The eerie, foreboding forests that loom behind the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales have haunted children’s memories for centuries (and surely some adults weren’t spared either). Thanks to German photographer and geographer Kilian Schönberger (and to the Huffington Post for spotting them), now we can see what they look like — and they’re no less chill-inducing than they were in your mind.
Schönberger’s beautiful photo illustrations, set in rural Middle Europe, capture the Grimm tales’ ominous feeling of unseen danger lurking inside every lone cottage, reaching out from each twisted branch, all obscured by a thick, mystical fog. “I like the harsh beauty of those areas,” Schönberger writes on his website. “And the peculiar melancholy that surrounds them.” What’s even more amazing about these photos is that Schönberger is colorblind, which he says has helped him develop his own unique photographic view. “While getting a picture of a chaotic forest scene, I can’t clearly distinguish the different green and brown tones,” he writes. “Brushing aside this ‘handicap,’ I don’t care about those tones and just concentrate on the patterns of the wood to achieve an impressive image structure.”
Impressive, and quite frightening if you ask us. Click through to see more of Schönberger’s work, and be sure to visit his website for the rest.
Photo credit: Kilian Schoenberger
Photo credit: Kilian Schoenberger
Photo credit: Kilian Schoenberger
Photo credit: Kilian Schoenberger
Photo credit: Kilian Schoenberger
Photo credit: Kilian Schoenberger
Photo credit: Kilian Schoenberger
Photo credit: Kilian Schoenberger
Photo credit: Kilian Schoenberger
Photo credit: Kilian Schoenberger