by Candace Kita

Once upon a time, there lived a photographer named Kilian Schönberger – and while he is not a character from your favorite fairy tale, his very real images spin some otherworldly fantasies.

Working in Cologne, Germany, the photographer’s own backyard serves as the source for his “Brothers Grimm’s Homeland” series and captures the woodlands and waterfalls that served as a backdrop for many infamous folktales.

Schönberger – who, ironically, is color-blind – perfectly blends the misty, magical, and macabre in his intensely-atmospheric photographs.

Presenting everything from thickets full of brilliant sunlight to copses where things go bump in the night, his landscapes speak to the battles of good, evil, and everything in-between that pervade folklore tradition.

Although his images more often feature gingerbread cottages and ancient castles than human characters, Little Red Riding Hood would look perfectly natural running through them.

See more Images via There’s Something Grimm About These Photos.