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Spring is a beautiful season in the Netherlands. Every year, there are many different flowers to see and photograph. You might know me for my many years of photographing tulips. But there are so many more beautiful flowers to see in the Netherlands!

This photo series shows frozen flowers on the morning of Sunday, April 3, 2022, in the Betuwe area of the Netherlands, which is famous for its fruit trees. Special thanks to local Betuwe photographers that photograph this beautiful sight every year, in particular Ronald Verwijs, who pushed me to come and see (and photograph) it.

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#1

Awaken

Awaken

Plum blossoms awakens two hours after sunrise by the first sunlight under a blue sky.

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During spring, we occasionally get some very cold nights here with temperatures dropping way below zero. When that happens, fruit growers spray all of their fruit trees with water during the night and early morning. This actually protects flowers, the opposite of what you would expect. Sleepless nights for the fruit growers, but beautiful frozen flowers in the morning. The water freezes around the flowers and buds and gives a protective layer for the ‘real’ destructive frost. In the morning, the water unfreezes from the first sunlight, and most flowers awaken untouched! The frozen water around the flowers gives a magical effect!

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    #2

    Water Spray

    Water Spray

    Water spray constantly spraying the little flower buds of pear blossoms, making the water freeze around them and also causing beautiful ice pinnacles below them.

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    #3

    Red Dots

    Red Dots

    The little red flower buds are apple blossoms.

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    I always had a passion for design. Before becoming a full-time landscape photographer, I was working for television as a freelancer, making graphics and animation for game shows. I only really started to discover photography about 12 years ago, when I moved to Hong Kong to study and explore a different culture. The city really grabbed me. I quickly got hooked on photographing the atmosphere in the city—street markets, architecture, but also the landscapes outside of the city. They’re extremely beautiful! After Hong Kong, photography never left me. I developed myself quickly with my design background and continued to pursue my photography journey in different countries, and at home.

    #4

    Asleep

    Asleep

    Here you can see how the water bulbs are still thick as this was photographed before the sun rose with temperatures still way below zero. The ice is crystal clear as you can see the little flower bud right through it.

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    #5

    Apple Buds

    Apple Buds

    I really liked the contrast between the red buds and the crystal clear ice created by the water. The red really makes it pop through the ice.

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    Capturing the beauty of frozen flowers is not easy. As I mentioned before, fruit growers spray their trees with water to freeze them in order to get this effect. Meaning: I was standing with an umbrella to not get soaking wet from the water spray while photographing. A bit clumsy, but it works. Also, the flowers are very small. All the shots were made with a macro lens. So getting the critical focus on the part of the flower that I wanted was also challenging. But all in all, I'm super happy with the results.

    #6

    Orchard

    Orchard

    A wider view of the trees getting sprayed by the water with the first light of the day.

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    #7

    Red Icycles

    Red Icycles

    A slightly wider view of the apple blossoms.

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    I always have many projects in mind; you will see them on Bored Panda when they come out! I am currently in the Netherlands photographing tulips! I do that almost every year and keep trying to come up with spectacular photos. Last weekend, I took another bucket-list shot of a lightning strike above a red tulip field. Everything lined up, with a bit of luck, of course. You can see the photo on my Instagram. It's a project that keeps going on and on.

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    I also recommend you check out my multiple-year project in Kyrgyzstan, of which I am very proud. I have been exploring different regions of the country for many years and recently exhibited the project in Sharjah, UAE.

    #8

    Apple Baby

    Apple Baby

    Super close up of an apple blossom bud in its very early stage.

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    most likely not human
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    this reminds me of those resin flower jewelry charms people wear, so pretty!!

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    #9

    In Peace

    In Peace

    Getting very close to the little apple blossom buds where you can see how they are ‘in peace’ in their little shell of frozen water.

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    #10

    Frozen Flower

    Frozen Flower

    Frozen blossoms, that actually look like just one flower on itself with the frozen structure.

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    Teresa Stabler
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's remarkable how each one gets encapsulated instead of it just being one big blob of ice.

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    #11

    Frozen Half

    Frozen Half

    Taken more than 2 hours after sunset when this water bulb melted halfway, exposing the flower the sun unharmed.

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    #12

    Tie

    Tie

    Sometimes the ice creates spectacular structures around the flowers. In this case, it looks like a tie!

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    #13

    Frozen Duo

    Frozen Duo

    Two flowers that awaken from their melted ice.

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