Language: German

Mountain photography: tips on equipment, motifs & practice

Photography & image editing · German

by Bernd Ritschel

Embark on a photographic summit storm and overcome all the photographic challenges that you encounter in thin high-altitude air. 10 lessons from mountain climber and professional photographer Bernd Ritschel with tips on equipment, light and lighting, as well as various motifs. Start with the training and then go straight into practice.

Mountain photography: 10 illustrated lessons in PDF format
Take professional photos of what you encounter on the mountains: Summits, sports, people and weather conditions
Find out what equipment you need, how to make the most of available light and how to focus on details
From mountain photographer Bernd Ritschel, who gives you outstanding 7000-meter knowledge

Climb up! First figuratively in your mountain photography know-how and image portfolio and then literally on the mountain. With this training, you will conquer every meter of altitude with ease.

content

10 items

mountain photography

Mountain photography - Part 01 - The equipment - less is more on the mountain

Is there such a thing as ideal equipment? The answer to this question lies in answering another question: What do I actually want to photograph?

To the text tutorial: Mountain photography - Part 01 - The equipment - less is more on the mountain

Mountain photography - Part 02 - Classic mountain landscape - Technique - Image composition

Very slowly, a blue fringe of light pushes across the horizon. It reveals contours and the first colors.

To the text tutorial: Mountain photography - Part 02 - Classic mountain landscape - Technique - Image composition

Mountain photography - Part 03 - The exposure

Exposure is (still) what counts - the histogram.

To the text tutorial: Mountain photography - Part 03 - Exposure

Mountain photography - Part 04 - Mountain sports classic - Action frozen

Does the classic have to be banal or unfashionable? No, not at all. This tutorial is not about the "knickerbocker loden photo style" from the Luis Trenker era. Mountain sports and various outdoor activities can also be photographed in a classic, very appealing and even modern way. I would even venture to say the following here and now: classic is timeless, especially in this area of photography.

To the text tutorial: Mountain photography - Part 04 - Mountain sports classic - Action frozen

Mountain photography - Part 05 - Mountain sports in motion - blurred - crazy - dynamic

As classic and timeless as "frozen" outdoor or mountain sports action photography is, as dynamic, beautiful, fast and modern can be pictures taken with or without motion blur. In this very creative area of the photographic world, digital photography can play to its strengths. What was really difficult in analog photography and required a lot of experience, but also luck, is now much easier with a much higher success rate.

To the text tutorial: Mountain photography - Part 05 - Mountain sports in motion - blurred - crazy - dynamic

Mountain photography - Part 06 - Close ups - closer to the action

"If a picture isn't good, you weren't close enough" - said Robert Capa. In modern mountain and outdoor photography, this sentence applies more than ever. At close range, completely new and varied possibilities open up to us. It's not just about the usual flowers and details in nature, but also about sport and action in the mountains.

To the text tutorial: Mountain photography - Part 06 - Close ups - closer to the action

Mountain photography - Part 07 - Extreme conditions - cold, storms and much more

Extreme conditions - cold, storms and much more.

To the text tutorial: Mountain photography - Part 07 - Extreme conditions - cold, storms and much more

Mountain photography - Part 08 - Available light - less light is (sometimes) more

In photography, this term stands for a very specific, usually very atmospheric visual language. The literal translation "available light" does not do sufficient justice to the meaning. In my eyes, available light stands above all for the world of reportage photography: spontaneous and authentic. It is the high school of expressive photography - with little light!

To the text tutorial: Mountain photography - Part 08 - Available light - less light is (sometimes) more

Mountain photography - Part 09 - Faces from the mountains

In my eyes, portraiture and reportage are the most sensitive areas of photography. It's about ethics and respect. I have deliberately chosen only images from a single portrait production for this tutorial. They were created from a single source and, above all, with little technical effort, but still give me the opportunity to explore different lighting situations and techniques. They were created within six months in the Tyrolean Ötztal.

To the text tutorial: Mountain photography - Part 09 - Faces from the mountains

Mountain photography - Part 10 - Mountains in the light - the possibilities - the planning - visions and reality

What do I want to and can I pass on to you with this last tutorial? This time it's neither technical tips nor equipment recommendations. It's more about the basic approach to photographic projects and dreams and how to plan and implement them.

