Sky Road - Furka Pass Switzerland
I took this picture while on a road trip of Europe, we drove over the Furka Pass in Switzerland and its still one of the most spectacular places I've ever ...
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I took this picture while on a road trip of Europe, we drove over the Furka Pass in Switzerland and its still one of the most spectacular places I've ever been. We stopped just before descending to take this shot, the roads you see are is actually just one road.
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Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this while traveling Europe, I was driving the Furka Pass in Switzerland. As we approached the top the view disappeared as we entered the clouds, we had begun to descend the Pass when the clouds parted to reveal this view. I pulled over as quick as I could and managed to get this shot before the clouds covered the view. We had to wait two days to actually get onto the Furka Pass due to snowfall blocking the roads.Time
It was around 2pm on a summer's day, the weather really picked up but it was still around 1-2?c when I took this shot. The cloud was moving quickly so I did rush the position of the shots slightly but I was still happy with what I got. I would have liked to get higher than this and get a shot of the road I was on, leading right down to where the road disappears into the valley.Lighting
I was pretty lucky with the lighting, it came and went, it just so happened that the road that the bikers were on was in direct light and the beginning of the road in the bottom left also caught the light. Without the light catching both parts of the road the image wouldn't have had as much depth and the bikers would have been missed.Equipment
I have to be honest, I took this picture with my old Nikon D90, standard 18-105mm Nikkor lens, and a Cokin ND Grad filter. I no longer use any of that kit but it was all I used, I rarely took a tripod and didn't use one in this image. Given the chance to take this again I would have used a polarizer filter, but no matter what I used this shot was just a matter of being there at the right time.Inspiration
Travel, I was 5 months into a road trip of Europe with a good friend when I took this. We came up with the idea over a couple drinks and a few months later we packed the car and left, we had no idea where we were going, we just hit the road. The only reason I picked the Furka Pass was down to the map, it just looked like a scenic route and when we saw a signpost saying Furka Pass it sounded pretty awesome so we were determined to drive it. We were travelling from Italy, heading towards Munich via Austria at the time, hoping to get to Munich for the Oktoberfest. I'd never driven through the Alps before and it was just insane, I think you would struggle to not get a cool picture in the Alps during summer.Editing
This picture didn't require a huge amount of work, it was actually pretty cool straight out the camera. However, I did rework this image a few weeks back as I was going to have it printed and framed so wanted the best edit possible. I use Affinity Photo now and have done for the past year, I find it much quicker to work on photography. I was always worried it looked over processed which is why I decided to rework the original edit I did in 2014. The sky annoyed me and still doesn't look right, I blame the ND grad filter I used, I wish I knew about polarizers back then.In my camera bag
I like to travel light, or at least prioritise my gear, I'd rather carry a waterproof jacket and extra mitts than a 300mm lens in a snow storm. I recently switched over to Sony mirrorless setup and ditched the DSLR, this was a move I never thought I would make as I love the ergonomics of Nikon DSRLs. My day pack now consists of a Sony Alpha, a decent 16-70mm lens, Hoya Antistatic polarizer filter, lens cleaning kit, spare batteries + SD cards, power pack and a Benro tripod. That's it for camera gear. The rest of my gear is for me which includes; water, some good food, extra clothing, tent and sleeping bag (dependant on the trip), iPhone, compass, stove, map, Leatherman, medical kit and loads of other little trinkets. I use a Berghaus Centurion 30 pack as it is bulletproof, has loads of molle attachments and doesn't look like it has expensive camera gear inside when travelling I always see photography as a side to enjoying adventures, travel and just getting out, the day I go out and forget to enjoy the surroundings because I'm too busy with my camera will be the day I have to stop with photography. I want to inspire others to get out and enjoy this magical world we live in.Feedback
Get out, the biggest step is packing your bag and heading out. Plan a trip once a week, this can be anywhere new to you, if landscape is your thing then venture further each time you go trust me you will find some awesome scenery. Don't expect to find a breathtaking shot from the parking lot or the side of the road (yes, this was taken on the side of the road) as the chances of getting a unique shot are minimal. Use your feet to find that outstanding shot that no one has seen before. Most importantly do it because you enjoy it.
