During a recent trip (actually it was work) I was on with a friend of mine, we decided to spend one night photographing in the mountains. We finished work a bit earlier that day and started our ascent around 5pm. Most hikers were already on their way back to their cars or had checked in at one of the two mountain huts around the Giglachseen lakes. We had decided to stay outdoors and continued to walk after eating dinner at Ignaz-Mattis-Hut. The path climbed up a few hundred meters and then passed a beautiful alpine meadow. In the middle of that meadow there was a small creek surrounded by blooming Alpenrose bushes.
The meadow served as a beautiful photo-spot as well as a nice and soft base for the night. We set up camp right beside the place were the picture above was taken. Our backpacks were heavy and we were happy to leave them at our camp to scout the surroundings with just our cameras and tripods. I liked how the wildflowers were located around the creek and as the sun started to approach the horizon I tried to capture them together with the alpenglow on the surrounding peaks of the Niedere Tauern range.
When the last rays of the sun hit the mountains, making them glow in an intense orange, I started scouting again. I wanted to make the creek a more important part of the image. A small series of cascades came to my attention and I set up my tripod in the middle of the creek. The wide angle of view of my Canon EF 17-40mm added drama and I’m pretty happy with the result (despite the absence of clouds and a therefore rather boring sky).
When the last rays of the sun hit the mountains, making them glow in an intense orange, I started scouting again. I wanted to make the creek a more important part of the image. A small series of cascades came to my attention and I set up my tripod in the middle of the creek. The wide angle of view of my Canon EF 17-40mm added drama and I’m pretty happy with the result (despite the absence of clouds and a therefore rather boring sky).
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Quick Facts
Information
The Giglachseen are a pair of alpine lakes in the austrian province Styria. They are located in a valley high above the town of Schladming in the heart of the Niedere Tauern range. A visit of the lakes is a popular summer activity.
How to get there
The Giglachseen can only be reached by foot. You can either hike up from Ursprungs-Alm in Preunegg valley or from the Obertal valley. The hike from Ursprungs-Alm is steep but shorter and gets you there in around 1 ½ hours.
Where to stay
There’s two mountain huts close by. Ignaz-Mattis Hütte is located directly at the biggest of the Giglachseen. Giglachseehütte is only a short walk away. Both huts offer rooms and food. As anywhere in the austrian Alps camping is a no-go.
Why Go
If you don’t go for anything else – just go for the fresh air in summer.
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