A new winter landscape: Patches of Mountain Light

By Johan Peijnenburg

Mountainous regions, in general, inspire me because there’s always something unexpected waiting for you around the corner. This is one of the key reasons why I moved to the Swiss Alps almost five years ago now. This winter mountain landscape with gorgeous mountain light is an example of an unexpected treat. I ran into this scene after a long hike in the mountains near Saas Fee in Switzerland.

Patches of Mountain Light

An Alpine winter mountain landscape in colour, featuring two Swiss Alps at sunset with patches of mountain light warming the landscape sideways. Both mountains are located near Saas Fee in Switzerland.

The photograph features the Almagellerhorn at sunset with the Pizzo d’Andolla in the background. The last mountain light barely managed to squeeze over a neighbouring Swiss Alp. As a result, the scene is nicely lit in patches.

I shot this scene with varying compositions. This more “aggressive” composition is the one I liked best. I used a Nikon D800E with a 70-200mm f/4.0 Nikkor lens. The settings were: 112mm, f/11, 1/100s and ISO 100. The light wasn’t very bright. Therefore, I didn’t have to use filters to balance the exposure.

The title of this landscape photograph is Patches of Mountain Light. I recently added it to our Swiss Landscape Photography portfolio. Click on the photo to learn a bit more about it or to buy a print or a licence. I hope you like it!?

Cheers, Johan 🙂

249 thoughts on “A new winter landscape: Patches of Mountain Light”

  8. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Mitchell: thanks Mitch! Had a great day 🙂
    @Angelika: thank you so much Angelika. Also for the song 🙂
    @Оксана: many thanks Oksana 🙂

    Reply
  21. Pascal Thalmann says:

    All the effort you made to get this shot, shows how much you are dedicated to Landscape Fotographie Johan. And the result is perfection. Thanks for letting my country looks so beautiful!

    Reply
      • Pascal Thalmann says:

        I can see that there is much work in that picture. And i mean before you pull the trigger. Walking for hours just to get the right moment when the first sunrays appears, having the right angle… – but all your pictures are showing, that it’s absolutely worth it. Great work!

        Reply
        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          yes, to me photography is more than just clicking. There needs to be something special … light, drama, etc. Nature telling a story

          Reply
  25. Wilfried Haferland says:

    A very nice composition, featuring fine details and wonderful colours. Especially the evening light spot lets the scene appear really close and three-dimensional. A wonderful colour work, Johan!

    Reply
  26. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Subra: many thanks Subra! 🙂
    @Nora: thank you Nora. Nice to see you around again 🙂
    @Victoria: have a great week as well Victoria and thanks for the kind words! 🙂 

    Reply
  32. Jany Viala says:

    Les filtres ne sont pas toujours nécessaire! Johan! Une couleur naturelle est pour moi WOW !
    Le travail est plus une recherche de la couleur, plus difficile est plus précieux pour notre travail !
    Une belle tonalité de couleur ! Elle est magnifique! Merci!

    Reply
  37. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Vitor: hey thanks Vitor! Hope all is well with you!?
    @Rohan: glad you like my choices Rohan! Thanks 🙂 

    Reply
  40. Michael Muraz says:

    Very nice image Johan! Mountains always are somewhat magical… Coming from the French Alps, I know a thing or two about it 😉

    Reply
  43. Thierry Bouriat says:

    Une très belle composition Johan et un magnifique jeu ombre/lumière.
    Un bel été pour toi :-))

    Reply
  49. Tom Tran says:

    You may have been absent but clearly not forgotten Johan. I don’t see how with beautiful works like this. 😉
    Good to see you back, Johan.

    Reply
  51. Andi Riverola says:

    Outstanding image that shows the power of nature. Great description to accompany a great shot. Thank you for sharing. 

    Reply
  52. David Orr says:

    Johan another majestically beautiful image. Always showing up and kicking the doors down with your tremendously composed images.

    Lastly when you good to do that hangout ?

    Reply
  56. Dominique Hilbert says:

    Jeez Johan! What’s not to like? I tried to click this up to over 900 but it doesn’t seem to work. 

    Reply
  58. Dominique Dubied says:

    Ok so I tell you for the second time Johan your image is wonderful! And you know what it looks great on my Nexus 10 😉
    Have a great week Johan!

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      Thanks and that is very good to hear. Glad you finally have your XMas present! 🙂 Enjoy the rest of the week and weekend Dominique! 

