The first time I found interest in shooting abstract ice structures was in February 2019 when I visited the ‘Partnach Gorge’ in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria. Shortly after that I visited various other gorges in the Black Forest, Southern Germany. The result of these explorations was a project called ‘Ice Structures’ that I published 1,5 years ago. Since back then I had the urge to create a sequel to this project.  

A few weeks ago the temperatures were dropping rapidly into the -10 degrees in Bavaria. It was the perfect time to pack my things up & start searching for unique ice structures to document & study. The result of this endeavor is the series I want to call ‘NUMB’. With this project I want to showcase the sheer endless variety of complex ice structures that can be found at just one location – a frozen waterfall inside an overgrown gorge.

On the one hand I used wide angle lenses for a few images to show the scary magnitude & the huge amount of icicles at the location. On the other hand I used mostly high focal lengths to get really close to the ice. I wanted to show how complex these ice structures are. I wanted to show the beauty within this complex system. A system that’s here for a limited amount of time & then will in this exact formation be gone forever. 

Seeing & studying these ice structures makes me want to live in the moment & appreciate the beauty of nature while it lasts.

It’s cold. My fingers numb. But I’m happy.