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2013-06-19 06:52:11 (263 comments, 69 reshares, 830 +1s)

Colorful Tranquility
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/colorful-tranquility/

Haven’t posted in a while. My apologies for that! I’ve been crazy busy with travelling and all sorts of other (good) things. I am back at it though, and hope to be posting a bit more regularly again in the coming months!

This image is the last one in a series of images that I captured during a long exposure sunset shoot at Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) near the Swiss town of Morges. I shot this with my Nikon D800E and made a conscious choice to turn of long exposure noise reduction on my camera. The good part of a sunset doesn’t last that long, so turning it off allowed me to get away with more images. Never again though! The D800E adds thousands of tiny white spots to each image when that setting is turned off. I was aware of that and it can be taken care off in a post … but wow … what atime-consu... more »

2013-05-11 14:42:19 (269 comments, 42 reshares, 328 +1s)

Lake Sils At Sunrise
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/lake-sils-at-sunrise/

This image features Lake Sils and a mountain called Piz da la Margna at sunrise. They are located near St. Moritz in the Swiss Engadin region. Engadin is one of my favorite regions in the Alps, because Mother Nature tends to be very generous over there with key photography ingredients like color (in trees, sunsets and sunrises), fog and fast changing weather, especially in Autumn. This is one of the reason why I will be organizing a workshop / photo tour in Engadin next October!

This image is a 4 minute exposure that was intended to be in color. The sunrise was giving the peaks to the left a nice orange glow and I liked the yellow in the sky at the end of the lake. In this case I didn’t use a long exposure to smoothen the water though. I opted for a long exposure to make the sky less busy.T... more »

2013-05-11 14:43:02 (262 comments, 23 reshares, 399 +1s)

Standing Tall (re-post ... now uploaded large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/standing-tall/

Featured in PhotoExtract:
http://www.photoextract.com/plus-extract/2013/4/18

Yes, I know, I know … spring has started (where I am at least). Going to post one last winter scene though. Hope you don’t mind!? :-)

In the past few months, I have seen many photographs come by that feature solitary trees in their snowy surroundings. Wanted to balance things a bit by posting this image of not so lonely larch trees in their winter coat. I shot it last January during a hike near La Fouly, a small village located in the Val Ferret valley in the Swiss canton of Valais. It was quite windy and about minus 25°c (minus 13°f) that day. For some reason I liked this scene instantly when I saw it. Maybe because of the touch of fresh snow on the branches of the trees? Orbecau... more »

2013-04-08 18:27:13 (276 comments, 32 reshares, 372 +1s)

Mystic Mountain
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/mystic-mountain/

I love mountains, fog and snow, so I am always happy when I can combine these three elements in an image. I captured this one during a snowshoe hike last January. It was a bit of a dull day with lot’s of fog and clouds … and it was way too cold. Most of the trail was in the shade, so there weren’t a lot of wide-angle opportunities. The fog around the mountains on the side of the trail was rather nice and interesting though, so I decided to focus on shooting them to see if I could get something intimate and dramatic. The only thing I badly needed was a 4th element to play along: the light. And it did!

No filters were used for this image. I already knew that I was going to process this one in B&W when I shot it. I used Adobe’s Lightroom 4.3 and Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2 to get to thisresult.more »

2013-03-13 12:47:51 (193 comments, 9 reshares, 242 +1s)

One
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/one/

I am quite busy at the moment with reviewing and processing the snowy mountainscapes I have been shooting in the past few months. The winter unfortunately hasn’t been brilliant for photography over here, however it does look like I got away with some nice ones :)

The coming few months, I will focus on long exposure photography a bit more again. Haven’t been doing a lot of LE work lately and I miss it. This image was shot last month, during the only LE outing I have had since December last year. The conditions weren’t brilliant, but it did give me a chance to test 2 new lenses. This image is a minimalistic 4 minute exposure and features a simple sign post on a rock in Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). I opted for giving the image lots of negative space. Hope you like it!?

I captured the image with my new 85mmlens o... more »

2013-03-01 20:20:56 (236 comments, 56 reshares, 439 +1s)

Carved In Snow
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/carved-in-snow/

Edit: thanks +Jarek Klimek for the PhotoExtract inclusion: http://www.photoextract.com/plus-extract/2013/2/21

I usually spend quite some time (together with my partner +Deborah Vos) figuring out where to go for a photo hike in the Alps in winter. We look at maps, scout the terrain on Google Earth, figure out where the sun will be at what time during the hike, check if the area got fresh snow during the past days, see if there will be clouds and fog and how those are likely to develop, etc, etc. The weather part helps a lot. The maps and terrain part is a bit tricky though, as the impression you get from it can be very wrong.

