Lake Weissensee

A large panorama of gorgeous Lake Weissensee from June. We stay there almost every year for now 9 years. It's such a great place, the lake is the highest european lake you can swim in in summer. During the summer months the temperature can get to 24 C.

You also can do great hikes, I took the series of images for this panorama on the start of a walk. You see fresh mowed grass and small huts. On the shore you'll notice the white strips of sand and lime. It's that color which gives the lake its name (Weissensee = White Lake).

If you visit Austria then plan to stay at this area (or any other of our beautiful lakes :-)

Dreaming

As we stayed at Lake Weissensee this July, we had mostly bad weather. Lots of rain, clouds and chilly wind. No summer at all. But on some days the sun broke through and we could enjoy some time in the sun.

When crusing the lake with a passenger ship we always passed the shoreline and it gave me the opportuntiy to take this shot. First I tried to place the man in the lower part of the picture but then I thought it works much better when he's at the top. This way the title fits perfectly, a dreaming person floating on green water.

The reed also is a good addition, it even matches the green of the lake perfectly. Sometimes I'm lucky to find such a motif. It's hard to plan such an image.

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Regatta

Last weekend we did a short hike in one of our favourite regions, the Salzkammergut (Salt Lake District), it's a 1-2 hour drive from our place. We are often there because you have 76 lakes (large and small), lots of mountains and gorgeous villages. Being there always reminds us how beautiful Austria is...

That image shows Lake Wolfgangsee as seen from the village St. Wolfgang where our hike ended. That small town seems to be magnetic to tourists from all over the world. As usual we've seen dozens of Japanese, British, American, German, etc. people. All enjoying the scenery and the sunny day. These are the moments when I realize that tourism plays a major role in our countries economy.

Despite the bustle we had a nice hour strolling the alleys and having some ice cream :-) And while I licked my vanilla I spotted the bright white sails out in the lake. I noticed that actually it's a regatta taking place and right after finishing my desert I picked up my camera.

Now it wasn't easy to get good images, I can tell! The ships have been really fast, floating and turning quickly. Most of my shots weren't good because with a zoom (at 300mm) it's even more difficult to get sharp images when the object moves.

But finally some were good. The bright white sails make a fine contrast to the forest in the back. Also the ships form a row which looks good, too. And the glistering blue water shows what sunny day it was.

So again I was rewarded with a fine, unplanned image :-)

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Alpine Reservoir

I really like this photo, it shows brilliant colors and contrasts. And I didn't have to tweak or manipulate it, it came out of the camera that way. That's because it was such a beautiful day with bright light and a clear sky. Using my tripod helped a bit to get a crisp and sharp image.

To take the shot we had to walk/climb a small hill nearby the dam. Not many people walk up there, most are tourists who prefer to walk around the dam a bit and then sit in the small cafe to enjoy the sight and sun - which isn't a bad thing ;-)

I had no idea how beautiful a reservoir and dam can look. From now on I will take every opportunity to explore new sights at these monuments!

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The Jetty

Another image from Lake Weissensee, there are so many beautiful motifs at this scenic place. This jetty and its reflection make a great photo in combination with the sunset. The colors of the sun rays match the water's blue and the mirrored poles looks good. I also like the silhouettes of the mountains in the background a lot.

It's been a quiet and serene evening. After dinner we walked around a bit and enjoyed the scenery. As we returned to our hotel we saw this scene. The sun was about to set behind the mountains and clouds and the last rays of light made a wonderful impression. Luckily the water was calm enough so we also got a good reflection of the jetty.

I can't wait to be there again this summer :-) Hopefully we have good weather so I can look for another series of great images.

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Cool

One of the photos that got much better then expected. We've been at Hinterstoder for skiing (actually my wife skies, I don't) and got there at 8am. While Sylvia took the chair lift up to the slopes I walked to the Schiederweiher, a little pond usually covered with ice in winter. This time it was warm enough so I could see the dark green water.

Just as I came there the morning sun started to shine through the trees and suddenly a haze emerged from the water surface. I tried to get out my tripod of the rucksack as fast as I can! I knew there would be little time to capture this scenery. If the sun will rise more it will get warmer and the fog will disappear.

While preparing the tripod I also walked around to find the right place for taking the photo. As you can see I decided to put the ice covered trees into the background. And it works very nice. The haze floated in my direction and the sun was right into the lens. I feared there will be lens flare but all was ok.

The result is good and I like that photo a lot. Such kind of scenery is rare and I was lucky to be at the right place the right time.

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Treasure

Now this is a magical place and I like to recommend it to anyoune who visits Austria one day. It's Lake Weissensee in Carinthia, the highest swimming lake in the Alps. We visited it first in 2003 and have been coming back almost every year. The lake is surrounded by green mountains and forests and only one half of it is accessible and has roads and houses. This ensures it to be a gorgeous, quiet and beautiful place. In summer the shoreline has a distinct white color in contrast to the green water which gave the lake its name ("Weiss" = White). The temperatures can reach 25 degrees Celsius in July/August which makes it a wonderful place for swimming and diving. We often had the feeling to be in the Caribbean! In winter the lake is completely frozen and lots of people come from all over Europe for ice skating (esp. the Dutch).

We have our special place to stay (I won't tell you where, it's ours!) and that's where this photo has been taken. You have a fabulous view over the water and into the Alps, almost each day a different sunset and light. There's nothing better than to have delicious dinner and then to sit and watch the spectacle. Guess what - I took this image while sitting at the table, no need to walk around :-)

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