skypointer2000
Matterhorn Milky Way Reflection
Last Monday I went to Zermatt to photograph one of the most famous spots in the Swiss Alps: Stellisee is world famous because, on a calm day, Mt. Matterhorn is reflecting perfectly in its clear waters.
Unfortunately the weather forecast was less than favorable and all my weather tools told me that it would be overcast during the night.
So I was a bit disappointed, but not surprised, when the famous peak was shrouded in clouds all day. When I saw high cirrus clouds moving in two hours before sunset, I was convinced that there would be no chance for Milky Way shots that night. The forecasted warm front was obviously approaching and when I called it a day at 10:30, the whole sky was covered.
Nevertheless, I set my alarm clock to 1 am. I have learned during my White Pocket trip, that you should never give up hope for better conditions. And what is true for the desert, is certainly true for the alps: You cannot trust the weather!
When I looked out of my window at the Fluhalp mountain hut at 1 am, the skies were mostly clear and I quickly walked down to Stellisee to start the night shooting I had already given up hope for...
This is my first exposure of the night:
- The core of Milky Way and Matterhorn are nicely reflecting in the lake.
- The orange glow is produced by light pollution from the Italian town Cervinia, lighting the cirrus clouds that were still covering the western sky.
- The image is a stack of 7 exposures of 10s at ISO3200 taken from a fixed tripod. The stars in the sky and in the reflection were registered separately with the freeware program Fitswork. Final processing was done in Photoshop.
- The image was taken with my backup camera for night photography (Canon 7D mk ll), as my astro modified 6D is presently in the repair shop...
Prints available:
Matterhorn Milky Way Reflection
Last Monday I went to Zermatt to photograph one of the most famous spots in the Swiss Alps: Stellisee is world famous because, on a calm day, Mt. Matterhorn is reflecting perfectly in its clear waters.
Unfortunately the weather forecast was less than favorable and all my weather tools told me that it would be overcast during the night.
So I was a bit disappointed, but not surprised, when the famous peak was shrouded in clouds all day. When I saw high cirrus clouds moving in two hours before sunset, I was convinced that there would be no chance for Milky Way shots that night. The forecasted warm front was obviously approaching and when I called it a day at 10:30, the whole sky was covered.
Nevertheless, I set my alarm clock to 1 am. I have learned during my White Pocket trip, that you should never give up hope for better conditions. And what is true for the desert, is certainly true for the alps: You cannot trust the weather!
When I looked out of my window at the Fluhalp mountain hut at 1 am, the skies were mostly clear and I quickly walked down to Stellisee to start the night shooting I had already given up hope for...
This is my first exposure of the night:
- The core of Milky Way and Matterhorn are nicely reflecting in the lake.
- The orange glow is produced by light pollution from the Italian town Cervinia, lighting the cirrus clouds that were still covering the western sky.
- The image is a stack of 7 exposures of 10s at ISO3200 taken from a fixed tripod. The stars in the sky and in the reflection were registered separately with the freeware program Fitswork. Final processing was done in Photoshop.
- The image was taken with my backup camera for night photography (Canon 7D mk ll), as my astro modified 6D is presently in the repair shop...
Prints available: