New: Mountain Moods, a sunset at Laghetto Moesola

By Johan Peijnenburg

When exploring the Alps, I often get nervous about an hour before sunset. Do I have a foreground subject? Is the sky interesting enough? How will the light hit the clouds? Do I have the right lens for what I have in mind? Should I maybe quickly relocate to that other spot just 10 minutes away? Usually, I just stick to where I am, work with what I have and take the time to watch the scene evolve. The nerves are always replaced with adrenaline quickly when I start to work the scene. The adrenaline is subsequently always replaced by amazement about how beautiful nature can be at the right time of day. This photograph of a sunset at Laghetto Moesola titled Mountain Moods is proof of that.

Mountain Moods

A moody mountain lake sunset at Laghetto Moesola, a small Swiss lake situated at the summit of the San Bernardino Pass. In the background the mountains Piz Uccello and Piz de la Lumbreida.

I captured this photo at the summit of the San Bernadino Pass in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. In the background of the lake, you see the mountains Piz Uccello and Piz de la Lumbreida.

The fog came into the scene only a few minutes before photographing it. A few minutes later, the fog covered both mountains, and the sun no longer lit the clouds. Fog already covered the other spot just 10 minutes away when I captured this scene.

Click on the photo to see a larger version or to buy a print or licence of this sunset at Laghetto Moesola.

Cheers, Johan 🙂

215 thoughts on “New: Mountain Moods, a sunset at Laghetto Moesola”

  2. Anette Mossbacher says:

    You and your mountains, especially the alps. Love the image. It seems I need to drag you into the desert some day.
    Cheers Anette

    Reply
  6. Teresa Ramos Ojeda says:

    Hola Johan ,maravilloso atardecer , es una gozada y un lujo poder contemplarlo . Gracias por compartirlo. Un saludo. 

    Reply
  16. Yasmin Simpson says:

    Johan, I think you don’t need to change anything, each shot that you create is wonderful, it doesn’t matter if is the correct time of the day or something else, always you create “killers” :)…
    and I cannot imagine Joel Tjintjelaar and you together what a hit is going to be.
    You both guys and many others have been changing my artistic life in so many beautiful ways, thank you.

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      I can assure you that not every shot is wonderful. I throw a lot away, as I am quite picky 🙂
      Very happy that you like what I do. You and many others push me to keep improving and comments like yours very encouraging 😀 Thank YOU for that! 

      Reply
  21. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Johan: thanks for the compliment and for stopping by Johan! Hoep you are well!
    @kamal: thank you!!
    @Thierry: merci beaucoup Thierry! C’est très gentile 🙂 

    Reply
  30. Елена Ващукова says:

    Great image, Johan! If I remember correctly, one day I saw this lake among your images and these mountains, but by day.There was a tiny boat on the waters. It was in B&W. Or maybe I’m wrong :(

    Reply
  41. Lilia Lin says:

    Woh!… Drama in Blue! Beautiful capture, love the scene, the colours, the soft and hard contrast Johan. Dank je wel :)

    Reply
  42. shane holsclaw says:

    incredible mood! the mountains feel like passing ships in the morning mist. love the light bursting through the clouds. a beautiful image Johan. : )

    Reply
  43. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Оксана: thank you 😀
    @Bill: you are very welcome Bill. Glad you like it 🙂
    @Marianne: many thanks Marianne! 

    Reply
  47. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Jean-Michel: thanks for the compliment! And thanks, we had a great time in Rotterdam.
    @Robert: many thanks Robert. Highly appreciated! Hope al is well in Austria! 

    Reply
  50. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Rikard:
    well I think engadin is the place to be at the moment I think Rikard. I was there last week and was just a touch early. Think the colours will be at their peak now and there is first snow. Otherwise, I guess any forest works at the moment 😀 

    Reply
    • Rikard Lindby says:

      Thanks for the heads up about Engadin Johan. I’m looking for a forest which primarily consists of tall trees which carry fairly big leaves. Like chestnut trees, oaks etc. Although, finding a forrest of birch trees (aspens) would be a dream. Haven’t seen one in Switzerland though.

