherlands had beautiful frosty conditions that lasted a few days. Temperatures around zero during the day and minus during the night. Not even that cold, but enough to transform several places in the country into a winter wonderland.

Frozen East the Netherlands by Albert Dros

Altitude: 90 meters

Our country is flat. And what’s funny about this is that the ice conditions mainly happened just a little bit ‘higher’ up. That’s right, most of these photos were shot at an altitude level of around 90 meters above sea level! Just a few dozen meters lower, it was just grey without any frost or ice. This area is called ‘de Posbank’ near Arnhem. I mainly shoot here in the summer times with the blooming heather. It’s one of the best places to photograph the blooming heather in the Netherlands. It’s a place where we actually have some hills and layers, and it had its own winter climate these last few days. Frozen forest floors, hills covered in ice, completely frozen trees, lots of hoar frost, it was simply a photographic paradise for me, as we do not get these conditions often in the Netherlands. I tried to be out as much as possible to photograph these conditions. And who knows, when will be the next time?

This photo series (29 photos) portrays the last few days around the city of Arnhem. I normally do smaller photo series, but I wanted to show more story and context in this one. Every photo has a small description describing the moment and my vision of photographing it.

Frost-covered trees in a misty forest, with bare branches and a ground dusted in white. The scene is serene and wintry. In the Netherlands — *In some higher parts of the area, the landscape was completely frozen. It was interesting to still see the green color of the moss on the trees through all the frozen whites.*

Swan and ducks on a serene, misty lake. Frost-covered trees in the background create a calm, wintry scene. In the Netherlands — Just when I exited the highway at the city of Arnhem, a little pond grabbed my attention. It was completely surrounded by frozen trees and there were some swans and ducks in the pond. I spent some time there enjoying the silence next to the city, observing the swans and the other birds.

Foggy forest with bare trees dusted in frost. Brown leaves add contrast. Misty atmosphere creates a serene, wintery mood. In the Netherlands — This was one of my favourite moments of the last 3 days. At some point, the fog got extremely thick. It was like walking in an aquarium, not seeing more than 50-100 meters in front of me. With a completely frozen landscape of birch trees, I occasionally found some autumn colours that left. ***An incredible contrast that I had never seen before in the Netherlands.*** This shot was done with at only 30mm! Just to give you an idea of how thick the fog was.

Frost-covered trees in a misty winter forest; branches and grass glisten with ice, creating a serene, ethereal atmosphere. In the Netherlands — *This birch tree grabbed my attention because of its shape. I had seen it before on photos of* *Sander Grefte* *(a great local photographer in the area), but I had never seen it with my own eyes. I look forward to capturing the same tree in a completely different season to compare the landscape!*

Foggy landscape with frosty grass and bare trees. A leafless tree stands center, surrounded by mist-veiled, frosty trees in cold, muted tones. In the Netherlands — I spent a lot of time in the frozen forests, but also tried to capture scenes in the middle of the heather fields. It was great to see how the landscape completely transforms in a winter wonderland and I loved to see the contrast of different kind of trees and how they attract the hoar frost. I liked this rather simple composition of the 3 trees that would normally never work because of the separation. But the thick fog and icy atmosphere made me to take this photo.

Frost-covered trees in a misty, blue-toned landscape. The frosty branches create a serene, cold atmosphere in the quiet wilderness. In the Netherlands — *Another combination of different trees: A pine and a birch. I always wonder what makes these pines grow in these interesting shapes sometimes.*

Frost-covered tree in a misty field, surrounded by icy grass and other frosted trees. Soft blue tones create a serene, wintry mood. In the Netherlands — Open spaces in fields really gave me that frosty winter look and reminded me of the concept of ‘North of the Wall’ from Game of Thrones. In my imagination I would see the white walkers appear from the fog.

Frost-covered trees line a winding road in a misty winter landscape. Sparse foliage adds brown and green hues, creating a serene scene. In the Netherlands — *Simple roads made beautiful because of all the frost and mist around. This road takes you up to the area (remember, 90 meters altitude).*

Mossy tree trunks with frost-covered branches create a serene, wintry forest scene, under a misty gray sky. In the Netherlands — *Some scenes made me take out my wide angle lens, like this one. I wanted to show the ‘icy hair’ on the green trees up close, using this old tree as a frame for the other one.*

Frost-covered trees in a misty, winter forest. Mossy branches, brown leaf-covered ground create a cold, serene atmosphere. In the Netherlands — *I spent quite some time at these trees trying different compositions, as they had so much ‘tentacle’ branches going everywhere. This shot was taken at 16mm.*

Foggy forest with bare trees, frosty branches, and a standout orange-leaved tree. A serene, cold, and mystical winter scene. In the Netherlands — I enjoyed finding colours in the mainly white frozen landscape. I was actually surprised to see quite a lot of autumn colours left. Somehow they were quite vibrant too. I guess all the white scenery around functioned as a large soft box giving these leaves some extra colour.

