Click here to buy a print of this photoThis is the French side of the Mont Blanc massif mirroring in the still waters of lake Cheserys (2.211 m), high up in the Aiguilles Rouges above the Chamonix valley.
Night shot, taken on September 13th 2012, at 10:07 p.m.
Waters of alpine lakes are not always still as well as not always in motion. Let's say that in ordinary weather conditions they are just alternating phases in accordance with the winds.
Sometimes, even in this Cheserys area, I've seen photographers observing the waters a bit rippled... and then moving on, looking for other places... rather odd, I would say, since the patience to wait is definitely an essential component in this field.
Patience is basic also while we pay attention in reading the phases of the wind, somehow predicting the moments of quiet, having everything already setup to take the shot.
Usually, during the moments of wind I just define perfectly the composition and the camera setting, in order to be totally ready when everything will start to calm down.
This kind of photography with starry sky rarely exceeds the 30sec of exposure (because of Earth's rotation), therefore the fact to be operating in such a relatively "short" time increases considerably the chances to get water totally still during that specific time window.
Sometimes it's possible, sometimes not. In any case it's always worth trying

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