I shot this image at the Simplon pass, one of the few passes that connects Switzerland with Italy. The location wasn’t very high on my list, as I didn’t expecttoo ... more »

2013-02-22 07:17:03 (259 comments, 30 reshares, 458 +1s)

Shadows and Light
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/shadows-and-light/

Some images take a few seconds to process, some a few hours, some days and some several months. This one falls in the latter category. Why? Well, I really like it a lot and I wanted the processing to be just right … this usually means that I process it from scratch various times, let it be for a while and come back later to see if it needs further tuning. It is not that I PhotoShop it to pieces (I don’t even use PhotoShop). It sometimes just takes time to find the right balance between tones, contrast and structure in various parts of the image. Gradually the differences between subsequent versions become smaller … luckily …

This T-shaped pier can be found in Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) near the small town of Morges. I shot this image at sunset after a heavy rainstorm. Some of you may remembermy image... more »

2013-01-26 08:23:38 (212 comments, 25 reshares, 335 +1s)

Unspoiled
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/unspoiled/

The past month, I have already spent quite some time hunting for nice alpine winter scenes. I haven’t been very lucky with the weather and light conditions so far, but it is worth getting out anyway to get to know new areas for future shooting trips.

At this time of year the sun doesn’t reach a lot of places yet. So luck needs to be helped a bit now and then. For this image, I decided to postpone the hot chocolate and to snowshoe up a steep hill to reach a place where I suspected the light to be hitting things nicely sideways. It did and as a bonus the snow up there was still unspoiled. Came away with a nice series of winter shots.

I was quite close to the line of trees, so used my 14-24 f/2.8 lens at 15mm to open up the scene a bit and to include enough of the virgin snow in the foreground and toals... more »

2013-01-26 16:32:17 (228 comments, 27 reshares, 486 +1s)

Plus One Collection 2012

This is my submission to the #PlusOneCollection2012 project: the majestic Matterhorn.

Update: very honored that the image will actually be included in the book! Thanks +Ivan Makarov and +Andy Lee for all the efforts! Many thanks also to +Jarek Klimek for featuring this image in #PlusPhotoExtract for a second time : http://www.photoextract.com/plus-extract/2013/1/14

I thought it would be hard to pick one image from 2012, but surprisingly enough it wasn't. I have tried to capture the Matterhorn in various ways and from various viewpoints, but was never satisfied. The Matterhorn is one of the most photographed peaks in the world, so it is very hard to be original. This summer I finally managed ... at least in my eyes :) Used a long exposure of 2 minutes for this capture.

I hope you will find this a worthysubmi... more »

2012-12-31 18:27:04 (175 comments, 13 reshares, 307 +1s)

Stillness
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/stillness/

Wishing you and your loved ones a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!!!

The coming two months I will be focusing on shooting and publishing snowy mountain landscapes, so I thought I’d better squeeze another LE in :)

I ran into these 4 rocks last month, when I was scouting the coastline of Lac de Neuchâtel for LE locations together with fellow Swiss photographer +Dominique Dubied. I spent quite some time with these stones, to find the right angle. It was a very hazy day with slow-moving clouds, so I opted for a 5 minute exposure to create a bit of a mystical look. I used 3 Lee ND filters (10+3+3) to get to an exposure time of 5 minutes. I processed the image with Adobe’s Lightroom 4.2 and Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2.

Hope you like it!

#BWFineArtLE  +Joel... more »

2012-12-13 09:49:06 (200 comments, 19 reshares, 271 +1s)

Ending Silence
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/ending-silence/

It’s been a while since I posted a long exposure image, so here is a new one. I shot it early July, when I met up with +Joel Tjintjelaar, +Michael Diblicek, +Heine J Melgaard and a few other people near Domburg in Zeeland, The Netherlands. The weather that day was a disaster. It was raining way too hard during most of the day and when the rain finally went away it was way too windy. I shot this image during a long-awaited short period of relatively quiet weather … which inspired the title. I like how the contrast between the brewing sky and the silky water came out. Hope you like it as well!

To create this image, I used a Lee 10-stop plus a Lee 2-stop ND filter to stretch the exposure time. I processed the image with Adobe’s Lightroom 4.2 and Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2.

