Clouds Above and Clouds Below

This is a view of the Alps as seen from the top of the Hochkogel mountain in Werfen, a very small town in the Salzburg state of Austria.

Most people go there to see the largest ice caves (Eisriesenwelt) in the world, and so did I. But the photograph that made my trip happened when all of a sudden a thick cloud layer came in from nowhere. We were now standing on a sea of clouds with a 180 degree view of the Alps around us. Believe me, this shot does not do any justice to how the view looked like to bare eyes.

I think photographers claim more credit than they should when it comes to nature photography. Unlike other genres (like fashion, advertising or portrait photography) photographers are a lot less in-control when it comes to shooting nature. A lot of good stuff in happens by mere chance. For this photograph, for instance, it was more about being there at the right time than about the technical expertise needed to capture it.

I thank god for making me love photography. So many awesome things that I have seen and the amazing people that I have met never would had happened otherwise.