Frozen Elements

------------------------- It was such a great experience when I was visiting this amazing ice cave of a glacier located in Iceland. It was clear that one of us had to pose for us in the front of this cave so that we could take a cool picture. Model shooting in an ice cave he he he. I hope you like it! -------------------------

Call of the Elements

------------------------- Not much to say about this amazing place in Iceland. I must really confess, that I love to be there as the place gives so many different opportunities for landscape photography and no matter the weather conditions. I hope you like it! -------------------------

Depths of Light

------------------------- During the entire afternoon I experienced only one thing. A remarkable blue sky without any sign of a cloud. Nevertheless I waited till the evening when suddenly wind came up and brought some wonderful clouds into my sight here in the Swiss Alps. And the spectacle began at sunset and I hoped all the time that the clouds would not move too much and pass away from my composition. And I was so lucky that evening with everything and I could take this wonderful vista with a sky spectacle. -------------------------

Tempest's Wake

------------------------- A shot I made when I was visiting the Fjadrargljufur canyon on Iceland. For sure not the best weather conditions to make justice to this wonderful place, but I had to take what I found that day. And I’m so happy that I could see this magnificent place and I hope you like it as well. -------------------------

Snow Wandering Isle

------------------------- A fantastic morning at this iconic place in Iceland. And despite so many times already viewed in so many social media channels I have to publish it. The spot is really very cool and really so easy to access as it is only just a small walk of few minutes. But as you can see the vista is really picturesque! -------------------------

Guardians of the Sky

------------------------- A shot I made in the Swiss Alps with good friends in an area not so well known by photographers. And looking at this image I have really mixed feelings as I have no idea how it looks just right now at this spot when I’m publishing this image here. Is there still snow in the middle of winter at this area? Believe it or not, climate change is a fact here in Europe and it is a major concern for all of us. As a landscape photographer, I can only draw attention to the current global problem with my images from nature. I hope to pant an awareness of the fragility of our planet’s balance in people’s souls. I hope you enjoy and thanks for watching. -------------------------

Depths in the Forest

------------------------- I hope everyone had a wonderful time during the past few weeks and a Happy New Year feast. Well, I will begin with this humble image here. I have taken this during a small walk with my snow shoes through a wonderful forest. I was fascinating to see how the light of the sunrise was playing in therms of lights and shadows on the forest ground. -------------------------

The Lost Valley

This will be my last post for this year as Christmas and the Hollidays are near the door. Despite this image is a bit old I remember how mystical and beautiful the mood was in this riverbed on a very cold autumn morning in the Swiss Alps. I hope everyone will have a good time and I will be back in the beginning of the next year.

The Gate to the Mountains

------------------------- A wonderful evening at this iconic and already so often photographed. Well, the colors were not exactly what I would love to have. But hey, perhaps the next time I will be more lucky. Nevertheless the reflections were really so wonderful here and I enjoyed every minute I were here. -------------------------

Crystal Clear Mirror

------------------------- A shot I made in the Swiss Alps this autumn. It was a perfect evening at sunset as there was practical no wind and the reflections of the mountain lake was quite amazing. I used a polarizer to soften a bit the light and to extend the shutter speed a bit. Thank you very much for watching. -------------------------

Moonstruck

------------------------- I went up a mountain with my kids during the afternoon hours to reach a wonderful mountain lake. The idea was to make some sunset shots at the lake and of course to hike a bit as my kids simply love to experience some adventures with me. And it was amazing, even the sunset was fantastic. For me it’s one of the greatest thing to spend time with the family at such places where not everyone is willing to spend a few hours walking in the cold. Well, after sunset we were on our way down to the valley in the dark when suddenly the moon appeared behind the mountains. Wow! It was incredible to see how the clouds broke and the light of the moon could illuminate the entire area. I gave the moment a chance and tried to capture this great atmosphere and I hope you like it. Thanks for watching. -------------------------

