This walk into Gribskov was well on its way to be rather disastrous photography-wise. The light was so harsh and my inspiration was lacking. But then I came across this little wetland area with these young birch trees growing in the water. The water was completely still, and the reflections from the birch trees were so sharp, you couldn't tell where the trees ended and the reflections started. I was mesmerized and spent a ton of time there trying to capture this magnificent spot. By the time I quit, the sun was low in the sky and the light was improving, which I took advantage of in the two other images.

Another sunset walk in my local area. I'm always intrigued by the old farmhouse, which is just so typical Danish as it can possibly be. On this evening I managed to capture its reflection in the pond in front of it to great effect, in my own opinion.

An old castle ruin looks over this beautiful lake. I was blessed with pretty decent light and dramatic clouds as I walked along the lake and stood in the old castle tower. By the end of my visit it started raining, but I managed to get the gloomy long-exposure shot of the tower at dusk. It felt eerie!

As is so often the case for me, I went to a location with a loose plan and came home with something completely different. This piece of forest on the outskirts of Hillerød is known for its little island in the middle of a lake. On the island is a picturesque ruin of an old building. I have been there before about three years ago, but wasn't satisfied with my images of the ruin. I figured I should give it another shot. And what happens? I came home with some amazing pictures of something completely different. I did shoot the ruin too, but again, I wasn't happy with the result. So here instead are pictures of the surrounding lake and forest. Just before sunset the most brilliant sidelight penetrated the forest, illuminating it from the side and behind in the most amazing way. I was mesmerized and forgot all about the old ruin. This was 10 times better.

Another quick walk in my local area that turned much longer than I had planned. Mostly because the light turned out half-decent as the winter sun set over the lake.

A beautiful area that was nearly impossible to photograph. The light was harsh from the low January sun, and the view of the lake was constantly blocked by various growth. I had to abandon several promising compositions, because one of those factors kept getting in the way. But I did come away with these three decent images, but that was about it.

Just another walk around the castle and the castle lake, but what a great result from a photography perspective. The light was spectacular throughout the afternoon, and at one point, the clouds aligned perfectly in a strange whirl behind and above the castle.

One of my very rare sunrise outings. It did not disappoint. A beautiful morning fog shrouded the area. Still, finding compositions in this beautiful spot proved harder than expected. One of the problems was that the growth along the lake was so tall, you couldn't see the lake.

I haven't been doing a lot of serious picture taking so far this summer. It's been a combination of bad weather and good weather. Good weather meaning clear blue sky, which equals uninteresting backgrounds in general and sunsets in particular.

But last Sunday evening the perfect conditions were suddenly present. Lots of clouds, but also lots of sun in between the clouds, promising a beautiful sunset. Additionally, there was absolutely no wind. This is important when shooting in low-light conditions when you need exposures of maybe up to 1/2 second and you don't want wavy grass or moving leaves turning into blurry spots.

So off I went, over to a location I've gone to many times before: the Strødam area. Despite its beautiful lake and green surroundings, it's not the easiest place to shoot. Most of it is fenced off. You have to stick to a path, and in most places, dense vegetation prevents you from accessing the lake shore. So most of my pictures in the past were kind of blah.

But on this evening I was determined to crack the nut called Strødam and get some quality sunset shots. I quickly realized, however, that that wasn't going to happen sticking to the official path. So I did what all serious photographers have to do once in a while: I trespassed. I jumped the fence, determined to chase the sunset, which I could tell would be on the other side of a ridge in the middle of the fenced area.

So into the fenced area I went. No one came out of the woods to yell at me, and I was not attacked by angry wildlife. Still, I felt brave as a Navy Seal.

Fortunately, my bravery was rewarded. Reaching the top of the ridge, a  dream scenery manifested itself below me: a herd of cows peacefully grazing on a meadow, a calm lake, and all of it shrouded in a purple and orange sunset with the sun having almost disappeared behind a tree line.

Over the next 30 minutes I took dozens of pictures of varying exposures, ISO and f-values. I moved closer a few times to make sure I didn't miss anything. I was certain this scenery was a slam-dunk and that I was shooting the pictures of my life!

And, well, it's not that I'm unhappy with the result, but I'm just not completely happy either.  A better foreground would have been nice for starters, but the main problem is that it's just not as sharp as I would have liked it to be. I don't know if it's my camera, my lens, or my skills that leave something to be desired, but those cows should have had a lot more details.

One of the best pictures was taken as I was leaving the area. A few cows had moved over to where I had been moments before, so I stopped and got a few shots off before I retreated, afraid the cows might start chasing me (so much for being a Navy Seal). Again, it should have been sharper, but the motif is kind of pretty.

In the end, my own favorite shots of the night were not of cows or lakes. I really like this one of the purple flowers under a purple sky. Sure, the purple has been enhanced, but it really was an absolutely gorgeous scene.

Finally, just before I left the area, it was time for a self-congratulating selfie. It might have been better without the chubby fellow awkwardly embodying the rule of thirds, but there he is.