Blog Posts in Category: Locations

Ochsenkopf and Stanser Joch Hike&Fly

Originally I had other plans for today, but the forecast was just too great in the alps for those plans, so I ended up heading to the Stanser Joch near the Achensee for a hike and fly. I had the expectation of wonderful views to the south and the main alpine ridge and to the north over the Achensee. I decided to walk to up the Weißenbachtal to get to the summit, as I thought this might provide more varied routes than the other option which follows the eastern ridge. I am very glad I chose this as it meant that I made a detour to the Ochsenkopf, which was the highlight of the walk. The walk up the Weißenbachtal was up easy forest track to the Weißenbachsattel, which was also surprisingly windy at times given the forecast for almost nil wind up to quite a high altitude. From the Weißenbachsattel the forest track turned into single track, which was partly covered by snow at times depending on the aspect. From here the ascent became steeper and my lack of fitness was really showing, especially where the snow became deeper,. Read the full article…

Sunset and blue hour over the Geroldsee

After a beautiful walk thorough the Partnachklamm we were trying to work out what to do for sunset, as our previous plan was not going to we were too late. In the end we decided to head just down the road to a location which we had previously been to for sunrise, the Geroldsee. I am very glad we made this decision, as we turned up to the most beautiful golden light, just in time before the shadow extended over the field as we waited for the sunset. Unfortunately the nice clouds in the sky above the Karwendel all cleared for sunset, which made it a bit of a non event w.r.t. the light in the sky. Nonetheless it created some lovely light on the mountains, and the red hues which were reflecting off the clouds above us (but not in the photos), created a beautiful scene. As the sun was setting, the moon was also rising, which led to some beautiful blue hour photos and reflections in the Geroldsee, showing that it is always worth retuning to locations at different times of the day for a different perspective.

Partnachklamm, Garmisch-Partenkirchen

After over five years in Munich I finally headed to the classic gorge near Garmisch, the Partnachklamm. I don’t know why it took so long to visit, and having been there once I would definitely go back as it is really spectacular. I took advantage of being there on a quiet weekday in November and could even use my tripod if I was careful. The pictures speak for themselves, the gorge was spectacularly deep, with a torrent of water flowing through it with the air full of spray. Needless to say our gear got very wet on the trip, thankfully my cameras weather sealing held up well, I think David’s camera has finally dried out now! I will certainly return in winter, as I think with a mixture of ice and the water it could be really spectacular.

Steindlweg, Holzkirchen

On the way to Garmisch we stopped off in Holzkirchen to capture this beautiful avenue weaving its way through old trees. It is literally right next to a car park, and would definitely be a venue to return to with different light or maybe some fog.

Josefsthaler Wasserfall, Schliersee

After a beautiful sunrise at the Wallfahrtskirche Wilparting, we headed to the Josefsthaler waterfall near Neuhaus on the south side of Schliersee. On the drive there we had to stop on the way past a very still Schliersee because of the beautiful reflections of stunning autumnal trees, I can only imagine what it was like a few weeks before. There was only a short walk up to the waterfalls, and they were certainly stunning. In the end we only photographed the lowest fall, as I was a bit anxious about where I had parked the car. Based on the number of leaves on the ground, I certainly think this would be a good location to return to in the height of autumn. After we had finished at the Waterfalls, we decided to head to Vogelsang above Bayrischzell, as we could drive most of the way up and it would enable some beautiful mountain views and allow us to scout out a possible sunrise location for Tuesday morning.

Wallfahrtskirche Wilparting Sunrise

After an evening of deliberating where we should go due to a mixture of different clouds in the forecast, combined with the challenge of motivation for a 4am start, we decided to go to the Wallfahrtskirche Wilparting, a church I have driven past countless times on the A8. While it did look good from a forecast point of view, the proximity to Munich was also a draw as this meant we could have a lie in until 5am. As we were leaving Munich with a thick bank of dark cloud to our south I was not feeling optimistic, but thankfully we drove just about far enough east to get out of it and allow the horizon to become free. This led to an absolutely stunning sky which appeared to be on fire, and as the sunrise progressed we were treated to a spectacular show and also some strange effects of shadows on the higher cloud from the lower clouds. After the best of the light had passed, we headed to the local service station where there is an excellent coffee shop which roasts its own coffee to warm up and. Read the full article…

St Lukas Church at Night

Despite having been in Munich for over five years, I had still not found a good venue to use the river for evening photography. On our way back from Alter Peter we decided to take a detour to the river and see what we could find. I was very pleased to find this image if St Lukas Church, which reflects perfectly in the river, even with some lights to provide a nice starburst effect. I will definitely head back here at some point for blue hour, as I think this could be a very pleasing photo with some more light in the sky.

Alter Peter/St Peter’s Tower Blue Hour

For a few years now I have been intending on heading up Alter Peter in the autumn when the sunset is still while the tower is open. The sunset itself was pretty disappointing today, however the blue hour was pretty stunning despite the cloud, I will definitely try and head back before the winter is over for another go. Getting the photos was challenging, but with good photography technique, combined with IBIS, I was able to keep the ISO pretty low and still get some great shots of the Rathaus and the Dom.