Shine of the Lake

------------------------- Well, what should I say. This lake here was a recommendation of a friend of mine. He told me to visit this place as it is really beautiful. Personally I normally walk a lot to reach my spots, but not this time. There is a mountain road that runs right next to the lake to get over the mountain pass. And my car was parked only 5 minutes from the place where I took this shot here. I must confess, the lake is really a beauty. But my feelings were really different this time. You know, like the sayings „A photo must hurt, otherwise it is not a real photo“ (lol). But I hope you like it although I did not have had to hike this time to get at such a beautiful place. -------------------------

Light Mound

------------------------- Although I’ve bee up here many times, I’ve never seen such a light at this spot before. And it was very impressive how only half an hour later, the sky was completely covered by clouds and any kind of color game disappeared. But at least I could take advantage of this moment here and capture how the light of the sunset lit up some parts of the rocks on this mountain. Also this time here I used just a polarizer as I love how it softens the light over the area. -------------------------

Goddess of Light

------------------------- Going up a mountain in the dark and waiting for hours at the spot full of hope until the sunrise finally presents itself. And then to see with the own eyes that everything was worth it. That’s what I call the most beautiful gift that I can receive in landscape photography. Unfortunately, it is usually the opposite the case. But if you are lucky from time to time and you can experience a wonderful game of light and colors in the sky, you will be given the power to do that again and again. I must confess that this morning when I made this shot here I was hoping for some more clouds and spectacle in the sky, but I had to take what was there! Here I used just a polarizer to soften the light and I must say that I use this filter quite a lot! I hope you like my image and thanks for watching. -------------------------

Lighthouse Stories

------------------------- It was really fascinating to experience the sunset on this small island. In the foreground tall and wild grass, which moved incredibly fast due to the strong wind, while in the background the sun behind the lighthouse approached the horizon over the sea. What a mood and what a special feeling I had during the last hour of light. I hope I made justice to this fabulous and beautiful holy spot and I hope you like it as well. -------------------------

Beginning Of Life

------------------------- How cool it was to be together with friends shooting at locations personally never seen before. Well, honestly this spot here in the image is very iconic and so many times showed in so many different social media platforms. But I never was here at his area and therefore, despite all the images around the world from this place, I present this one here! It’s my humble image and my own vision from this place. The weather forecast predicted a lot of rain for this day and so it was! We were standing in front of this magical tree and the morning was only gray but with some breaks in the clouds to let pass a bit of light and converting the atmosphere into a magical drama. I decided to make a long exposure for this rainy and gray spot. I combined a polarizer with an ND-Filter (normally I never do that as I think more than one glass on the top of the lens is decreasing the quality of the image, but this is only my opinion). And this here is the result as you can see and I hope you like it. -------------------------

Fairytale Lighthouse

------------------------- What a magical evening we had when we were here on this holy ground enjoying such a fantastic sunset with magical colors in the sky. During the entire evening I was seeing a stripe of dark clouds on the horizon and personally I was thinking that it would get only darker and darker without any colours. But we were rewarded with an explosion in the sky. Once again, it has paid off to just wait and wait until the light has completely disappeared. You really never know what kind of special surprises the weather will show. -------------------------

Shimmering Summer Garden

------------------------- A shot I made many years ago and I found now the time to process it. It was photographed in the Swiss Alps when we were traveling through a wonderful valley with our tent. One morning during the twilight hours I found this little mountain stream and I was so happy to have also this beautiful flower for my foreground composition. I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. -------------------------

Nowhere Finding

------------------------- The morning, when I took this shot here, I just let myself go with the flow. Instead of specifically looking for foregrounds to use for shots, I decided to just walk behind my dog and enjoy the area. When suddenly this spot appeared in front of me. Oh boy, what a happy coincidence. In the middle of nowhere I stood in front of this beautiful plant. And I clearly took the picture. At home when enlarging the image I had to laugh, because on the right top place of the plant a very long spin cloth was hanging connected to the nearest rock. Instead of cloning it away I left the spider web there and I love it as it is. -------------------------

