AP PHOTOS: Germany springs to life in vivid scenes of nature

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A newborn Icelandic foal is drenched from rain at a stud farm in Wehrheim, Germany, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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Fog floats over a soccer field in Stetten, Germany, March 19, 2024, backdropped by a wind energy plant. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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Icelandic horses sleep on a blanket of straw at a stud farm in Wehrheim, Germany, March 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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A bee approaches a sunflower on a field on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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Power poles tower over a rape field on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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A starling perches on a horse’s back at a stud farm in Wehrheim, Germany, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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A regional train travels through fields in Wehrtheim, Germany, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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A stork takes flight from its nest on the outskirts of Wehrheim, Germany, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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Straw bales dot a field on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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Icelandic horses are driven to their paddock in Wehrheim, Germany, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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A gosling sits in its mother’s plumage in a meadow in Frankfurt, Germany, April 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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Cars drive up to the snow covered top of the Feldberg mountain near Frankfurt, Germany, Jan. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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An imperial stag rests in the forest as rutting season begins in the Taunus region in Frankfurt, Germany, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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An aerial view of a heart-shaped lake in Rodgau, Germany, May 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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Birds fly around a power pole on the outskirts of Wehrheim, Germany, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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Marguerites in bloom blanket a field as the day breaks on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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A wild boar runs through a field in Wehrheim, Germany, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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A deer herd stands in a forest in the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany, March 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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Icelandic horses play at a stud farm in Wehrheim, Germany, April 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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An aerial view of rape fields in full bloom on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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A pheasant flaps its wings in a meadow in Frankfurt, Germany, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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A horse munches on straw at a farm on the outskirts of Wehrheim, Germany, Feb. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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Cars drive along a road flanked by rape fields on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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A bumblebee flies between poppy flowers backdropped by the banking district in Frankfurt, Germany, May 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

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A hare runs in a field on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

As the sun bleeds into daylight or fades toward night, AP photographer Michael Probst is often on the hunt for serene scenes near his home in Frankfurt, Germany that evoke a sense of wonder.

Nature comes alive in the vibrant yellow of a pollen-laden bee approaching a sunflower or a fuzzy-headed gosling poking from the plumage on its mother’s back. Two toothy Icelandic horses with shaggy manes playfully bite each other while their large eyes seem fixed on the camera lens.

Probst, who has worked for The Associated Press for 30 years, focused on finding a different perspective on life once his three children were grown up and he could work in the early or late hours of the day when the light is best.

“I thought there must be more in news photography than soccer, business and government press conferences,” Probst said. “With all the trouble in the world, I wanted to show the nice things.”

Among the many images he’s captured when not on traditional assignments: a wild boar bounds through a blur of deep grass; a nimble-footed hare turns tail and hops away and a stork with its wings spread wide plunges from its nest.

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His environmental images may show wildlife but the sign of humans is never far away.

A bee alights on a blood-red poppy with city skyscrapers looming in the distance. A closer look at fields under a gauzy amber mist at daybreak reveals a commuter train. A shot from a drone reveals a heart-shaped pond hidden by a row of trees from cars speeding past on the highway next to it.

It can take hours for Probst to get the right shot and can require other challenges, such as acquiring permission from farmers and landowners to access private property.

Probst aims to rise by 4:30 a.m. in the summer to shoot sunrise. In the winter, he tolerates cold that can dip to minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit).

Whether a photo is good or not, he said, comes down to personal preference.

“I never thought about why photos work,” he said. “I like a picture or not without being able to explain why. I rely on my taste.”