A new Swiss landscape photograph: Up the Stream

By Johan Peijnenburg

Here is a new Swiss landscape photograph titled Up the Stream. I recently published it to our Swiss Landscape Photography portfolio.

As you’ve probably figured out by now, I usually don’t work on new photographs immediately. On the contrary, I like to sit on them for at least half a year to let them “mature” a bit. For some reason, that makes it easier for me to make selections and to get into the right flow to put in the necessary effort. Besides that, the good ones seem to jump right at you and tell you how they want to be dealt with in post-processing after they have had a good rest. Sounds familiar?

I shot this Swiss landscape photograph in September last year, during a 4-week landscape shooting assignment in the beautiful Engadin region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The photograph features an alpine mountain river up at the Albula Pass. In the back, you see a mountain called Piz Üertsch. I love how the river elegantly slaloms down from the Alps in the back.

I shot this Swiss landscape photograph on a day with rather moody weather. The light was quite lovely and created an interesting mood. I climbed up a cliff to get this specific angle and point of view. As a result, I was able to add extra depth and give the viewer the feeling of flying into the scene. Hope you like how it came out!?

I captured this photo with my 24-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens on a Nikon D800E, and used a Singh Ray 2-stop graduated filter to balance the exposure.

Just click on the photograph to learn a bit more about it or to buy a print or licence of this Swiss landscape photograph.

Cheers, Johan 🙂

Up the Stream

An autumnal landscape, featuring brewing dark clouds above a meadow with a meandering mountain river in the Alps of Graubünden in Switzerland.

261 thoughts on “A new Swiss landscape photograph: Up the Stream”

  1. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Jim: many thanks Jim 🙂
    @kamal: thank you Kamal!
    @Zahra: thank you Zahra 🙂
    @Kurt: summer flew by here Kurt. Sorry for the late reply !
    @Louisa: thanks for the nice compliment! 🙂
    @Girolamo: thank you!
    @Yasmin: lol Yasmin 🙂 Thanks for the kind words!

    Reply
  2. Yasmin Simpson says:

    As always very delightful to be back and find a beautiful images of yours, dear buddy Johan.

    If I were there, I wouldn’t be so happy to see you climbing up a cliff to get this image, you are unique!.

    Love your expression, “I usually don’t process new images very quickly … I like to sit on them for at least half a year to let them “mature” a bit”.
    Sure sounds familiar to me, I just realized that mine are sitting for years, lol.

    Have a great week!

    Reply
  7. Jim Lundgren says:

    Love the comp Johan….As you mentioned, how the river meanders from side to side down the straight chute.

    Reply
  8. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Joan: thanks for the great comment and compliment Joan! 🙂 Hope all is well over there!?
    @Kurt: many thanks Kurt! 🙂 Less busy now?
    @Tisha: glad you like it Tisha! 🙂

    Reply
  18. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Enzo: thank you very much Enzo! 🙂
    @Stephen: many thanks for the kind words Stephen! 🙂
    @Betty: thanks Betty 😀 Glad you like it!

    Reply
  19. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Wayne: many thanks Wayne!
    @Meg: 😀 Thanks Meg!
    @Patricia: glad you like it Patricia! 🙂

    Reply
  25. Stephen Cairns says:

    Fine landscape work Johan. The zig zag of the river and the triangular shapes there find a nice echo in the two background mountains. I like how the shapes work together in this image. Again, fine work Johan.

    Reply
  28. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Michael: thank you very much Michael! 🙂
    @Anette: lol, well I will spam you next time. And you already saw this one no?

    Reply
  30. Michael Salmela says:

    The stream creates a wonderful leading line up to the most beautiful backdrop, excellent work, Johan. 

    Reply
  34. Meg Rousher says:

    It’s wonderful. Now I know why I have pictures to sort from a year ago. They are maturing :)

    Reply
  47. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Matt: many thanks Matt 🙂
    @E.E. Giorgi: thank you Elena 🙂 Nice to see you drop by again !

    Reply
  48. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Ada M: many thanks Ada! 🙂
    @Michael: thanks for the compliment Michael 🙂 So true. Good creative stuff needs time. I do force myself once in a while though 🙂 

    Reply
    • Michael A Koontz says:

      Ah yes, Johan me too 😛
      But usually i find that the truly inspired is by far the best one´s :P

      Reply
      • Johan Peijnenburg says:

        ow yes. And you know, those are the one’s that sit on my disc the longest. They make me a bit nervous 🙂 Want to get them out just right, which is not always handy for a perfectionist ;)

        Reply
        • Michael A Koontz says:

          Haha, so very true Johan 😛
          which is why i have allowed myself the freedom to redo or delete stuff i am not feeling ok with down the road :P. I figure, art is like life, it´s never done – not permanently at least, it always evolve and change – well, some things are of course just perfect as they are, but most things change with time :).

          Reply
          • Johan Peijnenburg says:

            I agree, revisiting is always a possibility and even a good thing to do as pp software is evolving. I plan to revisit a few as well in the coming months. And probably delete a lot of old things as well. The silly thing that happens to me now is that there is quite some stuff sitting on my disk that I like better than some of my published stuff. So for some reason I am more critical about new stuff :)

          • Michael A Koontz says:

            I am the same Johan, but i think that´s a healthy part of life :P. Whatever we do and enjoy doing, we should over time get a bit better at doing it. And as we do, we of course also raise our own bar for what is good enough.

