The Ghost in Devils Moor

Not much is left of the original moorland in the north of Bremen (Germany) near Worpswede. But some corners have been spared from peat cutting. Other areas ran full of water again after peat cutting ended in 2012 and are under nature conservation. So the landscape is more “close to nature” than still pristine, untouched moor.

But it is beautiful. It has remained largely untouched for years. The colors that the moor produces with its typical plants are unique. I took these photos in late October 2021; it was mostly cloudy. In no case have I increased the color saturation. Still, on the contrary, I have reduced the higher color values, which result from some processing steps from Camera RAW to JPEG, to keep the initial impression. The bog has strong and vivid colors.

However, I shot with a moving camera and relatively slow shutter speeds. This reduces the details, highlights the dominant colors, and gives the landscape the movement and dynamism that is otherwise frozen in a tiny fraction of a second. We perceive with our eyes the constant, gentle movement of leaves, branches, and grasses. That is why I brought them back into the picture. My goal was to reproduce the emotional impression of the moor landscape. People love these landscapes. Hardly anyone remains untouched by the quiet beauty of the moors.