Matterhorn Moonlight Sonata
There is a saying that there is no such thing as bad weather, but only insufficient clothing.
I get cold very easily. I would not have been a good Arctic or Antarctic explorer. I generally have at least one more layer of clothing in cold weather than my companions. This is regardless of whether we have been cross-country skiing, hiking or running. Therefore, it is always a challenge for me to photograph in the wi
nter.
I frequently underestimate how many layers of clothing I will need. I do not need many layers when I am hiking to a location with approximately 17 kilograms (38 pounds) of gear. When I get to location, set up for a shot, and then wait, I tend to get very cold.
On this particular night in February in Zermatt, Switzerland, again I was about one layer underdressed. However, I wanted this shot and persevered, preparing by headlamp while losing feeling in my feet. I waited until the almost-full moon provided the illumination for which I was waiting.
To the left was a ski trail with artificial illumation. Everything else was illuminated by the moon.
While I was doing a two-minute exposure, a runner with a headlamp came down the trail to the right. His headlamp created a horizontal zigzag light trail. While it was interesting, it was not what I wanted. Despite my cold discomfort, I did one more shot to capture the scene that I had envisioned.