            So, that´s a good trait man

            In my opinion :)

          • Johan Peijnenburg says:

            The learning part is the most fun Michael. Glad I still have a long way to go 😀 

  52. Tom Tran says:

    Definitely well worth the wait, Johan! I’m picturing you and the tripod straddling the stream for this shot. :D

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      Thanks Tom! I straddle quite often for my shots, but not in this case. The stream was quite a bit lower and although I have long legs, they don’t extend that much :o)

      Reply
  56. Sweedon Hedenberg says:

    Omgosh this is soooo beautiful Johan. It looks like something from a fairytale…absolutely stunning

    Reply
  58. David White says:

    What a great scene. The vertical crop fits this photograph perfectly.
    The composition is fantastic with the stream leading the viewers eye into the scene.
    I could go on an on about what I like about this scene!
    Thank you so much for sharing this great shot

    Reply
  61. John Dunne says:

    Beautiful painterly quality to this Johan. The winding stream leading you up to those majestic mountains, and then to find the kiss of light. Gorgeous!

    Reply
  62. Peter Bernard says:

    Beautifully saturated colours and incredible depth! We’ll be in Switzerland soon and see if we can find this gorgeous spot! Hartelijke groet, Peter

    Reply
  64. Dylan van Graan says:

    Nice one Johan, your explanation for leaving an image to simmer seems like rather an excuse for not getting your work done and so the rest of us can see them 😉

    That reminds me I have some work from January to work on :)))

    Reply
  65. Suzie Javed says:

    It is like a breath of fresh air to see this image, relaxing and beautiful place, beautiful composition from the master of this field, processing is just so perfect, from fore ground to the back ground same sharpness, lots to learn from this image, thanks, have a nice day!

    Reply
  66. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Constantin: many thanks and nice to meet you 🙂
    @Andreas: many thanks Andreas. Have a great week as well 🙂
    @Henrik: my winter was so so as well. Time indeed for some spring goodness 🙂
    @Wilfried: many thanks Wilfried 😀
    @David: works very well for me … it’s actually the only way for me 🙂 Thanks for the kind words and have a great week as well!
    

    Reply
  67. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Enrique: thank you Enrique 🙂
    @Anna: many thanks Anna 🙂 Hope all is well !?
    @E Cindy: thanks so much 😀
    @Marc: thanks for the compliment and visit Marc! 🙂
    @Ramkumar: thank you!
    @Krzysztof: thank you very much and you are very welcome 😀

    Reply
  68. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Michael: many thanks for the wow Michael ! 🙂
    @Pam: thank you Pam! And you are very welcome 🙂
    @Ingo: glad you like it Ingo! Still on hols?

    Reply
  69. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Britta: many thanks for the great compliment ! 😀
    @Fabrizio: hey thanks Fabrizio! 🙂 How are the dogs doing? Don’t give them too many cookies! Bad for their knees! 😉
    @George: many thanks George! I actually can’t do it any other way. Just doesn’t work 🙂
    @Marla: thank you!
    @Dermot: loved your comment Dermot! Thanks for the great feedback 🙂

    Reply
  70. David Orr says:

    A beauty my friend !! Knew you waited but not that long, I’ve taken your advice as of late and have waited a few months and it does seem too work instead of the gotta process now mode. Have a great week my friend !! 

    Reply
  71. Wilfried Haferland says:

    Johan – a great landscape greatly captured. The patch of sun on the mountain flank adds the extra. :-)

    Reply
  76. E. Cindy says:

    I love how the stream leads to the mountains, added a lot of depth. beautiful composition and light on the mountains.

    Reply
  79. Ingo Meckman says:

    Wow, this came out extraordinary beautiful – it really pulls you into the photograph! Definitely one of my favourites of yours, Johan!

    Reply
  82. Dermot Russell says:

    This is a remarkable composition, and it can’t have been easy to be patient enough to give this so much maturing time. Still, it’s worth it. There’s a very dynamic feel to the way the land seems to slope in various directions in the foreground. While this is great in it’s own right, the way the mountains in the background extends this feel (on a scale of mountains) adds a fantastic extra dimension to the shot. I could look at this for ages. Wonderful work.

    Reply
  84. George Marquardt says:

    Terrific composition and mood on this one Johan! I like your thinking on letting a photo age a bit for all those older photos I forget about :-)

    Reply
  88. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Dominique: many thanks! 🙂 Alles goed (beter) daar?
    @Javier: thanks Javier 🙂
    @kenny: dank je wel 🙂 

    Reply
  89. Kenny da Lima says:

    “Going Upstream” its…..wonderful….
    beautiful….amazing light of landscape nice pict.. +Johan Peijnenburg greatings from kenny ,))

    Reply
  91. Dominique Hilbert says:

    I somehow always like your choice, well the ones you share here, this one no exception, it’s beautiful.

