I set my alarm for 4am, Dan and I hopped in the car while it was still dark and drove to our first location. We had scouted a couple of sunrise spots the day before. This spot was a nothing place - not a landmark or a viewpoint. It was by a little carpark for an army base just off the side of the road.
I was already excited while driving to our location because the entire valley near Purgg was enveloped in fog. We park the car, grab the tripod and start shooting. At first I was using my G 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 lens. I felt too constricted on this lens and wasn't able to get many compositions. The majority of the time I was stuck at 200mm without being able to get further back, so I decided to switch to my GM 85mm f1.4. It seems like this is going to be a popular lens during our trip in Austria.
It was strange being somewhere that looks so remote and serene, but really it was part of a cark park. We saw many people who were arriving at work while we were taking photos!
Landscape photography during sunrise is exciting. At first it seems like nothing is changing, but the scene does in fact transform in moments. It's fun getting to compare the first few dark, blue photos from the beginning of the morning to the warmer shots as the sun rises. There was also a cool circular rainbow appearing in the fallen trees. I'm not sure why that happened but I captured a quick photo of it!
I also was happy to photograph this scene with my telephoto portrait lens. With this focal length, I am able to isolate the trees and show off the layers of fog and mountains in the frame. I am also taking all the photos in the video below and this blog post with my full frame Sony A7IV.
I felt happy with the variety of photos I captured in this scene. It was time to head to the second location we scouted the day before as well. On the way there, I still had my 85mm on my camera body. I decided to snap a few photos while Dan was driving. The sun cutting through the fog in this town looked so other worldly!
Location number 2 also looks like it could be part of a famous viewpoint. In fact, it is just a lake part of a truck rest stop - only in Austria! We arrived right on time for the sun to be hitting the fog resting on the lake's surface. Another magical scene!
In this location I spent more time capturing different compositions with various focal lengths. I took a few photos with my wide angle lenses like the GM 24mm f1.4 and GM 35mm f1.4. With these wide angle lenses, I do enjoy how you can see the entire scene. It looks quite majestic.
As usual though, I ended up preferring my telephoto images. I used both the GM 85mm f1.4 and the 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 OSS lens to isolate certain subjects in the landscape. I love being able to create dreamy landscapes with telephoto lenses that have a minimal look.
Watch my vlog from Austria to see comparison photos between the same landscape photo taken on a wide angle lens vs a telephoto lens. Let me know which one you prefer in the comments! If you haven't already, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel. I upload new photography videos every single week.
Mountain fog photos are edited with my Fall Lightroom Preset Pack
All photos at the lake are edited with my Palm Valley Lightroom Preset Pack
Make sure to check out all the other photo series from Austria too:
Mountain fog photos are edited with my Fall Lightroom Preset Pack
All photos at the lake are edited with my Palm Valley Lightroom Preset Pack
Make sure to check out all the other photo series from Austria too:
