Nature is the subject of choice for German photographer Sandra Bartocha (b. 1980). The following pages invite readers to traverse lush, sun dappled forests and meadows drenched with flowers. The artist picks out magic from the everyday, using creative camera techniques to record texture and movement. Colour and light are fundamental to these compositions, which sparkle with changes in the time of day. Each has a strong atmosphere: the woodlands are so quiet you can almost hear branches crack underfoot. Many of Bartocha’s images are taken near her home in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany; she chooses locations based on the atmosphere and feelings they evoke, rather than Romantic ideals of awe or majesty. Bartocha has published two photobooks, LYS (2016), dedicated to the essence of Scandinavian landscapes and Rhythm of Nature (2022), which charts shifting seasons and fleeting moments of growth and decay. sandrabartocha.com | lyspublishing.com

All images courtesy Sandra Bartocha.