Les Grandes Jorasses

Gallery: LandscapePosted July 18, 2010402 views18 comments

Hi everyone,
I went to the Mont Blanc this friday with the purpose of taking "one" picture which is in my wish list since long, i.e. the central portion of the range reflected in a small lake lying in a prairie dotted with wildflowers, of course at sunset, and of course with some striking sky above

Well, it didn't go that way, instead I got two powerful storms, one on my way up and one on my way down, with pouring rain, furious winds, hailstones as big as pigeon's eggs (ouch!) and... a bolt lightning falling as close as 30 mts. from me. Folks, it was scary!

This is the best I could get out of the shoot: the Grandes Jorasses (4300 mts.)which is the northeastern end of the Mont Blanc massif, with its hanging glaciers and huge crevaces, literally wrapped in big stormy clouds.

Your C&C are as always highly appreciated, thanks in advance for your time. Please have a look at the larger file for much better details and tones

Techie: Eos 50D, Canon EF 70 300 IS USM (@180mm), tripod. Stitched from four verticals.

Comments

18 comments

Comment posted by Paolo De Faveri on July 18, 2010 at 9:24 AM

P.S: look at those two guys in this 100% crop. I bet they were getting down in a rush...

Registered on August 29, 2007, 318 Posts, 1651 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on July 18, 2010 at 9:48 AM

Fantastic work Paolo! Love the detail and tonal range especially in the large version. Sounds like you had some crazy weather and hat snow looks dangerous too.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on July 18, 2010 at 10:22 AM

That bolt could have killed you! Dude - don't go hiking in the mountains when there's such bad weather. But I know - clearing storms are great for photography!

An impressive portrait - very dramatic!

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on July 18, 2010 at 10:36 AM

Sounds fun!

I think this is a lot more interesting photo than any old boring lake and sunset

Very dramatic shot! You might try taming the highlites on the top glacier just a bit.
A pigeon egg? As a meteorologist--i get hen eggs, ping pong balls, even tea cups--but ive never heard pigeon egg before--that's a first!

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Andreas Resch on July 18, 2010 at 10:39 AM

I've seen memorial plates about people that were hit by a lighting bold more than once in the mountains. Don't underestimate that. Those two guys over there must have had quite a quick descent.
Great shot, Paolo. Better than your previous two ones - but that's mainly because of the more dramatic moment here. Love the conversion and all the nice details you got from the stitch. As colors are usually pretty dramatic in thunderstorms, I wonder what the color version looks like and if it is even more dramatic because of the thunderstorm colors.

Registered on November 14, 2007, 322 Posts, 6101 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on July 18, 2010 at 11:26 AM

Great image and story. Glad you were able to tell it.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on July 18, 2010 at 12:31 PM

This looks kind of brutal, a hulking dinosaur shaped mass of sharp rocks emerging from some serious clouds. It's more of a documentaru shot from you but a powerful testament to mountains and their weather systems.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Dorin Bofan on July 18, 2010 at 1:34 PM

I'd say it was worth it, but be careful out there, Paolo. I hope the two climbers made it back safely. I like the image a lot and I bet with would look great in a big print.

Registered on April 30, 2007, 122 Posts, 3086 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on July 18, 2010 at 3:40 PM

All that dangerous weather makes me cringe, but it sure worked magic on the mountain. You could not have arranged those clouds in better places. The tonal details in the glaciers as well as the dark areas look great, even on my laptop. With this image, you are doubly blessed to have survived the experience.

Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on July 18, 2010 at 3:51 PM

I am so used to your usual fabulous color, it took me a minute to realize this one was yours.

Great conversion, and an epic mountain shot. With drama, and an unblelievable stormy sky. Marvelous shot!

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on July 18, 2010 at 8:06 PM

Love this Paolo. Great drama and light.

Pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Eric Good on July 18, 2010 at 9:07 PM

I enjoy your sunset images, but I'll take this kind of shot any day as well. Seeing those two climbers in the crop really puts the magnitude of this scene into perspective. A striking image!

Registered on March 17, 2007, 116 Posts, 4764 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on July 18, 2010 at 9:25 PM

Incredible image. The textures are awesome and made even better by monochrome. Looks to be one dot in the sky that needs cloning.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Marc Ward on July 18, 2010 at 9:35 PM

Paolo,

Great B&W and thanks for the back story. It really makes the image more powerful.. I might like to see a tighter crop that loses some of the lower right corner and a bit of the upper right. Just great textures and tones....

Registered on February 26, 2009, 304 Posts, 1365 Comments

Comment posted by Raymond Marlow on July 18, 2010 at 10:52 PM

seems a little hot on contrast and brightness but I am liking the power of the remaining glacier especially the large clump near the top of the mountain. Nice to see the added bonus of the climbers. Great shot for an image.

Registered on October 15, 2008, 158 Posts, 531 Comments

Comment posted by Winnie Ho on July 19, 2010 at 8:29 AM

Wow, Paolo...I'm glad you are okay after dodging those hailstones. This one conveys the harsh conditions and drama on the mountain top. Seems a bit different from your usual images. Like the tones. Like the BW but I reckon colour could work too.

Registered on January 6, 2008, 93 Posts, 1788 Comments

Comment posted by Arnab Banerjee on July 19, 2010 at 11:22 AM

Great dramatic image Paolo. I was there last week too - I did not take the tough route like yours (I was there with my family and took the cable car to the top of aiguille du midi - I got similar stormy weather in the afternoon as well..I have a few shots that I will post in future)...in fact, I like this more than a sunset shot. Did you also take some shots with a wider view - I think that this massif looks awesome with more in the frame

Registered on January 3, 2007, 313 Posts, 2270 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on July 19, 2010 at 2:37 PM

Those are some impressive clouds, and a scary story. Glad you didn't get zapped by the lightning!! This works really well in B&W - very stark and engaging.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments