The Matterhorn has a very unique profile and is regarded by many as one of the most photogenic mountains in the world. I whole heartedly concur and could not be happier with the photos I captured this morning. My first attempt was at 3am from the Fluhalp. When I walked outside, there it was in all its glory, illuminated by starlight. I set up my tripod and triggered a 30s trial exposure. I then adjusted the settings on my camera for the exposure I wanted and tripped the shutter again 180 seconds after the first shot. In that time, the entire mountain became obscured by clouds which rolled up in front of my camera position. I could not have been more disappointed and went back to sleep.

I got up again at 5am and walked down to the lake which was covered in clouds and set up for the shot I had pre-visualized the day before. At 5:30am I was joined by a group of Japanese who were also staying at the Fluhalp. Fog on the lake had lifted but the Matterhorn was still shrouded.  I put up my drone and took a picture of the assembled group waiting for the magic to happen. It didn’t and they left for breakfast an hour later.

Thankfully, the clouds began lifting by 7am and by 7:30am the sky was clear and I went crazy, starting with the picture at the top of this post.  The light was perfect and there was no wind making for an excellent reflection in the water. Satisfied with my images, I started hiking to the cable car station, stopping for a few more shots along the way.

I arrived back at the hotel where Jeanine was staying just in time to join her for breakfast before we departed Zermatt for Thun. The Thun Castle, pictured below, contains a really engaging museum and offers excellent views of the city from its turrets.

After a quick lunch, Jeanine and I boarded different trains. She will remain in Switzerland for the next four days while I travel to Germany to attend a trade show for work.