A new mountain landscape: the Schluchhorn in B&W

This mountain landscape was captured last December at the end of a cold winter day. It features the Schluchhorn (2,579 m – 8,461 ft) with its very characteristic north face. It extends all the way from the left to the right side of the photograph, where it meets with the Sanetschhorn (2,924 m – 9,593 ft). Both mountains are part of the beautiful Diablerets massif in Switzerland. It was close to sunset. Last light is warming the Schluchhorn sideways.

I used a Nikon D3x with a 24-70 f/2.8 lens. I used the following settings: 38mm, ƒ/11, 1/125s and ISO 100. The photograph is in black and white using, to create a bit of a dark and moody effect. As a result, the ruggedness of the mountain comes across much better as well.

Visit our Swiss Landscape Photography portfolio for more photographs from Switzerland. Alternatively, visit our Black & White Photography portfolio to see more photographs in B&W.

Cheers, Johan πŸ™‚

126 thoughts on “A new mountain landscape: the Schluchhorn in B&W

  1. Ada M says:

    every time I look at these pictures I realize how much beauty is on this planet and how grateful I am that artists like you show it to us. Wish you a great day!ο»Ώ

  2. Charles Lupica says:

    I really love the contrast and detail in this. Your images always make me wish I were closer to the mountains where I could be out shooting in an hour or so :-))

    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      Thanks Charles! I will re-visit the processing a bit though, as I think I should light it up just a bit.
      Yes, you should come out the mountains more often. You are very close, so there is no reason no to!

  3. Margaret Tompkins says:

    Incredible image! I love the strength of the lines and the great drama in both the sky and the mountain. Your B&W treatment adds to that drama. Awesome Johan! Absolutely awesome!!

  4. Jerry Johnson says:

    Johan, when I see one of your fantastic photos, I just sit back and gaze at the beauty of your photos. This one was no exception and the details are so sharp I could cut my finger on them! πŸ™‚ Well done!!

    • Matthias Haeussler says:

      @Diego: Montafon, Vorarlberg, Austria
      @Johan: it’s not too much in my opinion. b/w allows just that πŸ˜‰

      • Johan Peijnenburg says:

        @Diego: thank you!!
        @Matthias: thanks for the feedback. Enjoy the stay in the Alps. Will you be shooting?

  5. Matthias Haeussler says:

    this really looks overly dramatic. can’t wait to visit the alps next weekend. thanks for making me even more hungry Johan πŸ™‚

    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      the colour version was already dramatic and the B&W conversion only added to it πŸ™‚ Hope it is not too much!

  6. Wilfried Haferland says:

    Johan – My last action for today is… Enjoying your wonderful photograph!

    It’s perfectly framed, all visual patterns and lines draw the eye to the summit. I really like how vividly the sky appears behind and over the scene, you can really see the distance between clouds and mountains. It’s almost 3D!

    This is not a simple landscape photo, it is a true portrait of Schluchhorn. Very well done, Johan!

  7. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    Francis: glad you like it! It definitely looks different on my wide angle screen πŸ™‚
    Peter: thank you as well! Hope all is well in Ho Chi Minh City!
    Yasmin: it was something like 15 celsius at the time πŸ™‚ Thanks for the kind words !!
    Thank you very much Robert!!

  8. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Robert: dank je wel!! Alles goed?
    @Meg: thank you! Don’t get your second comment, but looks like you were answering spam …

  9. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    Thank you very much for the compliments Laurent and Mikko!
    @John: thank you! Working on building my B&W portfolio πŸ™‚ Still not sure about the processing of this one by the way. The thumbnail here makes it look a bit too dark …

  10. Laurent CoppΓ©e says:

    Wow Johan, well worth seen big! This is an alpinetabulous landscape you are offering us, superb processing, as usual should I add πŸ™‚

  11. Sinead Sam McKeown says:

    So much drama and beauty. I absolutely love this. Those clouds are perfect and I really think this is excellent in b&w

    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      would like to post more often, but time doesn’t allow it at the moment. Thanks for checking and the feedback Nicholas!

  12. Johan Peijnenburg says:

    @Chris: thanks you for the compliment! I don’t think I will ski down this one πŸ™‚ There is a nice glacier hike on top of this mountain range. A lot safer πŸ™‚
    Thank you as well Milena !!

  13. Stan Showalter says:

    Great image Johan. I love the B&W conversion here. The “silvery” feel to it suits the image perfectly.

  14. Chris Summers says:

    beautiful contrast and tonal depth. And when you ski on this mountain your skis go “Schluch” as they glide over the snow!

  15. David Burns says:

    Nicely done Johan,very moody,
    I also like how the shot leads me up the valley, draws me in. I find that the clouds are really interesting in the Alps.

    • Johan Peijnenburg says:

      Thank you David! Pitty I didn’t have more time. This would have been an excellent scene for a long exposure with those clouds!

        • Johan Peijnenburg says:

          I wish I could do that after the fact Joel πŸ˜‰ This was a quick grab when I was on the road between two locations … no time for LE’s …

  16. Jason Borg says:

    aweΒ·some   [aw-suhm] adjective
    1. inspiring awe: an awesome sight.
    2. showing or characterized by awe.

    Awe: an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of God; in awe of great scenary captured beatifully.

    From dictionary.com and slightly modified.

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