By the way:would ha... more »

2012-12-13 09:49:40 (211 comments, 24 reshares, 280 +1s)

A Lake, A Moody Sunset And A Swan
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/a-lake-a-moody-sunset-and-a-swan/

I have been pretty busy so far this month with catching up on processing images. November is the ideal month for that: the leaves have fallen here in the Alps and there is not a lot of snow yet. I did free up some time last week to scout a few long exposure locations with +Dominique Dubied near Lac de Neuchâtel in the west of Switzerland. Unfortunately there wasn’t a lot of wind, so no images with silky lakes and clouds this time.

As you can judge from the image below, we did get a nice moody sunset at the end of the day. I shot quite a few images while this sunset scene evolved. Partly to shoot it with different perspectives, but mostly because the swan didn’t want to stay put. So I have a lot of sunset images with a blurry swan as well as images featuringhis/h... more »

2012-11-19 13:03:06 (237 comments, 35 reshares, 317 +1s)

In Thin Air (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/in-thin-air/

Many of my mountain landscapes are captured using conventional composition rules, so mountain peaks in the background with other elements in the foreground and/or middle to lead the eye to the peaks and to complement them. I do like to challenge these rules though and love trying different approaches. One of the things I like to do for instance is to go up a mountain and shoot the surrounding mountains from there to get a different perspective.

Using a wide-angle lens up on a mountain is fun, however I prefer to use longer focal lengths to get closer and to create more “intimate” images. I usually point the lens downwards a bit, compose very tightly and avoid including too much sky. I love the perspective you get by shooting in this manner. It creates a bit of a “birds view” and gives theviewer ... more »

2012-11-19 13:04:52 (275 comments, 88 reshares, 411 +1s)

Waiting For The Light (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/waiting-for-the-light/

Mid October, I went up to the Derborence valley in the Valais region in Switzerland very early in the morning. The plan was to shoot the alpine lakes over there with fall colors in soft morning light. In retrospect I could have slept in, as I found out that the light only starts to hit the valley at around 10:30 am. Although mountains are one of my favorite subjects, they do get in the way of light sometimes … ;-)

I used the waiting time to scout the valley a bit better and to look for a lake that I hadn’t found before: Lac Blue. And I found it! It turned out to be a bit of a hidden treasure. It is a crystal clear lake full of trouts and surrounded by a variety of trees in different colors. The lake had a bit of a surreal fairy tail look and feel to it. When I discovered it,I s... more »

2012-11-19 13:06:05 (195 comments, 23 reshares, 322 +1s)

Just Before The Sun Sets (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/just-before-the-sun-sets/

When I am out in the Alps, I always start to get nervous about half an hour before the sun starts to set. Am I in the right place? Do I have a foreground subject? Is the sky interesting enough? How will the light hit the clouds? Do I have the right lens for the composition I have in mind? Should I maybe quickly relocate to that other spot just 10 minutes away? Usually I just stick to where I am, work with what I have and take the time to watch the scene evolve. The nerves always make place for adrenaline rather quickly when I start to work the scene. The adrenaline is subsequently almost always replaced by amazement about how beautiful nature can be at the right time of day.

I captured this image last week at the summit of the San Bernadino Pass in the Swiss canton of... more »

2012-11-19 13:07:31 (278 comments, 67 reshares, 606 +1s)

The End (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/the-end/

Last week I went out to Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) hoping that the weather would clear up just in time to allow me to shoot the sunset with some drama in the sky. And it did. The color results I got that evening were quite nice. However, I couldn’t resist converting this particular one to black and white.

The image features a line of rocks in the lake, which is there to break the waves a bit. In the background you can see the silhouette of the French Alps. As the waves were actually rolling over these rocks that evening, I shot the scene with an exposure time of 4 minutes to create a bit of a mystical effect on the rocks. The dark clouds and the soft evening light helped to create a moody atmosphere. Hope you like it!

Shot this with my D800E, 24-70 lens and used a Lee 10-stop ND filter plus a Lee3-... more »

2012-09-21 14:13:36 (218 comments, 18 reshares, 336 +1s)

Abandoned (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/abandoned/

In May this year, I was at Lac de Neuchâtel in Switzerland for a bit of long exposure shooting and shot an image called Tranquility (https://plus.google.com/101373961279443806744/posts/Yyf6VpQKGcs). It was quite windy and foggy that day. Pretty nice conditions for this type of photography. Early this month I went back when weather conditions were comparable, to see if I could shoot more images with the same tranquil feeling to them. This image is one of the results.

