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The ‘Gespensterwald’ (eng.: Ghost Forest) is a forest located right at the Baltic Sea, near the town of Nienhagen in Northern Germany. It’s a 1.3km long and 100m wide nature reserve that is part of the 100 hectares big ‘Nienhäger Holz’.

Dating back over 100 years, the forest is primarily composed of beech trees, some of which have grown into captivating, twisted shapes, giving the forest its eerie and mystical appearance. The coastal location of the forest, exposed to the harsh winds and salty air of the Baltic Sea, has over time contributed to the trees’ unique growth patterns.

The origin of the name ‘Gespensterwald’ comes from the mystical atmosphere of the forest during twilight, fog and heavy wind. That’s when the bizarre looking trees show their ghostly character the best. With wind blowing through the trees, visitors are often times reminded of ghosts that make the twigs and branches move in wondrous ways.

‘Ghosts of the Forest’ will be my first release of a monochrome project. I have been photographing it during a road trip along the coast of the Baltic Sea in the summer of 2021.

Resulting in twenty monochrome images that highlight the organic & human-like forms of these special trees in a minimalistic way.

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Germany / 2021