      Reply
      • Dominique Dubied says:

        The screen resolution is really awesome on the Nexus 10, that is one of the reason I have chosen the Nexus over the new Samsung tab 3 🙂
        For looking at beautiful photos like yours, a wonderful display is what’s important, isn’it? ;-)

        Reply
  60. Michael A. Koontz says:

    Another beautiful mountain vista Johan :-). What do you feel about lr 5 btw compared to lr 4? (i really like lightroom and the upgrade, although i still think there is obvious room for improvements for us photographers :-P)

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      thanks for the compliment and kind words Michael!
      Re LR5: better functionality, but again slower than the previous version. Even on my Mac Pro. I am very careful with the order I do things now. Sharpening and local adjustments are the last step. I guess Adobe teamed up with Apple to make sure I buy the new Mac Pro for way too much money at the end of the year. 

      Reply
      • Michael A. Koontz says:

        Haha Johan, yeah, dont give apple/other hardware manufacturers and adobe any bad ideas now, because that could get ugly quickly for us =). I havent actually noticed any slowdowns (win 7 pro) between lr4 and 5, but that of course doesnt help you mac guys :)

        Reply
        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          add two brushes (for instance one for the sky and one for the subject) to an image, remove dust spots and apply sharpening and see what happens. It’s doable but noticably slower for me. And my Mac Pro has 8 cores and 48Gb of ram … kinda sad 🙂 

          Reply
          • Michael A. Koontz says:

            Oh i totally agree Johan, that it is sad :).

            I mean, with the kind of hardware higher end computers like yours (and mine) have, even tho lr 5 doesn’t slow down for me compared to lr 4 , it really should perform much better (and that goes for most software in my opinion).

          • Johan Peijnenburg says:

            I totally agree! Let’s hope a next version uses all the power that is available 🙂

  62. Anna Ryndak says:

    Amazingly beautiful capture! Love the sun softly touching the right peak! The hike must have been pretty long….

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      My favourite spot is the sun on the mountain in the back 🙂 Thanks for the compliment and for stopping by Anna! 

      Reply
  64. Jerry Johnson says:

    Wonderfully composed and you captured the grandeur of this mountainous landscape OH SO we’ll Johan! And your time away only builds anticipation for the next post. 😉 

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      thanks for the kind words Jerry! I start to miss you when I don’t post 😉 All good at your end? 

      Reply
  66. Stephen Cairns says:

    A striking composition with beautiful light.

    A practical question if I may. When you are at elevation like this, how do you get down from snowy mountains in the dark? I’ve always wondered that with twilight mountain imagery. Are you sleeping on the mountain? 

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      thanks for the kind words Stephen! 🙂
      Re your question: headlamps! A bit like miners have but than light weight. They are small, weigh about 20 grams and have an elastic band so that you can easily put them on your head 🙂 

      Reply
      • Stephen Cairns says:

        Thanks for the reply re the how of descent in the dark. Still seems a bit dangerous though. Of course, I have no idea what those trails are like. Perhaps they are well traveled. Again, much thanks Johan 

        Reply
        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          didn’t realize that you are in Japan till now. That is a great place to be, also for photography. It’s on my list for the coming year 🙂

          The trails are usually well travelled yes. They are not always easy to travel in the dark though, especially because they get a bit wet at night. So taking it easy and watching carefully is required. What people also often do is just stay on the mountain in an Alpine hut on higher altitude. They are like (minimalist) mini hotels for alpinists as a stopover between locations. You get a bed and food. You can find them on the most interesting mountains here in Switzerland. They are also very interesting for photographers, as it makes it a lot easier to be in a nice place with evening light, sunset and sunrise. They usually are also well located for star photography 🙂

          Reply
  73. Don Spenner says:

    Very fine image Johan, colour, light and composition. A salute to you for sharing this beauty with us. Have a great summer.

    Reply
      • Johan Peijnenburg says:

        Lightroom only here Gerard. I guess it is the combination of the camera and the recipe I apply in Lightroom, which is a mix of selective sharpening, selective clarity and a touch of selective highlighting (next to dodging and burning here and there). 

        Reply
        • Gerard Charnley says:

          Thanks Johan. I think I need to work on my sharpening techniques a little and get a little more pop so thanks for the info.