Not everybody likes minimalistic black and white images like this. I however am appreciating them more and more. In addition they are fun to create and the actual shooting is quite relaxing. A welcome change from all the alpine landscape work I do ... a bit of relaxed lakeside shooting is a fantastic way to get rid of any musclep... more »

2012-09-06 04:34:24 (162 comments, 19 reshares, 323 +1s)

Crystal clear (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/crystal-clear/

A few weeks ago, I was hiking up at the Lacs de Fenêtre near the Grand Saint-Bernard pass at the Swiss/Italian border. This area is well known for its nice lakes as well as its view on the majestic Mont Blanc massif. After shooting the larger lakes, I ran into this small mountain lake. The bottom of the lake is covered with copper colored rocks, which is typical for that region. In the background you see a Mountain called Point de Drône … which I climbed afterwards.

I captured this image using my 14-24 f/2.8 wide angle lens. Shot it at 14mm to emphasize the rocky bottom of the lake and to give the image a bit of extra depth. I used a 2-stop Singh-Ray graduated filter to control the brightness of the sky a bit. The image was processed in Adobe Lightroom 4.1. Hope you like it!
D... more »

2012-09-04 16:47:32 (214 comments, 22 reshares, 297 +1s)

Above The Clouds (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/above-the-clouds/

Edit: thanks +Jarek Klimek for the PhotoExtract inclusion: http://www.photoextract.com/plus-extract/2012/8/20! 

This image features the Swiss mountains Dom, Nadelhorn and Täschhorn. Three beautiful alpine peaks with a height of more than 4300 meters (14000ft). They are amongst the highest in Switzerland. I shot this image early in the morning. The light was still nice and soft and the fog and clouds just started to rise from the valley, adding a nice dose of drama to the scene. I was high up a mountain on the other side of the valley just at the right time.

I captured this image with my Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VRII lens. A lens with which I have a love-hate relationship. I almost always stuff it in my bag, next to 2 or 3 other lenses, when I go hike up a mountain. From aph... more »

2012-08-20 20:03:19 (312 comments, 53 reshares, 479 +1s)

Matterhorn Long Exposure In B&W
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/matterhorn-long-exposure-in-bw/

Edit: thanks +Jarek Klimek for the PhotoExtract inclusion: http://www.photoextract.com/plus-extract/2012/8/6! 

I was in Zermatt, Switzerland, for a few days last week. Amongst others, I was there for a photo walk with the +Swiss Photography Club G+, as well as a climb up to the summit of the Breithorn (4,164 m / 13,661 ft) with +Wilfried Haferland and +Deborah Vos … pffff. The most dominant peak in the Zermatt region is the Matterhorn. Its summit is 4,478 metres (14,690 ft) high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. It also one of the most photographed mountains of the world, so it is hard to come home with something original.

During one of my hikes last week, the cloud formations around the Matterhorn looked interesting enough to trysomet... more »

2012-07-31 14:51:54 (175 comments, 35 reshares, 312 +1s)

A Mountain River Close To Sunset (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/a-mountain-river-close-to-sunset/

Edit: thanks +Jarek Klimek for the PhotoExtract inclusion: http://www.photoextract.com/plus-extract/2012/7/15

Time for a color image again! This photograph was taken in the Swiss National Park in the Swiss canton of Graubünden (Grisons). This park is a great place to be for landscape photographers, especially in late spring and autumn. Plenty of great hiking trails and loads of unspoiled scenery and wildlife at hand!

The image features a typical rocky alpine river that is floating towards a trio of mountains in the background. The mountains are lit by the last mountain light as it was fairly close to sunset. I captured this image using my 14-24 f/2.8 wide angle lens. Shot it at 14mm to give a lot of depth to the image. No filters were used... more »

2012-07-04 18:42:01 (160 comments, 17 reshares, 304 +1s)

Alpine Winter Panorama In B&W (please view large!)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/alpine-winter-panorama-in-bw/

This is an image I shot last January, when I was hiking down from the Gornergrat station to Riffelberg in Zermatt. It is a panoramic view of the Weisshorn (4,505m/14,783ft) and a few surrounding mountains like the Mettelhorn, Schalihorn and Brunegghorn. I was shooting at an altitude of 2755 meters (9038ft). From that same location, you can see some of the highest peaks in Switzerland, like the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa. If you plan to visit Switzerland, make sure to go there!

