Henrik Emtkjær Hansen is a nature/landscape photographer from Denmark. He’s been shooting very impressive outdoor images which are mostly devoid of human settlements and interferences. There’s vast open spaces and fields in his images where barely an animal is seen and the misty emptiness makes the images very mysterious and amusing. Henrik isn’t pursuing his photography with any grand purpose in his mind. He finds peace and comfort in photography and it gives his a reason to be and connect with nature.

Where are you from Henrik and what do you do?

I am Denmark based amateur photographer 33 years old, born in southern Denmark. When I’m not out taking pictures, I work as a teacher. I live in Ribe, Denmark with my family.

When did you get a camera? Do you shoot every day?

I started taking pictures about 3 years ago when I got my first DSLR. I work full time as a teacher, so photography for me is purely a hobby that I enjoy on my own time. I don’t take pictures every day, far from, and I’m not one of those photographers who carry my camera along everywhere I go.

Why do you take photos? What is the outcome of your photography?

I take pictures for numerous reasons. Part of my interest in photography comes from an interest in nature. I also fish, and go to rivers and coasts where I find and remember great locations and motives. Photography (and fishing for that matter) is peaceful to me. It’s a place where I get to cool off and let my mind wander, and I guess the pictures reflect this.

What do you like shooting most?

I shoot mainly landscapes, sometimes b&w, close-up nature shots, and I guess some the shots would be called fine art. I own an entry-level DSLR with a couple of lenses. My preferred lens is the 35mm 1.8, I use that for almost anything. It’s light, cheap and gives very impressive pictures, also in bad lighting. I always shoot RAW files and later make some changes during the post processing work in Lightroom.

Has any of your photos got published in magazines etc?

My pictures have been in the latest issue of Golden Age Magazine as feature of 10 photos. Other than that, some of my work can be seen in Telegramme Magazine and as part of a solo group show on Feature Shoot. About a year ago, I had a small solo exhibition in an art club at my previous workplace, where I also sold a couple of framed prints. I have also contributed two images for a website about a classical music festival in the forests of Germany called the Schumannfest. Besides this, I like to share my stuff on social media and hear people’s opinion about.

How do you take a photograph? What is your method?

When I photograph I almost only think about mood. I try to capture what I think this particular landscape has to offer and that is almost for certain some kind of mood that reflects back on the viewer and vice versa. Most of my work represents some kind of minimalism and simplistic approach. This is really what I’m after when I take pictures. Some kind of silence and rest, and I see that come to life in the viewfinder. I don’t want it to get too messy in the pictures.

What do you think about images of other photographers?

I think there’s a lot of great contemporary art out there, and a lot of it is very original. I don’t know how different my style is from other photographers, but when I go through my work and compare it to others I like to think that I haven’t seen this somewhere before, and people tell me that too, so I guess that labels my work somewhat original.

Where do you mostly go for taking nature photos?

I live in the western part of Denmark, Europe, just outside one of Denmark’s national parks called the Wadden Sea, which is my primary inspiration in search for landscape and nature photography; the raw and mostly chilly weather, the empty, yet poetic landscape opens up here and is asking the viewer to fill in meaning and understanding.

The cities are protected from flooding by the dikes that seemingly stretches endlessly. Before they were built, people feared the Wadden Tide and the floods that killed residents and animals living near the coast, destroyed houses, and left the cities damaged for years to come. Now, the Wadden Sea (in Danish: Vadehavet) is a tourist attraction and a melting pot of rich and important animal life and ecosystem. Obviously, most of my photography takes place here. There is an endless pool of inspiration to go grab in this area. I don’t have any preferred time of day to shoot, it just happens really, when I see a heavy fog or mist, a soft light from the sunset or a storm approaching, I’m off.

How are you going to take your photography to next levels?

I would like to shoot more B&W. It’s not as easy as many people with little knowledge of photography might think, other than that I have some thoughts about getting into film photography, and it would be fun to have some more physical exhibitions. Some favorite photographers/inspirations are: Per Bak Jensen, Eirik Johnson, Stefan Vanfleteren, Dany Peschl, Jan Grarup, Thomas Gardiner, Johan Willner and Jenn Ackermann.

Henrik Emtkjær Hansen links: Flickr | Facebook | 500px | Instagram

Note: All images used with permission. Please do not copy or distribute without the approval of the photographer.