Timelapse Photography: Lights over Switzerland

Lights over Switzerland II - by Christoph Schlatter

Lights over Switzerland II - Timelapse from Christoph Schlatter on Vimeo.

Scenic Places in Black and White - Matterhorn

Zermatt in Switzerland is one of these places in the Swiss Alps that offers endless opportunities to enjoy the scenic mountain panorama.

Recently I spent a weekend on the Riffelalp, the Gornergrat side above Zermatt. From this location there is one of the most spectacular view on the iconic Matterhorn.
Taking the train to the Gornergrat is one thing not to miss. From the Gornergrat Kulm one can experience an exceptional panorama on the Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn and plenty of other 4000 m.a.s.l high peaks of the Swiss alps.

Opportunities for iconic pictures can be found at the Riffelsee. A little lake embedded in-between two mountain rims with usually mirroring clear surface in which the Matterhorn is reflected.

It is possibly one of the most touristic shots. Thousands of international tourists per year in search of typical pictures. Here another representative in black and white taken on a beautiful morning this summer.

Best time to go is in the morning since then the sun illuminates the Matterhorn from the front. A scenic place for landscape photography.

Matterhorn - Winter landscape photography

Matterhorn (4478 m.a.s.l): here some documentary photos from my recent photography trip (see post from Saturday January 17th) to Gornergrat Kulm in Zermatt.

I took not only my DSLR equipment with me but also my 1976 Hasselblad 500 c/m with different film. The film is still waiting to be developed.





It was a day with beautiful weather, bright sunlight, blue sky, but still some clouds to make the sky more interesting.

Temperature was -17 °C and the wind made it feel even colder. These conditions made manipulating the cameras and taking pictures not easier.

Technically cameras all worked very well under these conditions. For the analog work I had a bit of problems with my vintage Yashica exposure meter where the exposure needle reacted a bit sluggish and I was not very sure about correct readings.

The bright light reflected from the snow, or direct sunlight made exposure metering very difficult. But I hope to have picked the right settings for good results. Once the films are developed we will know more.

For digital especially changing lenses was difficult. There were always little snow crystals in the air which would absorb on the mirror and lenses and on the inside of the camera body. In consequence some of my digital images got quite a bit of dust - or snow - spots which needed to be retouched.
I experienced similar issues when travelling in very dry areas with dust. However, it was easier to handle these.

I wonder how this can be overcome?

For a collection of images visit the image gallery at andreasrmueller.com.

Matterhorn - Zermatt - Images by Andreas Mueller

The Swiss Alps

One of the last winter days in the Swiss Jura. Remaining snow and a beautiful view towards the Swiss Alps.

View from Waldweid in direction of the Gotthard massif.