“Exploring landscapes through light, scale, and stillness.”
Portrait taken by Adriaan Vandenbrande during our crossing from North to South Iceland
My story
I am a Belgian landscape and nature photographer, currently based in Sweden. I started photography in 2016 and learned everything through self study, developing my skills in technique, composition, and editing through online courses, tutorials, and years of hands on experience in the field.
Alongside photography, I am a civil and coastal engineer with a PhD in coastal engineering. This scientific background influences the way I observe landscapes, with a strong awareness of natural processes and the relationship between land, sea, and light.
“Photography is, above all, an
excuse for me to be outdoors.”
It gives me space to breathe, connects me more deeply with nature, and makes me look at the landscape in a slower and more attentive way. Driven by a desire to live closer to nature, I built my own campervan to combine photography with a life on the road, following the seasons and spending extended time in remote environments. At the end of 2023, I moved to Sweden to pursue a deeper connection with wild places and quieter moments.
My work focuses on atmosphere, scale, and stillness, often captured during early mornings or solitary hikes, inviting the viewer to slow down and experience the landscape in a calm and mindful way.
Overnight camping in Iceland
Looking at Lysefjord from Kjeragbolten in Norway
Overnight camping in Finland
Gear I Use
The gear I use plays an important role in how I see and capture a landscape. It’s not about chasing the newest equipment, but about having tools I trust to translate what I experience in the field into an image that feels true to the moment. Reliability, dynamic range, and consistency in changing conditions are essential for the way I work outdoors.
Camera bodies
Nikon Z8 (current main body)
Nikon D750 (previous body)
Lenses
Sigma 20mm f/1.4
Nikon 16–35mm f/4
Tamron 24–70mm f/2.8
Tamron 70–200mm f/2.8
Nikon 200–500mm f/5.6
Aerial
DJI Mavic 3 Pro
This setup allows me to work intuitively on the ground and from the air, giving me different perspectives while staying true to the atmosphere and scale of the landscape.
Awards
“The Power of the Atlantic by Glenn Strypsteen”
During a fierce storm that hit Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, with winds gusting over 130 km/h, huge waves and swell pounded the coast. I had this image on my mind for a long time, and it finally happened right before I had to leave the country. Capturing the image was challenging, as the conditions were harsh and the waves were powerful, but the resulting photograph is a testament to the beauty and power of nature.
Winner in the EGU Photo Competition 2023
“Wild Garlic by Glenn Strypsteen”
This image was taken in the Netherlands at the end of April 2022, during a quiet spring moment when the forest felt fully alive again. Walking this path slowly, surrounded by blooming wild garlic and fresh green leaves, I felt an immediate sense of calm as the light filtered through the trees.
Winner of PEFC Belgium 2022
“Bruges by Glenn Strypsteen”. My longest exposure ever: 9 minutes.
This image was taken in Bruges, Belgium, during the summer of 2017, in a quiet moment at dusk when the city slowly settles into the evening. I waited as the last daylight faded and the streetlights reflected softly in the water, creating a rare sense of stillness in a place that is usually full of movement.
Selected Winner for the 2019 KW Calendar
Publications
“I would put my life on the line for the perfect photo.”
Krant van West-Vlaanderen
by Bieke Cobbaert (in Dutch)
Year
August 31, 2018