I shot this image with a 2-stop gradient ND filter to control exposure a bit. Processed the image in Lightroom 4.1 and Silver Efex Pro 2. The range of shadows and highlights in this image didn’t make the conversion easy. I have attempted to convert it many times in the past fewm... more »

2012-11-02 17:44:17 (304 comments, 115 reshares, 182 +1s)

SELECTED NATURE & LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHERS (version 7)

Here is version 7 of the Nature & Landscape Photographers circle. I reviewed about 700 profiles for this update and selected the 375 photographers I liked best. There are about 130 new additions! I will list  them in the comments ...

To get into this circle, you don't have to re-share it, circle me back or send me candy. Just make sure to share awesome nature and landscape images. It's that simple!!!

Want to be (re-)considered for inclusion? Leave a comment or contact me directly, if you feel you meet the criteria: posting primarily good nature and landscape images on G+ on a regular basis. Next update: as soon as I find the time ;)

Tag:  #NLPV7

Related list: http://www.group.as/nature+and+landscape+photographers/

Share and Enjoy! 
... more »

2012-06-21 19:23:56 (240 comments, 26 reshares, 353 +1s)

Stepping Stones
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/stepping-stones/

Edit: thanks +Jarek Klimek for the PhotoExtract inclusion: http://www.photoextract.com/plus-extract/2012/6/11

When I first saw this scene, the two rocks in the water reminded me of stepping stones on the way to the beautiful mountains on the other side. Like phases in life that need to be lived to eventually get you where you want to be. I spent the first 40 years of my life working towards fulfilling my dream of living in the Alps during the other 80 years of my life and to work there as a photographer (yes, I am planning to be at least 120 years old one day). It was a challenging journey, however I did enjoy it and got there in the end! The scene also reminded me of something a ski teacher told me a long time ago, when he send me down a very steep triple diamond black trail somewhere in Canadaw... more »

2012-08-27 18:07:45 (212 comments, 77 reshares, 366 +1s)

Alpine Lake Reflections At Sunset
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/alpine-lake-reflections-at-sunset/

I published many black and white (long exposure) images lately, so I figured it was time again to post in color :)

This photograph features a small Alpine lake called “Lej Pitschen”. It’s located at the top of the well-known Bernina pass in Graubünden (Grisons), Switzerland. In the background you see the mountain Piz Cambrena, which has an altitude of 3606 meter (11.830ft).

I captured this image at the end of May (last weekend). The lake was still partly frozen. As I was shooting fairly close to sunset, I ran around like a maniac to try to capture this lake and the surrounding mountains with differing compositions, perspectives and focal lengths. About 10 minutes after I shot this one, the light was no longer hitting the scene. Timing is everything inlandsc... more »

2012-06-28 18:28:33 (144 comments, 10 reshares, 256 +1s)

Last mountain light (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/last-mountain-light/

Earlier this year I organized a Google+ photo walk to Leysin, which is a small town in the midst of the Swiss Alps of Valais. Unfortunately it was quite hazy that day and it was hard to get really nice shots. Luckily, it cleared up a bit at the end of the day and I was able to get away with this photograph of the snow-covered Grand Muveran and Petit Muveran mountains. Both are about 3.000 meters (10.000 ft) high.

At this part of the photo walk only +Wilfried Haferland, +Athena Carey and +Deborah Vos were still with me :)

I really loved how the last light was hitting the rugged face of these two mountains. I decided to focus on that and keep the composition fairly simple: just the rugged mountain face and the soft last mountain light. I used a 2:1 crop to try to frame the... more »

2012-05-16 18:06:01 (184 comments, 18 reshares, 276 +1s)

Tranquillity (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/tranquillity/

A few weeks ago I visited Lac de Neuchâtel near Estavayer-le-Lac in Switzerland with +Athena Carey and +Michael Diblicek. Two awesome photographers ... and even more importantly very nice people!

The plan was to do some LE photography together. It was a very windy day with dark clouds. Luckily there were also a few little patches of blue, to let some sunlight slip trough once in a while. We searched for interesting locations along the borders of the lake for quite a while. At some point we got lucky and stumbled into a little hidden beach with 6 or 7 abandoned piers in various states of decay. So we found our subjects, had some heavy waves, an interesting sky with cloud movement and patches of light hitting the lake. Great ingredients for long exposure photography.

