A mountain landscape with snow: Shoot for the Moon

By Johan Peijnenburg

Although I am a bit late, I still would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!!! Let’s all shoot for the moon like the fog in this mountain landscape with snow … even if we miss, we’ll still land among the stars! I am not so much into quotes, but I kinda like this one from Les Brown. It obviously fits well with this photograph, and that is why it is titled Shoot for the Moon 😉

Wanted to share a different type of mountain landscape photograph to start the year. I shot this scene a few months ago during my regular fall trip to the Engadin region in the Swiss Canton of Graubünden. I liked how the fog seemed to be reaching for the moon, so I just had to capture this moment. Hope you like how it came out!

I captured the image with my new Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 lens on a Nikon D800E. The settings were: 135mm, f/11, 1/30s, ISO 100 and no filters were used.

I plan to go out and photograph more mountain landscapes with snow in the coming year. Keep an eye on our Swiss Landscape Photography portfolio for new work. Alternatively, have a look at our Recent Work page once in a while.

Click on the photograph if you would like to know more about this photograph or are interested in buying a print or licence of Shoot for the Moon.

Cheers, Johan 🙂

Shoot for the Moon

A Swiss winter mountain landscape with snow, with the moon above Piz Tremoggia mountain in Engadin, Switzerland, and fog crawling up in the direction of the moon.

314 thoughts on “A mountain landscape with snow: Shoot for the Moon”

  11. Hadegda Ignatova says:

    @Walter: thanks Walter!
    @Vishal: yes, lucky moon 😉 Thanks Vishal!
    @Dominique: dank je wel Dominique 🙂
    @K Garzer: thanks again K 🙂
    @Yasmin: thank you dear Yasmin 🙂
    @Hadegda: many thanks!

    Reply
  18. Louisa Catharine Forsyth says:

    No apologies needed, I am running behind constantly 🙂 Haha yes, I remember those winters all too well, was a bit of a shock when I just moved from warmer climates straight into the deep snow of Davos! 🙂 Happy to hear all is well Johan :)

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      I can imagine! Thought you were in Milan again btw. Davos is a nice place to be as well though Louisa 🙂 And I guess winter over there is a bit more normal than the one I am having here…

      I am not on G+ a lot at the moment. I always want to post more often and visit other people’s profiles more often, but in the end I always prioritise differently :)

      Reply
      • Louisa Catharine Forsyth says:

        I should have said that I lived in Davos just after school, not now, no, not in Milano yet, I am in Spain 🙂 What tells you work takes me to way too many countries 😉 You sound like me, I have so much work to catch up on after my year in Africa that I never have enough time online, even when trying to make the time 🙂 Have a great day Johan , your priorities are spot on! 

        Reply
  19. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Louisa: thanks for catching up and the compliment Louisa 🙂 Hope all is well with you!?
    @Sen Zen: thank you Sen 🙂
    @Markus: good morning 🙂 Thank you Markus!
    @Mark: many thank Mark!

    Reply
    • Louisa Catharine Forsyth says:

      Hi my friend, arghh haha trying to get stronger, happy in every way apart from my injuries sustained while in Africa 🙂 🙂 Happy Monday to you Johan, hope you are well too? :)

      Reply
      • Johan Peijnenburg says:

        Sorry for the late reply Louisa … good to hear back at it and getting stronger 🙂 Here all is well as well. Trying to make the most of a crap winter, but having fun anyway 🙂

        Reply
  23. Louisa Catharine Forsyth says:

    Love this so much, well I am even later than you lol what are we like! So good to come back properly at last and catch up Johan 

    Reply
  25. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Nikola: thanks Nikola and thanks for sharing 🙂
    @Betty: I had! 🙂 have a great week!
    @Anatoliy: thanks ! 🙂

    Reply
  26. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @John: fog yes 🙂 Many thanks for the great feedback. Glad you like it 🙂
    @David: hey David San 🙂 How are things? Many thanks!

    Reply
  33. John Dunne says:

    Carefully composed as always and beautifully executed Johan. I love the gesture of the snow (fog?) sweeping off the mountain and pointing up to the moon.

    Reply
  36. Armand Dijcks says:

    This is a great one Johan! I love the composition with the mountains and the moon positioned at the extreme edge and the large amount of negative space in between. I think you’re on to a new type of minimalist landscape photography. Oh, and happy new year to you as well 🙂

    Reply
  55. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Patricia: thanks Patricia! 🙂
    @rohan: many thanks Rohan ! 🙂
    @Deborah: thank you! 🙂
    @Stephen: thanks for feedback Stephen 🙂

    Reply
  78. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Michael: you probably had more snow than me till now Michael! 🙂
    @Enrique: thanks Enrique 🙂
    @Athena: I can imagine! Glad you like it 🙂

    Reply
  84. Michael Muraz says:

    Skiing is not in the plans for now Johan. However we had snow quite a few times already since early December. I’d say there’s been at least a bit of snow Downtown for 3 to 4 weeks now. But it’s almost completely gone now

    Reply
  96. Michael A. Koontz says:

    Yup man, Shoot for the moon – an excellent philosophy as well as fitting for this splendid capture Johan :). I like that gush of snow too that really do look like it´s reaching up for the moon. A calm and fitting composition.

