Fusine Lower Lake (925m a.s.l.) and Mount Mangart (2677m a.s.l.) Massif/Chain Represent One of the "Classics" of the Julian Alps; Tarvisio, Udine, FVG, Italia
15-october-2021: once per year I pass through this cirque of the Julian Alps, perhaps the most beautiful of the main 6 (3 in Slovenija and 3 in Italia) that characterize this alpine section in its northernmost sector, all open immediately to the North of the main Julian massifs.
These U-shaped valleys worked by imposing glaciers now extinct (except for 2 residual glacial bodies on Montasio and Canin/Kanin), sheltered from the mild Mediterranean currents and in the shade for long periods between mid autumn and mid/late winter, host varied and very interesting landscapes, including centuries-old forests, large moraines and, in this case, 2 alpine lakes.
For the first time (on Flickr) I post a photo of the Lower Lake of Fusine, the one surrounded by a forest made up of imposing and shady Spruce and Beech trees (Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica).
The southern shore, that in this shot, towards the Mangart massif, is always in shadow and it is necessary to "play" a lot with the dynamic range to be able to make the remarkable colors of the forest visible.
So, contrary to popular belief, landscape photos are complex, especially if in wide-angle and including various different environments (valleys, mountains, water, sky, forest...all together!), which are divided into multiple curtains at different distances, different exposure, different focus, different colors and different types of absorption and reflectivity of the light according to the environments (coniferous forests absorb a lot of light, snow, on the other hand, reflects it almost completely, and in the middle there is everything else and everything in one photo).
All this must be shaped, to obtain a successful photo (which often contains subjects for several other sub-photos, clearly less complex, with a single subject and often also with a single exposure), a photo that maintaining a good level of detail and sharpness, you enhance every single part, every single curtain with the best light and a homogeneous exposure, that is to be able to capture the lack of light of the darkest areas (valleys, forests, areas in shadow from backlight ...) without overexposing the lighter ones (snow, mountains and above all the sky!!).
If the sky is blue it must remain blue (and not white/burnt) despite the darker areas having been overexposed and, at the same time, the blue sky and the well exposed snow must not lead to underexposure of the other parts.
In this case the contrast between the Lake and the forest in total shade, a strong transversal brightness in the middle and the mountain group again in the shade requires a lot of work in the pre-shot settings (helping everything, as far as possible with a Bridge, also in the processing of the Raw file in post production) and inevitably, accept some compromises, such as sacrificing a part of the detail and a part of sharpness in favor of a more homogeneous exposure and a natural brightness (nature makes masterpieces with light , difficult to fully crystallize in one shot, even with higher segment cameras).
Sacrificing the "individual" for the good of the "whole".
The Superior Lake of Fusine, instead, is more varied with rocks, beaches and low plants and much better illuminated (more homogeneously) on 3 sides of 4, therefore much more photographed.
In any case, in this period and up to the beginning of March, the sun only penetrates from SOUTH-EAST, where the Mangart and Ponze/Ponce mountain ranges have a lower altitude, allowing it to pass, therefore, towards mid-morning and only for a couple of hours until lunchtime, then everything ends up in the shade and a bluish monochrome prevails if the sky is clear.
Fusine Lower Lake (925m a.s.l.) and Mount Mangart (2677m a.s.l.) Massif/Chain Represent One of the "Classics" of the Julian Alps; Tarvisio, Udine, FVG, Italia
15-october-2021: once per year I pass through this cirque of the Julian Alps, perhaps the most beautiful of the main 6 (3 in Slovenija and 3 in Italia) that characterize this alpine section in its northernmost sector, all open immediately to the North of the main Julian massifs.
These U-shaped valleys worked by imposing glaciers now extinct (except for 2 residual glacial bodies on Montasio and Canin/Kanin), sheltered from the mild Mediterranean currents and in the shade for long periods between mid autumn and mid/late winter, host varied and very interesting landscapes, including centuries-old forests, large moraines and, in this case, 2 alpine lakes.
For the first time (on Flickr) I post a photo of the Lower Lake of Fusine, the one surrounded by a forest made up of imposing and shady Spruce and Beech trees (Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica).
The southern shore, that in this shot, towards the Mangart massif, is always in shadow and it is necessary to "play" a lot with the dynamic range to be able to make the remarkable colors of the forest visible.
So, contrary to popular belief, landscape photos are complex, especially if in wide-angle and including various different environments (valleys, mountains, water, sky, forest...all together!), which are divided into multiple curtains at different distances, different exposure, different focus, different colors and different types of absorption and reflectivity of the light according to the environments (coniferous forests absorb a lot of light, snow, on the other hand, reflects it almost completely, and in the middle there is everything else and everything in one photo).
All this must be shaped, to obtain a successful photo (which often contains subjects for several other sub-photos, clearly less complex, with a single subject and often also with a single exposure), a photo that maintaining a good level of detail and sharpness, you enhance every single part, every single curtain with the best light and a homogeneous exposure, that is to be able to capture the lack of light of the darkest areas (valleys, forests, areas in shadow from backlight ...) without overexposing the lighter ones (snow, mountains and above all the sky!!).
If the sky is blue it must remain blue (and not white/burnt) despite the darker areas having been overexposed and, at the same time, the blue sky and the well exposed snow must not lead to underexposure of the other parts.
In this case the contrast between the Lake and the forest in total shade, a strong transversal brightness in the middle and the mountain group again in the shade requires a lot of work in the pre-shot settings (helping everything, as far as possible with a Bridge, also in the processing of the Raw file in post production) and inevitably, accept some compromises, such as sacrificing a part of the detail and a part of sharpness in favor of a more homogeneous exposure and a natural brightness (nature makes masterpieces with light , difficult to fully crystallize in one shot, even with higher segment cameras).
Sacrificing the "individual" for the good of the "whole".
The Superior Lake of Fusine, instead, is more varied with rocks, beaches and low plants and much better illuminated (more homogeneously) on 3 sides of 4, therefore much more photographed.
In any case, in this period and up to the beginning of March, the sun only penetrates from SOUTH-EAST, where the Mangart and Ponze/Ponce mountain ranges have a lower altitude, allowing it to pass, therefore, towards mid-morning and only for a couple of hours until lunchtime, then everything ends up in the shade and a bluish monochrome prevails if the sky is clear.