Because (and... more »

2012-04-23 09:28:06 (160 comments, 8 reshares, 218 +1s)

Silky Smooth
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/silky-smooth/

A few weeks ago I hiked in the Val d’Areuse near Boudry in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel, home of the Gorges de l’Areuse. This is a narrow gorge through the limestones of the Swiss Jura, shaped by the Areuse river. One of the things I was after, was long exposures of the flowing water and nature’s details in it.

It is always a bit hard to predict how a long exposure image of a mountain river will look. I tend to be on the look-out for stones or wood with a bit of character or a special color. In addition, I look for light patches that can give a long exposure image a special look and feel. I think that in this case I found a nice combination. Hope you like it (best viewed on white ... have to visit my blog for that though)!

I combined a Lee 10-stop and a Lee 3-stop ND filter to achieve a 126second... more »

2012-05-23 14:42:17 (233 comments, 58 reshares, 390 +1s)

A day at the offfice (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/a-day-at-the-office/

This photograph was taken last week, when I was out shooting long exposures along the coast of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) in Switzerland. It features a fisherman at work on a boat on the lake, with the silhouette of the French Alps in the background. I shot this early in the morning, when the lake was still quite smooth.

For the fisherman this was probably just another day at the office. To me it was a very soothing minimal scene that I just had to capture. I knew up front that I wanted to render it in black and white to emphasize the tranquility. I hope I succeeded!?

I shot this with my 24mm f1/4 lens at f/16, to make sure I would also get some nice detail in the mountains in the background. Used a 2-stop ND grad filter from +Singh-Ray Filters darken the bottom part a... more »

2012-03-14 21:14:02 (193 comments, 19 reshares, 265 +1s)

Come Climb With Me (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/come-climb-with-me/

Edit: thanks +Jarek Klimek for the PhotoExtract inclusion: http://www.photoextract.com/plus-extract/2012/3/12

A few weeks ago I posted an image with an aerial view of the Mont Blanc massif (see the post: Come fly with me). I went back to the same area at the end of February, together with +Athena Carey to grab a few additional shots whilst it was still Winter. Here is one of the images I shot that day. This time we are looking up from the valley. I really loved how the light was hitting the mountains. I shot it at 140mm to close in on a specific section in between the mountains to add a bit of depth to the image.

Dedicating this one to my Swiss friends +Wilfried Haferland and +Daniel Arndt, who actually dare to climb up these alpine "walls"!!!
... more »

2012-03-05 12:40:57 (126 comments, 7 reshares, 178 +1s)

Schluchhorn North Face On A Winter-Day (view large)
http://www.niophoto.com/schluchhorn-north-face-on-a-winter-day/

The image was shot last December at the end of a cold winter-day. It features the Schluchhorn. Its very characteristic north face extends all the way from the left to the right side of the image, where it meets with the Sanetschhorn. Both mountains are part of the Diablerets massif in Switzerland. In this image the Schluchhorn is barely catching a bit of last light.

I decided to process the image in black and white using Silver Efex Pro 2, to create a bit of a dark and moody effect.

#BWFineArtLE by +Joel Tjintjelaar
#natureartthursday by +Trisha Standard
#PlusPhotoExtract by +Jarek Klimek
#monochromemonday by +Charles Lupica
#FineArtPls by +Marina Chen
#swdpcl by +peter paul müller

2012-03-21 20:02:42 (186 comments, 7 reshares, 219 +1s)

Bearded Vulture In Flight ... they actually look pretty in Europe (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/bearded-vulture-in-flight/

Last Saturday I did a very interesting high alpine snow-shoe hike traversing the Gemmipass between Kandersteg and Leukerbad in Switzerland. The hike was 10 kilometers (6.5 miles) long with an ascent of about 550 meters (1800 ft). Photography wise it was a very fruitful hike, as I got away with quite a few nice landscape images … and more …

At the end of the hike I spotted a group of bird photographers, shooting from a ridge towards the valley. Obviously they were all very-well equipped with cool exotic long lenses. My longest lens was my 24-70 f/2.8 … ouch … after doing some landscape shots from the ridge, I decided to join the fun anyway and to put my camera in fast mode. Shortly after, this bearded vulture decided to do afew fly... more »

2012-03-14 21:35:01 (233 comments, 34 reshares, 328 +1s)

Come Fly With Me (view large)
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/come-fly-with-me/

Edit: thanks +Jarek Klimek for the PhotoExtract inclusion: http://www.photoextract.com/plus-extract/2012/2/16

This image above was shot during a hike near the Grand Saint-Bernard pass in Switzerland and features the mont Blanc Massif. I framed it quite aggressively to try to draw you into the image and to give the impression that you are "flying" towards them. I processed the image in black and white to emphasize the raw nature of these mountains. Most of the peaks you see have an altitude between 3500 and 4810 meters (11500 to 15750 ft), with the Mont Blanc (4810m/15750ft) being the highest.

