Interview with landscape photographer Henk-Jan Hospes

Dutch landscape photographer Henk-Jan Hospes discovered his passion for landscapes a few years ago. He is particularly fascinated by the Milky Way, fog and thunderstorms. To capture the best shots, he has had to learn a great deal about the weather. In fact, says Henk-Jan, a landscape photographer is half a weatherman. Why? He's happy to tell us.

He's keen to tell us more about his passion for landscape photography, and in particular thunderstorms and other unique weather phenomena. Of course, he also shares some handy tips for when you want to try landscape photography yourself.

“Landscape photography goes hand in hand with the weather. Really, I'm half a weatherman too.”

The freedom of landscape photography

Henk-Jan tells us that about three years ago he came across a photo of the Milky Way. “I thought it was so cool, I wanted to make one too.” He bought a camera and started shooting. He soon discovered that you can't capture the Milky Way very often. “So I went looking for more subjects to photograph and that's how I ended up with landscapes.” He pauses. “It got completely out of hand, but I love it.” So what does Henk-Jan enjoy most about landscape photography? “Above all, I love the freedom. I head out into nature at times when other people are still in bed. I love being out and about, and I love taking photos.”

“Landscape photography goes hand in hand with the weather. Really, I'm half a weatherman too,” says Henk-Jan. Fortunately, the Netherlands offers plenty of different types of weather to photograph. “Honestly, I think it's all pretty cool,” says Henk-Jan. From fog and sunrises to storms and thunder. “Every season has something to offer.”

But if Henk-Jan really had to choose? Then his favourite subjects are fog and thunderstorms. “I really love fog. Fog creates mysterious images and special moments.” For a misty shot, though, Henk-Jan has to get up early. “The best shooting conditions simply happen at sunrise and sunset.” And that's despite him not being a morning person at all. “If I want to take a photo in the morning, I still manage to kick myself out of bed early. I have a particular shot in my head, so I have to get up. And when that shot works out, I really enjoy it and forget that I got up so early.”

Photographing thunderstorms

On the other hand, he loves photographing thunderstorms. “Of course, this is the complete opposite of capturing a calm, misty morning. A dark, threatening sky heading my way gives me such an adrenaline rush. I love the raw power of nature, the hail, the rain and the gusts of wind. During a thunderstorm the sky can be truly spectacular. You're really photographing nature's force, and I think that's amazing.”

These weather types are hard to capture, though. “Thunderstorms are difficult to predict. All kinds of meteorological factors come into play, which makes it hard to tell where the storm will hit. You actually want to stay ahead of the storm, because the shelf cloud in front of a thunderstorm is beautiful to capture. If it's already raining, you're really too late.”

As a result, Henk-Jan sometimes comes home without the shot he had in mind. He prepares well before heading out, but sometimes things go wrong. “Recently I was going to photograph the moonset, but it was completely overcast so the moon wasn't visible. That's frustrating. You've thrown your sleep rhythm off to take a photo, and when it doesn't work out you do wonder what on earth you're doing. But it only really happens a few times, because the longer you shoot and the more you learn about the weather, the less often things go wrong.”

Unique weather conditions

Henk-Jan also loves photographing unique weather conditions. Last February, for example, the northern lights were visible in the Netherlands for two days. “I went to the Wadden mudflats to get a shot. I set up my camera so I had a view to the north and over the Wadden Sea.” Nobody knew exactly when the northern lights would appear, but clouds were expected to roll in around 10 pm. “So if I wanted to capture the northern lights, it had to happen before then.” In the end, Henk-Jan had been waiting for over two hours when the lights burst into view at exactly 10 pm. “So in the photo you can already see the clouds drifting in.” It's one of Henk-Jan's favourite photos. “It's obviously unique that we saw the northern lights in the Netherlands, and I'm proud of this photo.”

If Henk-Jan ever gets to capture the northern lights in the Netherlands again, he'd do it somewhere with a windmill in the foreground. “It's a unique natural phenomenon, and the windmill shows that you're really in the Netherlands. That makes a photo unique.”

Noctilucent clouds

He'd also love to capture noctilucent clouds again. “These aren't actually clouds, but a reflection of the setting sun on dust particles in the sky at an altitude of 80 kilometres,” Henk-Jan explains. “Ice can form on these dust particles because they're so high up in the atmosphere, and these ice particles reflect the light. This reflection creates a kind of rippling pattern that looks like clouds, but it isn't. You don't see this phenomenon in many places, which makes it special.” The tricky thing about noctilucent clouds is that they're hard to predict. “They only occur around the longest day of the year and are almost impossible to forecast. Once you see activity in the sky, you have about half an hour to capture it before it disappears.” Henk-Jan has managed to photograph noctilucent clouds before. “But I'm not that happy with that photo. I did capture the phenomenon at the time, but it wasn't a very special photo. The light is in the frame, but that's about it. What I really want is a foreground or subject in the shot, so it becomes a more interesting and unique image to look at.” That could take a while. “It's quite possible you'll have to wait a few years for all the conditions to come together. Landscape photography really is a waiting game.”

At the moment, Henk-Jan mainly shoots in his spare time. “I really see landscape photography as my hobby, and I'd like to keep it that way.” Ideally, he'd like to be a full-time photographer. “Ultimately, my goal is to work for myself as a commercial photographer. That's a completely different branch of photography, but then I'll keep landscapes as a way to relax.” In the coming years, Henk-Jan hopes to capture many more different weather conditions. “My bucket list still includes lots of locations in the Netherlands combined with specific weather types. I'd also love to photograph the nature of Iceland and Norway. There's so much that inspires and motivates me to keep going. I'm brimming with new ideas and projects I want to do.”

Tips

Want to get started with landscape photography yourself? Then be sure to read these tips from Henk-Jan.

✔ 1. Just get out there. “You learn the most by simply going out and shooting. There will be mornings when things don't go your way, but that's part of it. I use those moments to learn. You don't learn photography by reading about it, but by putting the knowledge into practice. It's important to gain experience and just get out there.”

✔ 2. Learn about the weather. “This depends on what you want to photograph, of course, but if you want to capture certain weather conditions, it helps to study them. Landscape photography goes hand in hand with weather forecasting.”

✔ 3. Learn from other photographers. “It's important to get feedback from other photographers, so you can bounce ideas off each other about photos and how to improve your work. That's how you become a better photographer.”

✔ 4. Don't worry about gear. “I don't think gear is important at all. When I started, I bought an entry-level camera and I still shoot with it today. Expensive gear is definitely not a requirement when you're starting out in landscape photography. It's more important to get to know your own camera.”

✔ 5. Put your camera on a tripod. “In landscape photography you often shoot in dark conditions, which means using a slower shutter speed. If you then shoot handheld, your photo can turn out blurry. That's why using a tripod is recommended.”

Henk-Jan's work

Instagram: @henkjan.photography

Equipment

Henk-Jan uses the following equipment for his photos: a Canon R6 Mark II combined with three lenses: a 10-24mm, a 24-105mm and a 70-200mm lens. Henk-Jan also takes drone photos with his DJI R2 S.

Henk-Jan's photos

Curious to see more of Henk-Jan's work? Take a look at a selection from his portfolio below.