    Reply
  93. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Robt. J. Moore II: and up 🙂
    @Dominique: thanks Dominique! Was debating how much space I needed at the top. Might give that a try as well. My initial feeling was that this was a bit stronger 🙂 

    Reply
  94. Dominique Dubied says:

    Very nice leading line Johan! I would have added a slight more space on the top of the mountain, but that’s just my personal feeling. It is great shot!

    Reply
  95. Marinus Wieten says:

    Hi,

    Wonderful images, the front image is absolutely stunning. Wonderful composition and colours. Great Photo Management, well done.

    Best regards,

    Marinus Wieten

    Reply
  97. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @David: glad you like it David 🙂 Yes, I am amazed that there are photographers that can actually process their work right away !
    @Елена: thanks! 🙂 I did … almost at least 😉 

    Reply
  98. Елена Ващукова says:

    Great, Johan !
    I’d like to stand on the top of that distant peak and look down to the valley :)

    Reply
  102. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Daniel: thanks Daniel and nice to meet you 🙂
    @Eric: who knows Eric 😉 Thanks for the compliment and enjoy the evening as well ! 🙂 

    Reply
  103. Eric Delcour says:

    Wow, outstanding capture and wonderful landscape. I surely agree with the choice you made. But I am sure there are still a lot in your “basket” as great as this one ! :-)) Johan
    Have a terrific evening ! 

    Reply
  108. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Leyla: many thanks Leyla 🙂 Hope you are well !?
    @Annick: thank you Annick 🙂 One of the results of my long stay there. Glad you like it! 🙂 

    Reply
  111. Annick Jaquillard says:

    Exquisite image Johan !
    Superb composition, love this curvy river…Wonderful play of lights you have captured!

    Reply
  112. Grzegorz Piechowicz says:

    Brilliant work Johan! Your photo has all the ingredients that are most important in landscape photography: nice colours, dramatic scenery, beautiful composition. Superb! Well done :-)) 

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      Many thanks for the great compliment Grzegorz! How are you? How was your shooting trip at Eastern? Still sorry I couldn’t make it over :)

      Reply
      • Grzegorz Piechowicz says:

        Thank you Johan for asking, this is shame I had to travel alone, I hope we can make similar trip together one day. I have visited many places that I never seen before, many adventures, sometimes funny, sometimes even scary but it was great photo journey ;-)

        Reply
        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          I can imagine Grzegorz! Yes, we will do something together soon. Will figure something out :)

          Reply
  115. Bill Wood says:

    Exceptional detail, wonderful light and a very pleasing rhythm to this image, Johan. Certainly up to your standards!

    Reply
  117. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Rodolfo: many thanks Rodolfo!
    @Günter: very close to where you are Günter 🙂 Thanks ! 

    Reply
  118. Günter Schurr says:

    Wow, that’s fantastic! I like this winding stream and the magic light. I have to visit this place Johan :)

    Reply
      • Benoit Jansen-Reynaud says:

        Very well so far, first year is always hard to spread the word but very pleased so far. ;-)

        Reply
          • Benoit Jansen-Reynaud says:

            Yes, we are very serious and our goal is to be “the” competition to win… It will get better every year…

          • Johan Peijnenburg says:

            Nicely ambitious Benoit! I will see if I can find something worthy of entering Benoit 🙂 

          • Benoit Jansen-Reynaud says:

            Would love to see your work entered Johan. It should be pretty easy for you, everything you post is worthy of any competition…

          • Johan Peijnenburg says:

            Thanks for the vote of confidence! I wish I would be so sure myself 🙂 The Stark competition would be my first one ! 

          • Benoit Jansen-Reynaud says:

            Go for it Johan, you have nothing to lose…. Only something to gain…

  129. Tim Haynes says:

    Yes, you’re right.
    I shoot one photo every day, processing and publishing it that day. The results are highly variable – normally it “comes together” but there can be frustrations.
    I’m now working on landscape stuff that I shot a good couple of months ago – er, maybe 3 months even! – and the great thing is, you can be more objective about the results and, as you say, a possible interpretation jumps out at you more.

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      Thanks Tim! Yes, that is definitely my experience as well. I guess it is a bit like good wine ;)

      Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      Hey Patrick. Thanks! Actually preparing for a long weekend of hiking in the Alps right now 😀

      Reply
      • Patrick Metzdorf says:

        I’m not the only one who will be envious. Too bad we will have to wait months for the pictures :/

        Reply
        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          Haha, maybe I will make an exception this time. Actually I still have last years images that I shot in the place I am visiting (Ticino), so I can trick things 😉

          Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      Had to wait a while to get that light in that spot Marek 🙂 Thanks for the compliment! 

      Reply
  136. Alexander S. Kunz says:

    Beautiful image. Letting images ripen is my approach too. A friend of mine coined the term “marinating them” for that. 🙂

    Reply
  139. Michael A Koontz says:

    Beautiful work Johan and i so fully agree with you. Creative stuff needs inspiration to be at it´s best. And inspiration comes when it comes, sometimes you know it right away once the image is laying in the “darkroom”. Other times, just like writing, it needs to just be, taking it´s own time :).

    Reply

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