* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
Ribe, Denmark-based photographer Henrik Emtkjær Hansen is drawn to mysterious regions near the Wadden Sea, capturing areas along its dikes at times of silence, when few people populate the low-lying marshland. Casting his images in moody green and blue tones, Hansen creates a poetic vision of the Denmark shoreline, imbuing the natural landscape with emotive powers similar to those of the great Romanic painters. While other photographers might avoid foggy weather, Hansen explains, he seeks it out, allowing the horizons of his images to become blurred and indefinable. He is stirred by the way in which the fog obscures the borders dividing land, sea, and sky. Explains the artist, “The trees in the forest almost fight their way through the fog to my lens. It’s soothing in a way.” Capturing the fog at just the right moment is a challenge, requiring that he arrive in the cold atmosphere before the sunlight breaks through and dispenses the mist. Hansen has created three series along the Wadden Sea, explaining that the country’s shoreline extends for more that 4,350 miles, a remarkable trait for such a little country. The Wadden Sea area, Hansen explains, has been named National Park and been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
