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1952paolo1952

Mont Blanc

Picture taken from the Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix

Picture taken from the Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix
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X-T1

Aperture f/9 ISO 200 Shutter 1/480 Focal Length 4670/100

upload_date

Aug, 2018

Views

816

Likes

+107

Awards

Top Shot Award 22

Community Choice Award

Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 36

Peer Award

+36

Absolute Masterpiece

+26

Superb Composition

+19

Top Choice

Outstanding Creativity

Magnificent Capture

Virtuoso

Emotions

Impressed

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Top 30 rank

Good job, shot like Vilem Heckel from Czechoslovakia!!!

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Just a masterpiece of simplicity, contrast and shades !

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Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

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Behind The Lens

Location

The photo was taken at the Aiguille du Midi, 3800mt above the sea level, near the top of Montblanc on the Alps.

Time

The Aiguille du Midi can be reached by cable car from Chamonix, France. We took the first car at a 8 am immediately after the opening of the station. A short metal bridge connects the station at the other end of the cableway with a small building. The view from the bridge is spectacular and it was there where the picture was shoot. It was 8:30 am in a clear day. Despite the bitter cold and strong wind I stood by the bridge until some mountain climbers entered the scene that I had in mind

Lighting

The light early in the morning at that height is something special. As clear as it can be with sharp contrast between shadow and lit areas. Really it does not take any special precautions to obtain good photos.

Equipment

I used my new Fuji XT1 camera, a gift by my collaborators for my retirement just few days earlier. Since there was plenty of light (1/250 sec) there was no need for a tripod and I leaned on the hand rail of the short bridge to avoid the shaking caused by the wind.

Inspiration

At that altitude, in front of the immaculate slopes of the mountain one does not need any particular inspiration. It is so beautiful and peaceful that the only distractions are the views and the temptation to photograph them all

Editing

The only processing that I did was to convert the picture into B&W and to increase slightly the contrast by playing with the blue slide of the software (LRj.

In my camera bag

When travelling like in that occasion I normally carry with me two camera bodies, the XT1 (now replaced by the newer XT3 model) and a Cannon 5DMIV, with their respective 24-70 mm (or APC equivalent) zoom lenses. Two tele zoom lenses (70-200 or APC equivalent) are also part of my photo equipment together with spare cards and hard disk for downloads at the end of each shooting day.

Feedback

As always the early morning and late afternoon lights give the best results. This is particularly true on a clear day at altitudes like those of the Aiguille du Midi. So get up early and hope that the light up there won’t change as it often and suddenly does up in the mountains. You may need to try on different days to achieve what you have in mind

See more amazing photos, follow 1952paolo1952

1952paolo1952

1952paolo1952

Mont Blanc

Picture taken from the Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow 1952paolo1952

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