Behind the Lens: Capturing "Lapporten Splendor" (ep1)
With this blog post I want to start telling the story of how some of my favourite photos were made. Let me begin with my photo "Lapporten Splendor".
It was back in 2018 during a regular trip to Lappland I do with my friends every second year. We always book a very cosy accomodation in Björkliden with a perfect view of Lapporten. Sometimes, that view is so impressive, I'm often torn between going for a hike and just lying in the hot tub with a view of Lapporten.
In the late morning, I set out with my camera, hoping to capture the mystic beauty of the mountains. The sky was overcast, and the sun struggled to penetrate the thick layer of clouds. The mountains, enveloped in this cloudy veil, presented an intriguing yet challenging subject for my telephoto shots.
With my telephoto lens, I aimed to frame the mountains whose rugged outlines were softened by the drifting clouds. The scene was shrouded in a gray, diffused light, giving it an almost ethereal quality. The details of the rocky slopes, partially hidden by the dense clouds, created a mesmerizing yet elusive tableau that I longed to capture.
However, despite the captivating scenery, I found myself wrestling with a creative block. This internal barrier prevented me from fully engaging with the landscape and conveying its mysterious beauty through my photographs.
In the afternoon, I embarked on a hike, starting from the Abisko Tourist station. The journey promised a blend of serene landscapes and rugged natural beauty. The hike was set to last two hours, leading me along diverse and captivating terrains.
The clouds gradually parted, revealing the breathtaking view of Lapporten. I experimented with various compositions using my telephoto lens, like the one shown below. The conditions were perfect: the mountains had received a fresh dusting of snow a few days prior, and the trees were adorned in their vibrant yellow foliage. Minute by minute, a composition formed in my mind, featuring Lapporten in the background, the golden trees, and the reflections on a lake.
When I arrive at the lake, the scenery coudn't be any better. There were still some strong clouds creating a perfect color contrast with the yellow trees. But my luck was not over yet; it was almost windless, and the trees created nearly perfect reflections on the surface.
I took several shots of Lapporten from both the left and right. After reviewing the results, I noticed the clouds were too structured, even with a ND10 filter and a 30-second exposure. To achieve a much longer exposure, I stacked my ND10 and ND6 filters, aiming for an almost 15-minute exposure time while underexposing by one stop. And then it happened: the clouds parted, allowing the sun to illuminate the peaks of Lapporten. I quickly started the exposure and carefully moved away from the camera, as the ground in the area was slightly unstable.
The result was one of my favorite shots. I absolutely love the yellow leaves in the foreground of Lapporten with its slightly highlighted peaks. The simplicity of the composition, centered around just two complementary tones (yellow and blue), truly excites me.
Lapporten Splendor
NIKON D750 - 70mm - F/10 - 715 sec - ISO 100
I made only three simple adjustments in post processing:
- adjusting the brightness of the sky with a subtle graduated filter to harmonize the contrasts
- raised up the shadows in the right to add some details
- minor color and contrast changes in the yellow foliage section to make it close to what I saw with my own eyes
I checked the result and was absolutely amazed. I wanted to repeat the shot with some slightly different compositions, but the clouds closed in and the light was gone. So, I packed my gear and continued my hike, unaware that I would capture another favorite shot later on. I'll cover that one (see below) in my second episode of "Behind the Lens: Capturing..."