Kilian Schönberger's Misty Forests
German photographer and geographer Kilian Schönberger shoots foggy forests, mountains and ancient trees that look like fairy-tale illustrations.
What it is
The Instagram of German landscape photographer Kilian Schönberger. He lives in Upper Bavaria, between Lake Chiemsee and the Alps, and trained as a geographer. Forests are his core subject: fog between trunks, roots, moss, light through the canopy. Mountains, islands and old buildings appear too. On his website he explains that he's colour-blind (deuteranopia) and that it helps him see shapes and patterns. He has published books on forest photography and on mysterious places in Germany.
Why we picked it
This is mood photography, where the image beats any description. Each frame feels like a scene from a fairy tale, yet it's shot in real places, often not far from a road. Fog, soft light, muted colours — scrolling feels like a walk in the woods. Captions are in English or German, but they're secondary; it's all about the visuals.
We also like that nothing looks overcooked: calm colours, real fog, no neon skies. It feels like standing on that trail early in the morning yourself.
Where to start
- Scroll to the autumn and foggy forest shots — his calling card.
- Find the mountain images for a different mood: more space, more cold.
- Notice the composition; many frames are built on lines of trunks or a path.
- Think about how he handles colour given his colour vision.
- Planning a trip? He often tags the locations.
Who it's for
Landscape photographers learning to work with fog and diffused light. Hikers and forest lovers. Illustrators looking for fairy-tale atmosphere references. And anyone who needs five quiet minutes.
Quick answers
Where does he shoot? Mostly Germany and Central Europe, plus mountains and islands.
Is he really colour-blind? Yes, his website mentions deuteranopia.
How many followers? About 362K when we checked.
