Mountain views in Germany

February 22, 2019 by Mike Powell

How do you capture the beauty of a landscape in a single shot? I shoot landscape shots so infrequently that I feel somewhat helpless when trying to do so. Normally they are kind of an afterthought, a second option when there is no wildlife around.

Last week in Germany, however, I was surrounded by mountains. I knew I had to get some shots of the mountains and I took a lot of them. As I reviewed them, though, not very many stood out. I decided to play around a bit and eventually came up with a couple of images that I really like. Both of them were taken from the destination point of the little cable car that I featured in an early posting.

The first image is one that I converted to black and white using an old version of Nik Silver Efex Pro software. The second shot is a panorama image that was stitched together from three separate handheld images using PhotoMerge in Photoshop Elements. The third image is the color version of the first image prior to using the conversion software.

It was a challenge for me to step out of my comfort zone and try a different kind of photography. In my experience, feeling uncomfortable is part of the learning process. This year I am going to consciously look for more opportunities to take landscape photos and see where that takes me.

Posted in Landscape, Nature, Photography, Travel, Winter | Tagged Bavaria, Canon SX50, Germany, mountains, Oberammergau, panorama | 16 Comments

16 Responses

on February 22, 2019 at 5:00 am | Reply Ms. Liz

Hmm.. any discomfort you might feel certainly doesn’t get in the way of capturing some great photographs! I really love both of those photos whether in the original or in b&w. The composition is both interesting and very pleasing. I looked at the large-size in both and I wouldn’t have done that unless I found the composition interesting. I very much liked the subdued blue of the original. Awesome photos Mike! And very interesting to see your panorama too. I know I’ll very much enjoy seeing more of your landscape photos. Thanks!
- on February 22, 2019 at 5:14 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Liz, for your encouraging words. The discomfort that I feel is mostly associated with my uncertainty about composition. I am so used to having a very specific subject in my wildlife shots and in a landscape it is almost like the entire scene is the subject. The subdued blue of the color version was the result of a choice I made to decrease the color saturation of the image. The snow had a blue tinge to it and I wanted to make the snow whiter.
  - on February 22, 2019 at 5:16 am Ms. Liz
    
    Really? Wow, it turned out so nice!
on February 22, 2019 at 8:34 am | Reply Ellen

You are experimenting with your photography and learning through your experiences. Consider the words of R. Buckminster Fuller : “There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes.” I think that your beautiful photos are proof of your success. Thank-you!
- on February 22, 2019 at 8:46 am | Reply joyroses13
  
  I totally agree with Ellen! So glad we can benefit from your experiments. 🙂
on February 22, 2019 at 9:02 am | Reply the #1 Itinerary

Great post 😁
on February 22, 2019 at 12:10 pm | Reply Reed Andariese

Very Nice Mike! You certainly seem to get around which is good for photo opportunities! Landscapes are fun, especially when Dragonflies and Eagles are scarce! Plus nice work on the panorama! They are fun to do and great when you are only walking around with a long lens. Again, Nice images! Thanks for sharing them with us!
on February 22, 2019 at 2:45 pm | Reply blhphotoblog

Excellent work Mike!
on February 22, 2019 at 5:44 pm | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

These are beautiful Mike!
on March 16, 2019 at 8:24 am | Reply maximcartography

Great. You were able to capture the beauty and the soul of these mountains.
- on March 21, 2019 at 3:05 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. A photo is definitely a success if I am able to capture both the beauty and the soul–generally I am happy if I am able to capture the former.
on April 29, 2019 at 11:19 am | Reply My Darling Let's Wander

Your pictures are beautiful! I love mountain landscapes!
- on April 29, 2019 at 6:37 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I do too. That trip to Germany earlier this year inspires me to travel to a location in the Rockies that will provide similar views–maybe in the fall.
  - on April 30, 2019 at 5:32 am My Darling Let's Wander
    
    Take lots of pictures on your vacation to the Rockies, I can’t wait to see and read about that trip! I have been out to to the Estes Park in Colorado and fell in love with the area! We visited the Stanley Hotel where Stephen King was inspired to write The Shining, it was a beautiful hotel and they also do ghost tours which was fun! Have much fun on your Adventures!
  - on April 30, 2019 at 6:28 am Mike Powell
    
    Thanks for the encouragement and inspiration. At the moment my trip to the Rockies is just a dream. My task now is to turn that dream into a reality.
  - on April 30, 2019 at 6:42 am My Darling Let's Wander
    
    Every great adventure starts with a dream!