Interesting Photo of the Day: Fresh Afternoon in the French Alps

Nature can be unpredictable. Things can be wild one moment and become stunning in an instant. This is exactly what happened when photographer Tomas van der Weijden was backpacking in the French Alps, in the area of Mont Thabor. One moment he was freezing in a snowy mess; a second later, he was able to capture this beautiful springlike image:

river in French Alps

“A Fresh Afternoon in the French Alps” by Tomas van der Weijden (Via Reddit. Click image to see full size.)

The artist shot the image at 19mm, f/10, 0.8s, and ISO 250. Since he had to use a longer exposure during daylight, he also used a six-stop neutral density (ND) filter.

What’s beautiful about this shot is how lush and fresh everything appears. It’s hard to imagine it was shot after a snowstorm. The sky has opened up beautifully and the grass along the stream’s banks appears green and fresh.

“Having faced a snowstorm earlier, conditions changed dramatically and this was a calm afternoon with comfortable conditions.”

And thanks to the slow shutter that van der Weijden used, the water in the stream appears really dynamic and adds to the life of the image—plus it works as a natural leading line, drawing us right into the beautiful scenery.

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