Frost-covered orange leaf on a branch against a blurred gray background, highlighting the wintry mood with delicate ice crystals. In the Netherlands — *A close up of an orange leave. I always enjoy how nature works here and how these leaves actually get frozen on the edges with a very distinctive structure.*

A winding road through a frosty forest with white, ice-covered trees. The misty atmosphere creates a serene winter scene. In the Netherlands — *A swirly path going through a gate of frozen brick trees, taken at 130mm. This was at the edge of the forest, making the front birches glow in the light.*

Frost-covered trees in a misty forest create a serene, chilly atmosphere. Bare branches are coated in ice, giving a delicate, white appearance. In the Netherlands — *More birch trees, some of them were so full of hoar frost it looked like they had feathers.*

Frost-covered forest with orange leaves on a tree, surrounded by frosty white branches. Moss-covered trunk in the foreground. Serene winter scene. In the Netherlands — *Colours in the frozen landscape. It was interesting to see that mostly the younger trees kept their autumn colours during the winter, surrounded by the frozen landscape.*

Here are some more small autumn trees in the frozen landscapes:

A small tree with orange leaves stands in a frosty forest. Larger trees covered in frost surround it. The ground is mossy and textured. In the Netherlands

Foggy forest with frosted trees, green grass, and a vibrant orange bush in the foreground. Moody, serene winter setting. In the Netherlands

Frosty landscape with red-leaved trees in foreground, surrounded by frosty grass and misty, dense trees in the background. Cold, serene mood. In the Netherlands

Foggy forest path with frosted trees and icy branches. Brown leaves contrast against the wintery white, creating a serene, chilly atmosphere. In the Netherlands

At the end of these frozen days, it felt like there was a ‘grand finale’. That afternoon, January 21, the fog became so thick that everything had to be shot with a maximum of 70mm in focal length, otherwise the shot would simply be too misty. I was walking on this small path, simply enjoying every few meters wandering what I would see next.

A misty forest path surrounded by frosty trees and grass. The scene is tranquil and chilly, with muted earthy tones and a mystical mood. In the Netherlands

Foggy forest with bare trees and frosty branches. A narrow dirt path winds through brown and green bushes, creating a serene winter scene. In the Netherlands — *The small path lead me through birches, frozen grass, heather, all in an extremely small world.*

Misty forest with frosty trees and branches. The ground is covered in frost, creating a serene, cold atmosphere with muted colors. In the Netherlands — *Some trees grabbed my attention because of their interesting shape and their surroundings. This one looks like a caterpillar pine, surrounded by other pine trees.*

Close-up of a tree trunk with frost-covered branches in a misty, frosty landscape. Background shows a distant, iced tree. Mood is serene. In the Netherlands — *A thick pine tree rough pine tree with a different silhouette of a tree next to it. A beautiful couple.*

Frost-covered trees in a misty forest setting, with a peaceful, cold atmosphere. The trunks are brown, and branches appear dusted with ice. In the Netherlands — *Pine trees covered in fog and frost. There is something about their texture, their branches, their interesting shape (sometimes). They simply give a very mysterious look.*

Foggy forest with bare trees covered in frost, creating a serene, mystical atmosphere. Pale brown grass and soft, muted colors dominate. In the Netherlands — The right combination and spacing of trees, wether it’d be pines, birch trees, or any other tree. In the fog, with their shapes and certain distance, they look in harmony. It’s almost as if they’re alive, slowly moving in the mist.

Frost-covered trees in a misty forest, surrounded by frosty grass tufts. The scene is serene and cold with muted colors. In the Netherlands — *More interestingly shaped birch trees. They kept grabbing my attention because of the contrast between all the frost, and their mossy and dark roots.*

Frost-covered trees with mossy branches in a foggy winter forest, creating a serene and mystical atmosphere. Sparse brown leaves remain. In the Netherlands — *And old tree desperately trying to show its tentacle greens through the frozen landscape.*

Highland cow with long horns stands in a misty forest, surrounded by frosty trees and grass. Moody atmosphere with soft, muted colors. In the Netherlands — We have quite some Scottish highlanders in these particular areas in the Netherlands. This one was wandering around in the frozen forest and was quite relaxed. It seemed that he was not minding the cold at all and was keeping an eye on what I was photographing around him. And he didn’t mind to do a little pose for the camera himself.

Person in red coat walks along a misty forest path, surrounded by frost-covered trees. The setting is serene and wintry. In the Netherlands — *Last: I had to do a little self portrait in this spectacular tree lane that was completely frozen.*

Until the next time?

I find it important to write down photo stories from time to time. I do this mainly for myself and hope others will enjoy seeing them. When all the memories are vibrant I like to take that moment to write everything down. Sorting the photos, processing them and writing the descriptions is part of the process to make them timeless. It’s a great way of ‘closing’ a little photography chapter, just to look back on it later and remember those moments.

Like I mentioned several times in this article: I don’t know when I will see this again in the Netherlands. It could be months, it could be years, who knows? Cold and extreme frost are getting more rare on average. But nature has its ways, and always keeps surprising us.

The Beauty of the Netherlands

And with that, I would like to mention that if you haven’t done so: please do check out my book ‘the Beauty of the Netherlands’, that was released in October 2024. It has 10 years of my best work from the Netherlands, all bundled with stories in a beautiful big sized coffee table book. You can check it out at www.beautyofthenetherlands.com

Technical info

All photos in this article were shot with my Sony A7RV, Sony 16-35 GMII, Sony 24-70 GMII, and Sony 70-200 GMII

Thank you for reading!

Albert

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