To the text tutorial: Mountain photography - Part 10 - Mountains in the light - the possibilities - the planning - visions and reality

Examples of use

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Step up in mountain photography!
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Out and about in the mountains - a unique way to showcase the much-photographed "mountain" motif.
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But the training offers you much more than just a view of the mountain: photograph people, ...
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... and get up close to focus on details such as Blum or climbing hooks.
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Capture skiers, climbers or snowboarders in a classic-static or dynamic-modern style.
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Scenes with a special character - learn how to make the most of existing lighting conditions.
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Realize your image visions by following the tips of an experienced mountaineer.
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A desert?! Yes! Your trainer will teach you how to capture weather conditions photographically.
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The right equipment, the perfect preparation: how to return with heavenly pictures!
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Keep an eye out and look for something special to find something atmospheric.
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Backlight? Highlights? Shadows? A challenge, especially on the mountain - but not for you!

Details of the content

Mountain photography - with these tips, you'll be on top of the world at altitude!

Mountains, sports, weather and portraits, details, equipment, light and exposure - in this training course, extreme mountaineer and professional photographer Bernd Ritschel shares his experiences, presented in both lively and practical explanations, so that you can do everything right at the top and return to the valley below with sky-scraping photos.

The structure of the course

The mountain photography training course contains a total of ten lessons with over 180 PDF pages . The text explanations are illustrated with motifs and images that your trainer has created in over 25 years, on different continents and even at over 7000 meters altitude while climbing and on expeditions. Let the passion and experience of a professional take you to the summits of mountain photography .

This is the equipment you need for mountain photography

Bernd Ritschel will help you choose the right equipment for the altitude - lenses, cameras, tripods and bags, let you manage highlights, shadows and backlighting with ISO or histogram and also introduce you to a very special discipline: Photographing under "available light". Known from magazines such as GEO or National Geographic, the aim is to capture "the naturalness of the situation", atmospheric moments , for example at dusk.

Discover the variety of mountain motifs

Of course, the lessons also look at the mountains, their peaks and diverse formations themselves - but you will not only learn how to depict them classically, but also how to realize your extravagant motif visions. Tour planning, studying maps and literature and skillfully letting yourself drift are just a few of the helpful tips and tricks .

Tips for exciting motifs: focus on the inhabitants of the mountains

And where there's a mountain, there's life: Underpinned by portraits from the Tyrolean Ötztal, your trainer explains his approach to portrait photography, which is characterized by "ethics and respect". You will also learn how to capture outdoor sporting moments in a classic and - in another word - timeless way as well as in a "blurred, crazy and dynamic" way. With close-ups , you focus your attention on fine details such as crystals or warming teapots. And finally, based on the one or other vivid experience report, you also make sure that your camera and lens don't freeze in a storm. Would you prefer to stay on the ground and focus on a very special time of year? - Then check out the fall photography training.

Tips on equipment and procedure: This is what you'll learn in the mountain photography tutorial

Expand your photography know-how with an additional facet to broaden your professional portfolio . You will master the subjects you encounter on and around the mountain with increased photographic skill. This will make every ascent worthwhile and may even pay off financially in the end.

Note

Licence: private and commercial Rights of use

Created with love by

Bernd Ritschel

Bernd Ritschel, born in 1963 in Wolfratshausen, Upper Bavaria, has been traveling the mountains and continents of the world for over 25 years. Many expeditions to the Himalayas, Alaska, the Andes and the Arctic have taken him to peaks over 7000 meters. The passionate extreme mountaineer became an enthusiastic and successful professional photographer, including mountain and alpine photography. His many years of mountain experience allow him to realize even difficult assignments under extreme conditions. Advertising photography in the high mountains for clients such as Gore Tex, Schöffel, Lowa and The North Face is part of his everyday work. His photographs have been published in over 80 calendars and well-known magazines such as Geo, Stern, Geo Saison, Abenteuer & Reisen, ADAC Specials, in almost all European ski and mountain magazines and in over 20 illustrated books such as Dolomiten, Klettersteige, Berge im Licht, the Lehrbuch Fotografie or in the illustrated book Bergfotografie. Bernd Ritschel is one of the best-known mountain and outdoor photographers in Central Europe today.

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