Rysy
Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken in the High Tatra Mountains in Slovakia at the last hut of the hiking tour at an elevation of 2250m. As a Belgium based nature photographer, my yearly backpacking trip in the mountains is always the highlight of my photography year.Time
It was the evening of the second to last day of my yearly backpacking trip. After a long hiking day in very alternating weather, from fog to sunshine to hail, we were enjoying a refreshing pint in the cabin with fellow backpackers we met on the trip. Suddenly someone pointed out it just snowed a little and the sun was setting. Because it was the first fresh snow I had encountered in the mountains I took my camera and ran outside, almost slipping on the icy rocks. But it was worth almost falling for this picture. It was taken the 11th of August 2016 around 7:40 PMLighting
Of course you can't influence the sun, so I just had to wait for the right moment. When the sun was low enough to cast a darker yellow-orange colour on the mountains, but not so low that the rays would be blocked by the other mountains I pressed the shutter button.Equipment
This was shot on a Sony A7R with the 24-70mm F4 lens. It might surprise that I did not use a tripod, but since I am hiking with a full backpack weighing around 14KG, I chose to leave the tripod at home and use a rock if really necessary.Inspiration
I enjoy being in nature and being alone on the top of a mountain, just taking it all in. But I also enjoy sharing the beauty of these moments and the beauty of nature with other people. This is the main reason I carry my camera with me on these trips. But it also is a great memory for myself when I am back at home.Editing
I don't like a lot of post-processing. I prefer my images very natural. Of course I do some tweaking in the light, reduce noise and sharpen a little bit, but that is about it.In my camera bag
The equipment I usually have with me is the only equipment I have. A Sony A7R with the 24-70mm F4 lens and a Manfrotto tripod. I just recently changed to this set up from a Canon 7D because of the weight and size. When backpacking you don't want to carry heavy gear when there are such amazing options as the A7R. It produces amazing image quality and because of the size and weight I notice I take it with me a lot more often then I did with the rather heavy 7D.Feedback
First of all you obviously have to get to the mountains, preferably not the most touristic mountains. Then it is just a matter of waiting and looking for the right weather conditions along with a little bit of luck. Sometimes the weather is really bad for 3 days straight and you don't take a single picture (even though bad weather can also produce some magnificent images!). But when you wait long enough and don't give up, you get a lot of satisfaction when you get the shot you were looking for.
