Texel – peace, space and the endless landscape by Geert Van Baelen

On Texel, the horizon sometimes seems endless. During a photography trip across this Dutch Wadden Island, I captured this characteristic landscape: a wide stretch of water, vast dunes and grasslands, a wooden fence in the foreground and, above it, a clear blue sky. An image in which the typical tranquillity of Texel is almost palpable.

The wooden fence naturally draws the eye into the landscape. The weathered wood contrasts beautifully with the fresh green of the vegetation and the deep blue of the water. Grasses and wild plants grow along the bank, swaying gently in the wind. In the background, the open landscape stretches to the horizon, interrupted only by a few patches of low vegetation.

Texel is renowned for its unique combination of nature, water and sweeping views. The island forms part of the Dutch Wadden Islands and is a favourite destination for walkers, cyclists and nature lovers. It is precisely this variety of dunes, beaches, polders, salt marshes, grasslands and water that makes Texel so special for landscape photography.

In this photograph, I wanted above all to emphasise the sense of space. The vast sky takes up a significant part of the frame and reinforces the feeling of freedom. The water forms a natural transition between the foreground and the distant horizon. At the same time, the wooden fence provides a strong graphic element and gives the image a recognisable rural feel.

This landscape photograph of Texel is thus an ode to Dutch nature, the Wadden Sea region and the tranquillity of the island. A timeless image of a place where water, land and sky converge and where the horizon is still given plenty of space.