Why I selected this photo
This is my favourite shot from my first ever night hike in September 2020. I selected it because I just love the scene and because it was such a great experience actually getting the shot. And did I mention the pain?
A one sentence description
Looking east from the 1790m peak of the Heimgarten in Bavaria – just before sunrise.
How I would describe the style
Glorious moody morning mountains.
When & where was this taken
This was taken in September of 2020 at the Heimgarten peak (1790m) in Bavaria, Germany.
Who was with me when I took the photo
I did the hike with my girlfriend and we actually had a few minutes all alone at the top.
What equipment did I use
This was shot handheld with my Canon EOS R with the RF24-105mm F4 L IS USM.
What drew me to take this photo
The light just before sunset and having reached the peak in time. Even though I was very tired, I could not stop shooting. It really made up for the tough hike up the mountain in darkness, incl. getting up at 01:00h and starting to hike up the 1790m peak of the Heimgarten at 03:00h. But then I was greeted with the sun, mountains and light like this.
How many attempts did it take me
This particular composition took me a few tries. I had to wait a little for the light, so I would say maybe around 10-15 attempts.
How did I edit this photo
Very carefully in Adobe Lightroom. I really wanted to give it some warmth, but with this kind of light it was a very easy and minimal edit. Some contrast and tweaking the whites. That’s it.
What I learned in the process of making this photo
The rewarding feeling reaching the peak of a mountain is always fantastic. But after a night hike with the sun coming up and light like this is something else. Not only for a photographer.