Photo of the Day and Clip Combo

This weeks Photo of the Day is also a new Clip. Mountain Travel Sobek, one of the world’s leading adventure travel companies is using an image of our’s for their 2010 catalog. The image is one we made in 2004 and is of Janine sitting on a small dock at a lake above Zermatt, Switzerland. The Matterhorn is in the distance.

Making the photo was not straightforward and only exists due to a bit of perseverance. Once a week, all summer, there is a sunrise breakfast at a tram station high above Zermatt. The tram leaves very early in the morning’s pre-dawn darkness. We remember walking through Zermatt’s silent streets, convinced we were wasting our time thanks to skies absent of stars – just thick with clouds. But, we were up and thought we might as well give it a try. In the cabin were several other photographers with their big tripods and towering LowePro backpacks. The tram made an intermediate stop and out the photographers went, greeted by thick grey skies.

We all marched to the lake where we were greeted by black, still waters, no view and clouds swirling about the peaks. The sun would be up in a few minutes but it seemed unlikely that we would see it. As a photographer this is part of the game. More often than not you get weather not to order. In the Alps it happens so often that we sort of accept it. The cussing still occurs but once finished we typically fall into a state of relaxation and sort of enjoy the cancelled work day. And so this particular morning we sat and watched as the other photographers took a few token shots before wandering off in disgust. We remained.

What occurred in the next few minutes was something of a gift – within minutes the skies cleared, the peaks came out and we had our opportunity. Now, all alone we were free to run around and compose as we pleased. Lesson learned.