On this enjoyable day in May we planned a nice hike towards a nearby summit. Actually, it was the second time we went to this summit. At the first time the summit was covered in snow and we didn’t follow our planned route as it seemed too dangerous to follow a certain part of the trail in deep snow. This part of the trail would have been close to a steep cliff and we were not sure if we wouldn’t lose the path – which could turn ugly so close to a cliff.
Seeing the landscape in vivid green was an experience that made a second visit absolutely worthful! Flowers and blossoms everywhere. During the whole trip I have been looking for motifs. It really helps to keep the eye moving to left and right to never miss a chance – even if the trail is steep and exhausting.
After quite a while – and before the final climb to the summit we reached this alpine meadow with a new hut. Just excellent for a little break and enjoying the view. While having a break, I thought this hut could make a good motif and started walking around the meadow to find interesting views and compositions. And indeed, there were quite a couple of nice compositions around this hut. Each of them focusing on a different part of the scene.
The three shots below made it into the final selection of this tour. The location could be pretty nice earlier in the day when the shadows are longer and the light isn’t that harsh. But that day, it was my highlight of the trip!
After those shots, we continued the climb to the summit. And believe it or not – I didn’t manage to find a proper composition at the summit. The view was nice, no doubt. One could say epic. But as it often comes with such epic vistas: it is hard to make this feeling into a photo.
After another pause at the summit where we just enjoyed the view (and me accepting that I wouldn’t get a really nice shot up there), we followed the planned route. This time without snow and danger. And it was beautiful! And we were quite sure that it was a clever idea to cancel it in the snow! While enjoying the further trail down from the summit I did not only scout left and right for motives. On such narrow, idyllic trails I try to keep some special focus on the trail itself: going low once in a while if there are interesting structures like roots, flowers, rocks, etc that could make a nice foreground. Like at this point with the trail in the front almost leading into the forest road in the back, the flowers in the foreground being some nice eyecatcher and a kind of balance to the mountains in the back.
In the end, this hike was a great experience in many terms: The views, the late spring in the mountains, that we did the trail as planned, all those opportunities and maybe found a location worth returning! And last but not least: the confirmation that the best photos of a trail need not be from the summit but from anywhere on the trail. We just need to keep our eyes open!