Meteor shower

Posted on August 13th, 2015

Due to current events, breaking news from space…
Some of you may already now it, around the 12th of August you can see an intense meteor shower at the sky, each year. If there is no moon and there are no clouds. And after a few years, this year the time was right and all parameters were good or even best.
During the week I was checking the weather forecast several times a day and yes, it should clear up at this perfect night. So I was planing my tour and I decided to go to the Toggenburg, especially to the lake of Schwendi. Because I can drive with my car nearly to the lake. Well this might sound like, what a lazy bone Tom Fear is, but I wanted to take some timelapse shots. And so I packed nearly all my equipment. Five cameras, five lenses, four tripods, a dolly and two controllers. All in all, about 25kg, which I wouldn’t want to tow up to a peak.
And so I spent my night by the lake and after the timelapse engines were working, Tom Fear took out his mattres and a cushion and enjoyed to watching the sky for a few hours…

The mountain in the mirror lake

Posted on September 5th, 2014

When the moon is shining, you can’t see the milkyway no more. But you can still see the stars, also if you shoot directly into the moon.
Here at the Graeppelensee, you know, where you can get wet feet, is the the near 2400m high mountain Schofberg, reflecting in the water. Meanwhile I am stalking with good footgear in the swampy area around. But at the end I reached my car with dry feet, thanks to the good shoes.

Directly into the sun

Posted on August 27th, 2014

After a long night on the Selun, was this the last picture I took, before we left and climbed the burdensome way back to the valley. Actually we thought it would be more easy on the way down, but we were wrong.
It was in minimum as same exhausting as upwards, especially because now was the sun shining. But everytime I’m looking at the images, I think, it was worth it! Mostly is it the same, if you overcome the inner temptation, then you will see it was a worthwile thing.

On the Selun

Posted on Juli 25th, 2014

I don’t know whether I have told this story, but anyhow: My friend and I were climbing on the Mountain at night. A really hard climb, really steep and lightly bent. If you are watching upwards, you can see the end at the horizon, okay only a bit more crucifying and then you are there. But no! After half an hour or so, another look upwards and the horizon is still in the exact same distance.
This hill kills me pretty much, escpecially with all the camera gear on my back.
But now it comes really hard; short after we arrived the top, there is another guy coming up, take a fast image with his iPhone with flash! and goes down again. What a madcap, but now it becomes more worse. So after two or three hours later, we were still photographing, the same guy was coming again with four of his dudes on his tow. And this time the fellows were RUNNING UP! This should be FORBIDDEN!
After I was on the top, I was nearly to a heart attack, but these guys were still fresh, they didn’t were gasping and more worse, they agreed upon the next mountain right after this! This should be really forbidden…

The swampy lake

Posted on Mai 3rd, 2014

You know the nice pictures with the mirrored mountains in it? It will not work, if it is windy, like here. Not strong, but strong enough to get a dull surface.
Instead of a mirror lake I’ve got a slight view of the northern part from the milky way. It is not so clear, but you can recognize it. I couldn’t get nearer to the lake, because it was too swampy and the danger was I could become wet feet again.

The skyline of the alps

Posted on April 12th, 2014

Look at this, what a beautiful sight! It’s the view from the Selun mountain to south east over the alps. You can can see the lake Walensee and behind the Mountains of the kanton Glarus.
And who says a moonless nights are better to see stars? Maybe, but the moonlight is lighten up the wonderful landscape of this nice part of the earth.
I personally like this awesome sight over the Skyline of the Alps and every step at the steep way up to the mountain was worth it.

Spring is coming

Posted on April 6th, 2014

I was near this beatiful landscape and on my way I could see how the mountains are glowing from the deep standing sun. So I was driving further until I saw a nice hill where I could climb up to get a panoramic view.
And oh no! I was to late and the mountains are no more glowing, *sigh* but the view was outstanding anyway. So I took some images before I turned back and gone home for diner, where my wife was already waiting because I was to late…

Northern lights – Swiss version

Posted on April 5th, 2014

Some of you know this image, it’s my profiles background. And maybe you want to know the story behind it.
Once upon a time in Switzerland at a beautiful warm spring day I was hiking to the Graeppelensee. It was the day I had the bad experience with a unexpected snow field, the snow field where I get wet feet! Did I ever mentioned, that I hate wet feet? Okay, I was standing in the snow with wet feet, took some pictures and was angry about the whole situation. At this point the clouds where hiding the moon and the landscape sunk in darkness.
But hey, I had I speedlight with me, no, no Mrs. Nature – not with me! So I could brighten up the foreground, while the background still had moonlight.
And now about the strange light in the sky. These are clouds, brighten up by sodium vapor lamps of all the villages around the mountains. And because the clouds are moving fast and I shoot slow, they smeared to this cool effect.

Churfirsten

Posted on April 4th, 2014

The moonshine was bright, the air was clear and I was on my way back down to the valley. But as I saw this wonderful view to the whole Churfirsten, I stopped again, pulled my camera and tripod out of my backpack und shoot this breathtaking panorama of the full mountain range.
Maybe you remember my visit on the Mountain Selun. You can see it here on the picture, it is the second peak from right.

Toggenburg

Posted on März 28th, 2014

During my stay on the mount Selun I took also an image of the Toggenburg, the valley from where we climbed up the mountain. You can see on the opposite side the mount Saentis with the glowing antenna.
And farther away you can see the light pollution of the Bodensee region and probably a part of Germany. The way up was not a piece of cake, I can tell you, especially when you carry the havy camera gear…