I never expected the positive response to my first “Monday Mountains” post last week, showing an areal view of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya. So here is the second edition. As my blog is running on CET this post might actually show as being published on Tuesday, but as I’m currently on a business trip to Los Angeles this technically is still Monday evening due to the nine-hour time difference. So it counts 😉 ….
The mountain depicted here is the Watzmann, a mountain in the Bavarian Alps south of the village of Berchtesgaden. Rising to 2713 meters (8900 feet) it is the third highest peak in Germany, and the highest located entirely on German territory.
As in last weeks Monday Mountains I gave some tips towards shooting out of an airplane window, this week I can give you some inspirations towards night photography. When I took this image of Mt. Watzmann from the balcony of a hotel room in Berchtesgaden it was actually pitch dark outside. Mounted on a tripod I set my Nikon D80 (that I was using back then) to an exposure time of 164 seconds, so almost three minutes. The f-stop (aperture) was f/5. As the camera was mounted on a tripod I used the lowest ISO of 100 for maximum image quality. I used self timer (2 seconds) to avoid any camera shake after pressing the shutter. Due to the long exposure time the star trails also nicely appeared in the night sky.
The details that come out of a long exposure night photography are simply amazing. Moonlight is very soft, so it maximizes the textures that come out of an image. You have to try this!
Have a great week!
Marcus
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beautiful, the star trails are amazing… and thanks for the explanation how you’ve taken the shot, Marcus!!
So glad you found it helpful! Marcus
Marcus, this is a breathtaking photograph! Colors are bold and rich and created such a beautiful contrast. And light is heavenly beautiful!
I like very much your “Monday Mountains”!!!
Thanks so much, your comment really means a lot! Marcus
Love this! I would like to try more night photography. My scenery tends to be underwhelming though for night shoots. I could go out into the Everglades though and try to capture star trails.
Thanks, this means a lot! I could imagine that on a clear night in the Everglades you would be able to not only capture star trails but the whole Milky Way. I managed to capture that in South Africa, and I plan to do a how-to for this as well. Marcus
Beautiful image, Marcus. And, as one born in Bavaria long ago, I remember this mountain well. In the 50s, my parents ran a hotel in Berchtesgaden, so the natural images there impressed themselves deeply in a small kid’s consciousness, and have called me back occasionally, as now. Thank you for that!
The world is small indeed. I’m so glad I could bring back some of those memories! Marcus
Beautiful capture and home sweet home.
Thanks, so happy you like it! Marcus
Have a great day and trip and be safe out there.
Nice one! I put a”Monday Mountain” shot as well…. All the best,
Thanks 😊🙏, will check it out!
That’s awesome Marcus. I can’t believe it was pitch dark out! I really appreciate your tip about the self-timer. I think I can use that idea for a few things maybe! Anyway, beautiful mountain and yes… it is Monday! 🙂
Thanks Janet,this means a lot! I’m already curious what you are up to 😉. Greetings from the “neighborhood” 😀
haha. So weird that you are in the area. You think they’ll have a good window for you in the meeting room??? 😉
Good Morning. Was really fighting the jet lag last night. Will find out soon, heading to the office in a minute. Have a great day! Marcus
Good morning! Have a good day!!
Gorgeous, Marcus!
Thanks, Jane! Really appreciate this!