The Milky Way & The Matterhorn

Astrophotography is something that I have become very excited about over the past 2 years. My recent trip to Zermatt was planned specifically to take advantage of the dark skies in this area. I had researched the position of the Milky Way in relation to the Matterhorn and coordinated my arrival during a time when there would not be a moon in the night sky. In addition, I booked a room in a mountain hut near Stellisee. The lake is about 10km away from Zermatt and 1,000 meters higher in elevation, where there is very little light pollution. All I needed was for the weather forecast calling for clear skies to be correct…and fortunately it was.

In fact, the sky was perfectly clear. I do not think I have ever seen so many stars…they were everywhere! I was thoroughly entertained for about 2 hours, watching the Milky Way slowly move across the sky from left to right, getting closer to the Matterhorn every few minutes. I captured this image just before the galactic center started to fade down and away behind the mountains.

Even in this environment you still find some light pollution. The lights from Zermatt below as well as lights from the Italian side of the Matterhorn were enough to illuminate up the lower part of the sky. I think this actually worked to my advantage though, as you can more clearly see the silhouette of the Matterhorn and the surrounding peaks.

The Matterhorn is massive and normally dominates the skyline as you walk/hike around the area. However, in comparison to a galaxy of over 25o billion stars towering overhead…it appears much smaller.

It was an amazing night and after getting a few hours of sleep (only a few), I was back at this same location to capture the sunrise image I shared a few weeks ago - Candlelit.

Candlelit

Visiting Zermatt and seeing the Matterhorn have been on my wish list since we moved to Switzerland. A couple of weeks ago, I finally had the opportunity to go and spend a few days. My main goal was to photograph the Matterhorn, so I did not spend much time in town. Instead, I took a couple of lifts and hiked a short distance to stay in a mountain lodge near lake Stellisee. During the day, I walked several of the trails around the area, but in the morning & night I spent most of my time here at Stellisee, gazing at the iconic mountain.

The sunsets were disappointing, but the sunrise on my first morning was amazing. With clear skies all around, the sun lit up the peak of the Matterhorn like a candle as it rose behind me. There were 3 other people that set an early alarm and walked to the lake for sunrise. We all watched with smiles on our faces as the peak started to glow bigger & brighter. With fairly calm winds, we were also fortunate to have a great reflection of the scene above…an incredible start to the day. :)

Eye Spy

In my opinion, the architecture around Messeplatz is some of the best in Basel. The facade of the main building features a repeating ribbon-like metal pattern on many of its surfaces. This covered passage between convention halls is a great example.

I suspect this is one of the most photographed places in the city, as I always see several people taking pictures when I am here. The challenge, I find, is to try and eliminate all of the distractions. The square is often filled with people, trams, street vendors, neon lights and/or seasonal festivals, rides and exhibitions. All this activity can create a challenge to capture the type of clean image that I prefer. My solution (which I have used many times) was to focus on what was above. This perspective eliminates all the distractions and buzzing activity at eye level, leaving only simple shapes & patterns.

I took this in the evening when the sides of the opening were illuminated from lights below. The deep blues of the sky and clouds above provided great tonal and color contrast to the monochrome building. I particularly liked this point of view…it felt like an enormous, futuristic eye was spying on me from above…eye spy.