      Reply
      • Rikard Lindby says:

        Btw, this discussion took a nice detour from being about your image, on to lenses and now we are talking about leaves and trees. :D

        Reply
        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          I was hiking in one today in The Netherlands 😉 I actually don’t really know forests like that in CH, so if you find on please let me know. Something that comes close is the area between Gruyere Castle and the Moleson, but I have’t checked it in autumn yet …
          yes interesting twists on our conversation. What shall we discuss next?
          Hope you can make it on the 28th by the way! 

          Reply
  51. Rikard Lindby says:

    I recognize the feeling of pre sunset stress 🙂 I like this image a lot. The light is at the right place for sure. Do you have the lee filters and holder for the 14-24?

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      it’s a nice type of stress 🙂 Nice to hear you like it a lot! No, I don’t have the filter system for the 14-24. Too expensive, yet more stuff t carry around and no big stopper for it. For the amount of money involved I would rather buy the 16-35 as an extra lens for filter related work. It is not as brilliant but good enough for most work. 

      Reply
      • Rikard Lindby says:

        Yes I agree. It’s expensive as well as cumbersome. The solution with the screw on rings on which you mount the actual holder makes it hard to fit in a bag. Also the lens cap wont fit with the rings mounted. And you have to remove the lens in order to unscrew the rings. I have one of the SW150 filters though, ND grad 2, which I handhold. It works ok. 

        Reply
        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          you know what … in my experience the 14-24 doesn’t really need a grad filter. Especially not on a camera like the D3x or D800E. It is not a lens which i use for shots with a lot of sky in it either.

          Reply
          • Rikard Lindby says:

            Well I suppose it all depends on your personal style. I tend to either have a lot of sky or almost none for my wide angle stuff. The dynamic range of my D700 is usually enough as well, but at the same time I feel that using a grad is seldom a bad thing.
            However, recently I picked up the 24mm PC-E lens which I now use for pretty much anything and everything. And in the mean time my 14-24 has been on the shelf collecting dust 🙂 

          • Johan Peijnenburg says:

            you would be amazed about the difference in dynamic range between the D700 and D800. Really different worlds for landscape stuff!

            Now you make me jealous with that talk about the PC-E lens. It has been on my list for ages. Did you have it converted to allow simultaneous tilt and shift? 

          • Rikard Lindby says:

            Cool Johan. I will probably end up with a D800 when my D700 dies :). I have also a D7000 which supposedly has a lot more dynamic range than my D700, but I haven’t really noticed any difference, at least when pushing shadows. When recovering highlights the D7000 holds a slight edge I think.

            Yes, it’s a great leans the PC-E. Haven’t had it converted though. I use the tilting functionality the most. Its nice to be able to tilt the focus plane along the ground/water and get everything sharp on F5.6-F8. It’s also nice to experiment with selective focus. I use it a lot for mountain bike photography as well. Putting the trail in focus and let everyting else blur out etc. It’s a great creative tool. It’s also nice that it takes 77mm filters, same as the 70-200. And 24mm is a good focal length. It’s wide enough for most stuff and you can use a polarizer without being too worried about that the polarization effecting the image differently. I highly recommend it. 

          • Johan Peijnenburg says:

            It’s time that we meet on a photo walk Rikard, so that I can borrow it for a shot or two. I have several options at 24mm, but wouldn’t mind adding that one 🙂 Did you already find the Swiss Photography Club G+ ? 

          • Rikard Lindby says:

            Yes Johan, indeed it’s time. And I would be happy to lend it to you. I have been traveling a lot this past year and therefore missed all the walks so far. I’m off to south america end of this month, but If I’m still around on the 28th I’ll join the photo walk in Luzern. Do you have any tips for where to find great fall colours this weekend by the way?

  55. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Joanna: nice to see you around again joanna! Thanks for the compliment. Is all well?
    @Ed: many thanks Ed. Glad you like it!
    @Aline : 🙂 Dacht ik al! 