Light Signals

------------------------- It was a great photo adventure I could experience the last weekend in Wales. We were a small group of friends who met together just to go out and to visit some fantastic spots in Great Britain. The first spot was this amazing lighthouse you see in the image here. Could you imagine the face I made when I saw this bombastic vista … me coming from a country with lots of mountains and no sea? I was simply overwhelmed. -------------------------

Fairy Forest

------------------------- For sure not the first time I was here to make a shot from this amazing place. And I must confess that this magic area has something really special that attracts me like a magnet or like a sausage stand at a street party (lol). This time I made the shot some weeks ago during my stay this summer time in the Swiss Alps. Hope it is pleasing and thanks for watching. -------------------------

No Land

------------------------- This is a very special location I could visit at the coast of Asturias in the Northern of Spain. I named this shot here „No Land“ as this area here is normally under water and can be only visited by low tide. For me something really not usual as I really only know the Swiss Alps. After studying the tides I knew that I had only one evening when sunset and low tide came together. And how lucky I was to have such a great spectacle in the sky. I hope you like it and thanks for watching. -------------------------

Genesis

------------------------- I had to return a dozen of times to this wonderful and not so well known place till this one day when the atmosphere was exactly how I had in my mind. Waiting some time in the dark and looking towards the right direction for the sunrise. And it was worth all the times I returned here and going home without any shot. But this time I was rewarded with a magnificent experience. How beautiful nature can be I thought and how sensitiv everything is. I hope I can return for many years and encounter the place without any disappointment. -------------------------

Finest Hours

------------------------- Well, as always when I have the chance I try to go up a mountain as I simply love the vistas and the possibilities such areas often have to offer. This one here was such an opportunity as you can see. On my way up during the morning hours before sunrise I could find this two cool rocks and I liked how they were positioned towards the upcoming sunrise. All I had to do was to position the tripod and the cam correctly and prayed for a great sunrise. -------------------------

Forgotten Paradise

------------------------- Hard to beliebe, but this image here was made only one minute walk from a public car park. While everyone just passed this beautiful spot, I had to stop and admire this little paradise. Beauty is everywhere. You only need an open soul to find and to see the beauty. -------------------------

Mountains and rocks

------------------------- A shot I made during a hike with my dog in the Swiss Alps. I really was lucky to enjoy such a cool atmosphere in the middle of July after trying to capture something beautiful during several days with no clouds in the sky. I really hate blue skies but this morning was finally different. I hope you enjoy and thanks for watching. -------------------------

Sunrise and Hallelujah

------------------------- What an amazing location in the northern of Spain I had here. I must admit that coming from Switzerland this here is just incredible for me. It’s completely opposite to everything I know. I would have been just happy with having only the sea in front of me, but to have such cool rocks and foreground in combination with such a fantastic light of the sunrise, it was like having birthday. I hope you like it as well and thanks for watching. -------------------------

Hidden Cascades

------------------------- Far away from the mainstream locations in Switzerland I found one day this hidden gem here. A place with 3 cascades which convey into one mountain stream. I was so surprise about the beauty of the area which was full of so many different spots to shoot and to try. This one here shows the 3 cascades in the distance and was made just when the first rays of the sunrise could touch some parts of the rocks in the foreground and I hope you like it. -------------------------

Light Explosion

------------------------- A shot I made in the early hours of the morning when I was hiking through the night to reach this area here. And I was rewarded with a light explosion at sunrise. How cool this was and how honored I felt when I was experiencing this wonderful moment with my dog in the mountains. -------------------------

Small mountain stream in twilight

Rheinfall in the morning

------------------------- Just another wonderful shot from the famous Rheinfall I made some years ago. Have no idea why I never processed it. But here it is and I hope you like it. Thanks for watching. -------------------------

Shining Morning

------------------------- So much time has passed since I was here the last time to visit this small but picturesque lake in the Swiss Alps. And once again it was worth to be here. This place really offers so many different spots. Since the lake is in the middle of a small forest, you can even make some forest shots after having made some images from this small lake. Well, I hope you like it as much as me :-) -------------------------