#BWFineArtLE by +Joel Tjintjelaar
#natureartthursday by +Trisha Standard
#PlusPhotoExtract by +Jarek Klimek
#FineArtPls by +Marina Chen
#swdpcl by... more »

2012-02-16 10:42:08 (64 comments, 1 reshares, 52 +1s)

Featured by PhotoShelter
If you want to find out a bit more about me .... I've been featured by PhotoShelter ... scary stuff :-)
http://www.photoshelter.com/about/profile/peijnenburg

#PhotoShelterUG

2012-02-24 12:50:03 (158 comments, 11 reshares, 198 +1s)

Cloudy Sky In Black & White
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/cloudy-sky-in-black-white/

After posting two typical Swiss winter landscapes with Alps, snow, pine trees and a blue sky, I thought it was time for something completely different. Here’s a black & white impression of a cloudy sky above the Alps that surround the Bas-Intyamon valley in Gruyère, Switzerland. I captured this sky on a summer night last August, just before sunset. I processed it in black and white, to accentuate the structure and drama in the sky. What do you think?

For #SkySunday by +Simone Linke, #BWFineArtLE by +Joel Tjintjelaar, #FineArtPls by +Marina Chen, as well as #SacredSunday by +Charles Lupica as the Alps are sacred to me :-) #swdpcl by +peter paul müller
#PlusPhotoExtract by +Jarek Klimek

2012-03-12 18:48:37 (124 comments, 10 reshares, 164 +1s)

Culan mountain (Diablerets) on a sunny winter-day
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/culan-mountain-diablerets-on-a-sunny-winter-day/

Edit: thank you +Jarek Klimek for the feature: http://www.photoextract.com/plus-extract/2012/1/31

I captured this image during a recent hike in the Swiss Alps. As you can see, it was a beautiful bright and sunny winter-day! I am dedicating this one to +shirley lo and +Folletto Folletto for being good sports!

The image features Culan mountain, with an altitude of 2,789 meters (9,150 ft). It is located in the Swiss Alps, near Ollon, and is part of the Diablerets massif. As most mountains in the Diablerets massif, it has a very characteristic and impressive appearance. I included a snowy meadow and pine trees in the frame to emphasize the beauty of the surroundings I was hiking in.

I am a bit late for ... more »

2012-01-25 14:37:46 (306 comments, 179 reshares, 119 +1s)

Selected Nature & Landscape Photographers (update v6)

Here's an update of the Nature & Landscape Photographers circle. I have reviewed 350 new requests and re-checked the existing 450 and selected the 400 photographers I liked best.

Want to get in? Leave a comment or contact me directly, if you feel you meet the criteria: an on-line portfolio with good images + posting nature and landscape work regularly on G+. Feel free to re-share!

Related lists: http://gpc.fm/l/nlpg and http://www.group.as/nature+and+landscape+photographers/

2012-01-21 10:16:09 (131 comments, 18 reshares, 188 +1s)

Swiss Alpine Meadow In Winter Time
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/swiss-alpine-meadow-in-winter-time/

Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius. ~ Pietro Aretino

I have been enjoying the Winter season with family and friends in the past few weeks and spent a lot of time outdoors for shooting as well. Been doing that on snow shoes a lot: a terrific way to get to places you would otherwise not discover! Here's an image I shot during a hike near Villars-Sur-Ollon in Switzerland. It features an alpine meadow in winter time with snow-covered pine trees and two typical Swiss barns. In the background you see a mountain called the Grand Muveran (3051m). Ain't Winter beautiful? Hope you like it!

#winterwednesday curated by +Antoine Berger and +Logan Miller, #PlusPhotoExtract by +Jarek Klimek

2011-12-28 22:11:35 (124 comments, 14 reshares, 187 +1s)

Alpine Autumn Reflections
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/alpine-autumn-reflections/

I haven’t found the time to work on my new Winter images yet. Luckily enough, I still have some Autumn images up my sleeve. This image was shot at the end of last October. This small Alpine lake is located in the Derborance valley just behind the Diablerets mountains. It can be reached via the Swiss canton of Valais. The surroundings of this small lake are quite typical. There is a large variety in trees, which makes it look quite special in Autumn. Hope you like it!