          Reply
          • Johan Peijnenburg says:

            Check out the book “The digital negative” by Jeff Schewe. Lot’s of stuff you probably already know, but quite a few things that can make a difference as well :)

  82. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    Thanks for the compliment Carlos and you are very welcome! 🙂
    @Tatiana: many thanks Tatiana! 🙂 

    Reply
  87. Athena Carey says:

    Oh my goodness Johan, I just stumbled upon this. Not sure why I did not see it earlier. I was about to comment that you are making me jealous about snow already and I have not even left yet, and then I noticed that you have dedicated the post to me. You are so sweet! Thank you!! I am going to miss you tons – you have been a very treasured friend and shooting partner to me. Just because I am moving, does not mean you are off the hook on either job though. 😉 xo

    Reply
  90. Jean-Michel Taconné says:

    Thank you for the share. I really like these sweet and stunning sunset lights ! The tones also are beautiful and impressive. Have a good summer Johan :-)

    Reply
  91. Yasmin Simpson says:

    Johan always a real pleasure to see your happy face around and your stunning images that warm my heart.
    Adore the deep in this scene, accompanied with these awesome mountains and the lovely blue sky.

    Johan wishing you all the best :)

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      Thank you very much Yasmin 🙂 Yes, I guess trying to get away with one post in 4 weeks is a time out … I guess I need the time and peace at the moment. I am working on many new images and I am less “zen” when I post a lot. Glad that you keep checking in 🙂 

      Reply
  93. Grzegorz Piechowicz says:

    Your pictures above is absolutely fantastic, the mountains in their best, great composition, light and amazing clarity throughout the picture. Top class again my friend Johan!

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      Thank you Grzegorz (you have to teach me how to pronounce that one day)!
      Glad you like my image again. I will be publishing a lot of new work soon. That is one of the reasons why I have been a bit absent lately 🙂

      How are things with you?

      Reply
      • Grzegorz Piechowicz says:

        That is good news! 🙂 My things are ok… well… suspended for a while. Thanks for asking! My name is really difficult to pronounce for foreigners he he… but you are very clever and intelligent person so I suppose it will not be a challenge for you 😉 

        Reply
        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          I have a few things I need to work through (non photography related) and need time to work on images to actually finish them to my liking 🙂

          Re the name: I guess you don’t really pronounce the “z”‘s do you?

          Reply
          • Grzegorz Piechowicz says:

            Hi Johan. I am busy with my non photography relating stuff as well during the week but I try to continue my passion in the weekends 😉
            Re: My name… we pronounce “z” as English “z”s but in my name you have twice our doubled letter “rz” that sounds like nothing else in English. But if you speak French it may be very helpful 😉 I will teach you when we meet ;-)

          • Johan Peijnenburg says:

            I am trying to achieve the same as well this week Grzegorz 🙂
            Yes lets postpone the lesson to when we meet. You probably will need help with my last name as well 😉 

  96. John Dunne says:

    Striking image Johan. I understand what you mean by “aggressive” composition but it works well with the relatively rugged aspect of the mountains. The little patches of soft light really add to the overall atmosphere. Another winner :-)

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      Thanks for the compliment and feedback John 🙂 The of light are what makes the image work for me John. Without them I probably wouldn’t have published it 🙂 

      Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      lol, looks like it yes 🙂 This is what end of winter looks like in CH … bit how would you know ;)

      Reply
      • George Marquardt says:

        Things are closer to normal. Downtown and most businesses are back open, they are still pumping water out of High River, and many of the access roads to the mountains are under repair. To get to this area we passed 3 construction sites with temporary road patches and bridge repairs, but at least this area is open. Some of the trails are permanently changed, but we can adjust to that.

        Reply
        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          Good to hear things are getting back to normal George! Who know. You might even get new different photo opportunities :)

          Reply
      • Jim Lundgren says:

        It’s been a pretty spectacular summer so far over here Johan. Clear blue skies and warm temps. Horrible for photography but great for the soul 🙂 Lot’s of outside summer days for my son and I. How have you been my friend ?

        Reply
        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          Good to hear Jim! I am fine as well. A touch too busy still, so opting for less social media time to be able to keep shooting. We are having too much blue (and haze) here as well. As you said it is good for the soul 🙂 

          Reply
  117. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    Hey Günter! Thank you for the kind words. Hope all is well with you! 🙂
    @Bill: thanks Bill!! 

    Reply
  120. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Nurcan: many thanks Nurcan! 🙂
    @Naghmeh: thanks for the compliment Naghmeh. Hope all is well!? 

    Reply
  121. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Shawn: thanks Shawn. Couldn’t resist composing it like this 🙂
    @Rodolfo: thanks Rodolfo! 🙂

    Reply
  126. Shawn McClure says:

    Beautiful image and fantastic composition, Johan… Gotta love that dramatic triangle of rock… :)

    Reply

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