    Reply
  101. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Markus: danke vielmals Markus! Nice to see you around 🙂
    @Shawn: many thanks Shawn!
    @Nathan: All the best to you too Nathan! Thanks for the kind words 🙂

    Reply
  102. Nathan Wirth says:

    Happy New Year and best wishes, Johan, and such a lovely bluish whitish beauteous little slice of winter this is …

    Reply
  105. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Michael Salmela: thanks for the compliment Michael. Thanks!
    @Mirosław: glad you like it Miroslaw 🙂
    @Anna: enjoyed that comment. Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  106. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Sairam: many thanks Sairam! Thanks for coming out of hibernation 😉
    @黑猫白鼠: very 🙂
    @Michael: sometime unusual is good Michael 🙂 This was from last October …. snow at the moment is not very good here. Need to go up to 1600m to get some good white stuff. Hope this will improve soon 🙂 No skiing trip for you this year?

    Reply
  107. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @David Anderson:Many thanks David !
    @David Heath Williams: thank you for the compliment and the best wishes David! Best wishes for you and your family too! 🙂
    @Sandra: 😀 thanks for the wow Sandra!!! 

    Reply
  108. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Jerry: many thanks for the great feedback Jerry. Glad you like it 🙂
    @Angela: lol, thanks for the wow Angela 🙂
    @Mutita: thank you 🙂
    @kidd: thanks !

    Reply
  109. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @George: many thanks George! 🙂
    @Sheila: she is always pretty quick Sheila 🙂 thanks!
    @jasmine: thank you 🙂 

    Reply
  110. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Al Amin Shehk Shehk: thank you! 🙂
    @Mortimer: thanks for the awesome Mortimer 🙂
    @E.E. Giorgi: thanks Elena! 🙂 

    Reply
  112. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Jim: somewhat different from the usual Jim. Glad you like it 🙂
    @Miguel: thanks! Glad you agree with my choices Miguel 🙂
    @Dalibor: many thanks Dalibor! 🙂

    Reply
  116. Michael Muraz says:

    What an unusual composition Johan! Love it!
    There seems to be a decent amount of snow. How is it in Switzerland? France seems to be warm and missing snow this year!

    Reply
  119. David Heath Williams says:

    Beautiful! The blue is captivating against the white! Love it! Happy New Year to you and your family Johan!

    Reply
  125. Jerry Johnson says:

    The deep blues are marvelous and the wispy clouds in the center of the sky provide excellent balance between the moon and the dramatic peaks below them! Lovely photo my friend! As usual! :-)

    Reply
  136. Miguel Almeida says:

    Fantastic composition indeed Johan. You’re right about the fog “reaching” for the moon, of course; but in addition to that, the composition is really fantastic with the placement of the moon at the edge of the frame instead of on the “1/3 line”. Gives a great balance to the image. Well done!

    Reply
  141. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Mamo: Great description and very much in line with what I saw when I shot it Mamo 🙂 Thanks!
    @Aditya: thanks for the awesome Aditya. Hope all is well with you!? 

    Reply
  152. Beverley Aston says:

    Oh my word what a special photo this one is, must have been wonderful to have been there to actually see this scene and then take the photo!!

    Reply
  155. Joan Munford says:

    Hello dear Johan. Happy New Year to you as well and thanks!
    Thanks for this crisp and beautiful image. I love the way the cloud seems to clash against the mountains pretty much like a wave…. The moon must be responsible for that : ))

    Reply
  156. Patrick Metzdorf says:

    I’ll definitely check with you before planning the trip Johan. A summer week in the Swiss mountains sounds about right to me. ;)

    Reply
  164. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Mady: thank you! 🙂
    @George: and I didn’t even have to use PS for it 🙂 Glad you like it George! 🙂 

    Reply
      • Patrick Metzdorf says:

        Well then just the hike, without the snowboard. 😉
        I’m good, in need of a vacation, but with lots of good plans for the new year.

        I hope you had some great holidays Johan. This shot certainly has the right relaxing, but wide open mood for it.

        Reply
        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          Good to hear you have some great plans for the new year Patrick. Do they involve CH?

          My holiday break was great. Spent the time with family, so haven’t shot a lot in that time. At the moment I am basically waiting for winter to really start …

          Reply
          • Patrick Metzdorf says:

            They include CH by way of a more general location independence, which I hope to spend in all the nice places, of course 😉 We’ll see.

            Although as I said, a vacation is overdue and so is proper powder-snow winter. Here’s hoping for enough time off work.

  173. Grzegorz Piechowicz says:

    Happy New Year for you too Johan 🙂 Excellent photo, I love this simplicity, best photographers always look for the simply composition and you have made it the best way. Extraordinary quality, top class work :)

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      I was curious to see how people would respond to something simple like this Grzegorz 🙂 Glad you like how what and how I captured it! Btw we need to seriously start to discuss Scotland 😀 

      Reply
  180. Gittan Beheydt says:

    You are certainly not to late Johan, for you also a great New Year may it be a wonderful one! Wonderful photo !

    Reply
  182. Eric Delcour says:

    Fantastic capture of the mountains and the moon. Great composition.
    And for you especially :
    Year 2014 : let this coming year bring happiness in your life, let all the unfulfilled dreams and desires you had in year 2013 be fulfilled. This coming year will bring a smile on your face, a glow on your cheeks and very wonderful words on your lips

    Reply
  191. Paul Turkowski says:

    Great shot Johan! Very nice with this dynamic fog and the static of mountains and moon. Very unique one, like your start into 2014, Johan ;)

    Reply
    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      Glad you like it Paul! A shot I had in mind for a while but didn’t ran into a moon that was positioned like this so far :)

      Reply

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