#MountainMonday by +Michael Russell, #MirrorMonday by +Gemma Costa and +Elizabeth Edwards, #NatureMonday curated by +Kate Church and +Rolf Hicker, #breakfastClub, #PlusPhotoExtract by +Jarek Klimek

2011-12-23 21:54:53 (158 comments, 9 reshares, 213 +1s)

Rocky Alpine Mountain Lake
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/rocky-alpine-mountain-lake/

Had a bit of a sad day yesterday ... I dropped my favorite lens (14-24 f/2.8) on a stone floor in a moment of stupidity ... grrrr ... really hope they can fix it again!

This is an image I shot with that lens last Summer. I was hiking in Bourg-Saint-Pierre near the top passage of the Grand Saint Bernard pass in Switzerland. I ran into this small lake at an altitude of about 2700 meters (8858 feet). It had very clear water and copper colored stones on the bottom. This was one of the first images I uploaded to G+.

#MountainMonday by +Michael Russell, #MirrorMonday by +Gemma Costa and +Elizabeth Edwards, #NatureMonday curated by +Kate Church and +Rolf Hicker,
#PlusPhotoExtract by +Jarek Klimek

2011-12-07 22:27:17 (153 comments, 16 reshares, 214 +1s)

Clearing Fog Above The Spitzhorn
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/clearing-fog-above-the-spitzhorn/

I am afraid I have another image in black & white for you. Hope you’re not getting bored :-) I shot this image last February when I was on one of my winter photo “hunting” trips. This means I just drive around in the Swiss alps for the best part of the day with loads of gear in the trunk and hunt for scenes with changing weather. The image features the Spitzhorn, which has an altitude of 2,579 m (8,461 ft). It is located near Gsteig in the Swiss canton of Bern.

For #BWLandscapeWednesday curated by +Francesco Gallarotti, #BWFineArtLE by +Joel Tjintjelaar, #FineArtPls by +Marina Chen, #WallpaperWednesdayContest by +Jamie Furlong and #PlusPhotoExtract by +Jarek Klimek

2011-12-03 19:23:34 (276 comments, 118 reshares, 87 +1s)

Nature & Landscape Photographers Circle update

It's been over a month, so here's is an update of the Nature & Landscape Photographers circle and lists. About 30 photographers have been added ... and quite a few have dropped off.

I will be sharing a circle with Nature & landscape Photography related pages in a few weeks. Please leave a comment if you want your page to be included ... same rules apply!

Related lists: http://gpc.fm/l/nlpg and http://www.group.as/nature+and+landscape+photographers/

Want to join? Leave a comment or contact me directly, if you feel you meet the criteria: an interesting on-line portfolio with good images + posting nature and landscape work on G+. Feel free to re-share!

2012-03-12 18:48:37 (117 comments, 14 reshares, 164 +1s)

Alpine Winter paradise in Black & White
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/alpine-winter-paradise-in-black-white/

One of my favorite Swiss alpine regions is the Diablerets mountain region. The mountains in this region have so much character. It is hard to stop shooting! It’s one of those places that makes my heart beat faster and it just puts a grin on my face that usually won’t fade for days! Sort of my personal paradise … at just half an hour from my home:-) I shot this image last february. When I shot it, I already knew I would process it in black & white and have now finally found the time to do it. I really hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

For #mountainmonday curated by +Michael Russell, #NatureMonday by +Rolf Hicker and for #monochromemonday by +Siddharth Pandit. #PlusPhotoExtract #BWFineArtLE #FineArtPls

2012-03-12 18:48:37 (82 comments, 4 reshares, 113 +1s)

A Mysterious Dark Flower
From my blog: http://www.niophoto.com/a-mysterious-dark-flower/

When I go for a hike in Summer, I often can’t resist the temptation to pack a macro lens. You never know what you run into and it provides a great alternative for when the light is not ideal for shooting landscapes! I shot this flower close-up mid August, when I was hiking along an Alpine meadow near Schönried in the Swiss canton of Bern. To be honest, I don’t have a clue what type of flower it is and in what flowering state it was. It did stand out amongst the colored flowers though and I rather liked it, so I was happy I brought the macro lens for the hike.

So, do you know what type of flower this is?

#PlusPhotoExtract #MacroMonday