    Reply
  56. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Joseph: many thanks Joseph!
    @Armand: thanks Armand! yes this was definitely a great time lapse opportunity. I am pretty sure we will be seeing you at high altitude in the Alps soon 🙂 ope to see you sunday by the way :)

    Reply
  60. Armand Dijcks says:

    Great composition and light, and that fog rolling in really gives it some extra depth. It’s quite interesting, like you already mentioned, to sit and watch a scene like that unfold. I sometime create time lapse sequences and am always amazed at how much everything (clouds, light, etc.) within a short amount of time. There’s always some shots in there that I simply would have missed if I would have just set up the tripod, taken the shot and left.

    Reply
  66. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Susan: glad that the image told you that very nice story Susan!
    @Radek: shame on you! 😉 Glad you liked what you found!
    @Paul: thanks Paul and dank je wel ook 😉 

    Reply
  67. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Toshiro: glad you like it Toshiro. You should vist the Alps one day!
    @Dalibor: thank you Dalibor!
    @Aileen: thanks for reading and for the great compliment Aileen!! 🙂 

    Reply
  68. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Meg: thanks meg!
    @Patricia: glad you do Patricia! Thanks for the visit 🙂
    @Alex: many thanks for the kind words Alex! 

    Reply
  69. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Tim: many thanks for the kind words Tim!!
    @Michael: Thank you!
    @Andy: many thanks Andy! The weather went from this to totally crap in just a few minutes. 

    Reply
  70. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Mike glad it does Mike. Thanks!
    @Roland: thanks for stopping by and leaving the compliment. Highly appreciated! Now worries, the nerves and the thinking is only very temporary. 

    Reply
  73. Susan Graveline says:

    Heavenly wonderful with lighting effect again an almost ethereal religious feel to it angelic like angels will come down and the lighting is the prelude to this almost

    Reply
  74. Aileen Sorenson says:

    What a beautiful work, Johan! Composition is great, very nice clouds structures and the flow movement surface of the water is what it makes more interesting. I enjoyed reading your post too!

    Reply
  76. Toshiro Ikeda says:

    Very nice shot and composition, Johan. How nice if I could capture mountain photo often like you.
    I read through your post and enjoyed it with your pic. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  80. Andy Korolis says:

    Nice weather mood as the clouds roll in but still some brilliant sky … a passing moment and nicely captured Johan :)

    Reply
  83. Roland Voegtli says:

    You should cut back the thinking, Johan. You’ve got it in your heart and guts already! Wonderful light and colour!

    Reply
  86. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Georg: thanks for the compliment Georg!
    @Leyla: glad you think so and very happy that you come back to see them every time Leyla! 

    Reply
  100. Tom Tran says:

    Beautiful shot, Johan Peijnenburg. The insightful thought and detail you share with the image are always a pleasure to read

    Reply
  101. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Milena: thanks you so much Milena!
    @Francesco: glad you like it Francesco! How was the shoot with Luca? 😉 

    Reply
  104. Julia Anna Gospodarou says:

    This is a sensational shot Johan! Love the atmosphere and the strong composition. Even if it’s in colour and the colour is great, it gives me such a monochrome feel. Beautiful! :)

    Reply
  105. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Markus: thank you Markus!
    @Margaret: many thanks for the compliment Margaret and thanks for sharing 😀 Hope you are having a great week!
    @E.E. Giorgi: thanks for the wow Elena 😀 

    Reply
  110. Daniel Ewert says:

    Very compelling scene, Johan ! I love the drama in the sky and the play of shadow and light in the mountains. Really nice work.

    Reply
  113. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Kurt: it should be very recognizable for all that shoot at the right time Kurt 😀 Glad you like it!!
    @Kerry: many thanks Kerry! Me too 😀

    Reply
  116. Kurt Harvey says:

    Wonderful, gentle light and layers Johan! An awesome time of day. I fully empathize with your write-up. 😀 I’m glad when the photo capture anxiety fades away and I can simply bask in the beauty of the moment.

    Reply
  130. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Vishal: thanks for checking it out 🙂 Glad you like it!
    @David: many thanks David! Have a great week as well! 

    Reply
  139. Françoise says:

    Beautiful! I truly belive you were in the right place! You have everything: the water, the mountains and a rich sky! le light is already perfect.
    It is worth hiking to those places to get these kind of images!

    Reply

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