There are winter days at the Baltic Sea when everything changes. The wind fades, the water loses its movement – and suddenly the landscape appears almost frozen in time.

This winter was one of those rare moments. For weeks the Greifswald Bay, Germany was covered by a thick layer of ice. Where ships usually cross the water, wide frozen surfaces stretched toward the horizon. A coastline I know well suddenly felt quieter, wider – almost Scandinavian.

In this unusual winter atmosphere, I brought the new ZEISS Otus ML 35mm f/1.4 with me to the coast. Moments like these are rare, and as a photographer you immediately feel the urge to step outside and capture them.

Between Stillness and Movement

This winter landscape carried a very particular mood. It seemed surreal, minimalistic – partly like a lunar landscape or arctic. Walking on the ice itself was especially striking. Standing where there is normally open water completely changes your perspective. Suddenly new viewpoints appear, places you could never stand otherwise.

At the same time the ice had already begun to break in some areas. Dark water appeared between drifting plates of ice, slowly bringing movement back into the scene. The landscape revealed two states at once: frozen stillness and quiet motion. This tension between calm and movement defines many of the images.

For many years, 35mm has been one of my favorite focal lengths. It feels like one of the most natural ways to capture a scene.

In this winter scenery that versatility became especially clear. The broad ice fields and strong lines of the coastline could be captured with a sense of openness, while nearby subjects – frozen grasses, delicate structures in the ice, or subtle contrasts between snow and water – worked just as well within the frame.

Lines in the Ice

When composing images, I often pay attention to structure, balance and dynamic. In such reduced scenes the landscape begins to resemble abstract art. Light, surface and line merge into compositions that invite the viewer to pause for a moment, wondering what they are actually looking at.

A quiet sheet of ice meets darker open water. Above it stretches a pale winter sky, while a narrow forest line marks the horizon. The curved boundary between ice and water gently guides the eye through the image. A thin crack in the ice introduces a second subtle line – almost invisible, yetenough to create a quiet sense of movement.

Technical Notes

Working with manual focus quickly becomes intuitive. Instead of relying on autofocus, you decide precisely where sharpness should sit in the frame – something that becomes especially valuable when photographing delicate subjects such as frozen plants or fine textures in the ice.

The precision of the ZEISS Otus ML is immediately noticeable. Even at wide apertures, focus falls exactly where it is placed. Fine details remain crisp while the shallow depth of field creates a beautifully soft, almost buttery bokeh that gently separates the subject from its surroundings.

Stopping down reveals impressive detail across the entire frame. Subtle cracks in the ice, delicate snow textures and fragile frozen structures appear with remarkable clarity. Colors remain natural and balanced, preserving the cool blues and luminous whites of the winter landscape.

A Rare Winter

Winters like this had become rare along the Baltic coast. Often only a few warmer days were enough for the ice to begin breaking apart again and the bay to return to its familiar rhythm. But for a brief moment the Baltic Sea became something entirely different. Reduced. Quiet. Almost timeless. Standing on the frozen bay, it felt as if time itself had paused.

Photographer: Kim Mahrenholz

Kim Mahrenholz is a Germany-based photographer living on the Baltic coast, where landscape, light, and atmosphere continue to inspire her visual language. With more than a decade of professional experience, she works primarily in corporate photography and personal branding for women, creating authentic visual identities for entrepreneurs and businesses. Much of her work revolves around people, capturing character, confidence, and the stories behind the brands.

Beyond commissioned work, she is drawn to travel, everyday surroundings, and the quiet moments that often pass unnoticed.

Follow Kim’s work here:
Instagram: @kimoment
Website: www.kimoment.de