Fate and Destiny

------------------------- A shot made at this very known and beautiful lake in the middle of the Swiss Alps. The bad thing was that the sunset was just behind the majestic mountain peaks but nevertheless the last light of the day was so strong that some green parts of the landscape were illuminated by a golden touch and everything seemed so magic like coming from a fairy tale. I must confess that despite there are so many images from this place I can’t resist to visit again and again this place. -------------------------

Evening Spring Cascade

------------------------- Just a few weeks ago, I knew it would be a bit too early to find cool spots in the Swiss Alps. And especially too early this spring season after such a hard winter. There is still a lot of snow in the mountains and the spring season is only coming slowly to all places. Well, nevertheless I found this really picturesque area here. An area I know very well as it is on my way to a lot of other cool places, but I never had the idea to make a shot exactly here. Well, things always change and this time I gave this place a chance … but honestly, I hope to b e the right photographer to capture all the beauty of this area in all its splendor. -------------------------

Golden Shine over the River

------------------------- What a light mood I found here at this place on a foggy day, when I decided to make some river shots in the mountains. I love this place and especially I love it even more in spring. And although you can’t see it in the image … as soon as the snowmelt starts after a hard winter season, the river basin fills up with a huge amount of water, which flows down the mountain with incredible power. Not to mention that getting too much into the center part of the riverbed can be a bit dangerous considering the strong current of the river in this season of the year. -------------------------

Winter Shadows and Light

„Winter Shadows and Light“ ------------------------- Well, I think this here will be my last image with snow for this winter season. But hey … after the winter season is always before the next winter season he he he. I can’t wait to the next winter to make some more shots with all the areas covered by a beautiful white cape. This here was made when I was with a friend of mine looking for some cool spots and we decided to make also a shot from the distance capturing the sun disappearing behind the majestic mountains. I hope you like it. -------------------------

Mood Presure

------------------------- I made this shot here last year during the winter season. I was on a hike with snowshoes together with my son exploring the area having really bad bad weather conditions and low visibility. But when we arrived at this place here the light could shine through the dense fog and clouds and produced such a mystical mood that I decided to make a shot from this moment here. Would have been a crime not to do it and I hope you like it despite the spring season has already begun. -------------------------

The Beauty of Winter

------------------------- About a bit more than a week ago, I posted a picture of this area on Facebook. I was not so happy with the light conditions when I made it more than a year ago. Well, and now this here what you see is exactly the same area but taken four weeks ago when I visited this location again with a friend. And this time I pointed the cam 180 degrees in the opposite direction. I always wanted to capture the beauty of the whole area, but I failed because it was never possible with only one shot. Therefore I decided this time to make a panoramic vista with 9 vertical single images and stitched them together into one shot. I hope you like it and thanks for watching. -------------------------

Winter Shoreline

------------------------- What you see here is the shoreline from the Kirkjufellfoss. The iconic mountain is exactly on my left. Really difficult to make here at this iconic place something special as it is photographed thousand times. Here I tried to make a special and not so well known vista from this place and I hope you like it as well. -------------------------

Ice Lake

------------------------- A good friend of mine (Juan), whom I met on my trip to Iceland, visited me in Switzerland some weeks ago. It was obvious that I went with him to photograph some cool spots I know in the Swiss Alps. We really had a bit of bad luck with the weather conditions (too blue) and also many areas I know were closed due to avalanche danger. But nevertheless, we had a lot of fun and I think here at the lake „Klöntalersee“ we were blessed at Sunday evening, because the weather was in our favor. But even down here on the frozen lake we could not stay too long because we were standing on a small ice island in the middle of the frozen lake and behind us the water locks to the lake were opened. We had to leave the place really quickly to have the chance to leave without having to swim. And just before we left I could make this image here! -------------------------

Sand dunes in golden light

„Sand dunes in golden light“ ------------------------- Not much to say about this well known iconic place in Iceland. I hope you like it and thanks for watching. ------------------------- For Landscape Photography Workshops please visit: - Swiss Alps 2 days Workshop - Snowdonia 3 days Workshop Further Information at https://www.manuelmartinphotography.com/WORKSHOPS -------------------------