A beautiful spot in the middle of the swiss Alps.. it’s such a peaceful place when it’s quiet - the occasional splash as the trout rise the only break in wonderful silence - the drawback is the that everyone thinks perching on a rock and having their photo taken here will make them the next big travel Instagram hero - so rarely can one enjoy such peace.. 😀
Hi Robin. I just checked out your profile. Nice work. Love the curved roads.
This image is interesting. There is something confusing about it. As if it is a photograph of a drawing. Or taken through a window. I'd love to hear more about the scene.
(No criticism intended - pure curiosity!)
Hi Ruth, thanks for the comment - it’s a long exposure - which makes the water glassy flat - but I blended in the fish from another shot as on a long exposure they were obviously not visible (swimming about too much!) - I may, when I have time, try blending the foliage from another shot so there’s not the blur in the trees, but thought I’d throw this out there and see what the feedback is like! 😀
My reaction is a bit like Ruth's, Robin. The way I'd phrase it is that it just looks unnatural.
Specifically, the blue of the water looks as if it's dyed, while the highlights - distant mountain, foreground reflection and around the building - look magenta, which could be an illusion because of the intense water colour. It looks as if you've used a polariser to enable the viewer to look into the water, but I think this is overdone if so (i.e. the filter could have been rotated to a part-polarising angle).
My speculation might be all wrong. I'm thinking of this as a photographer, and the tools we use.
I get what you are saying, however, I would urge you to check out "Blausee" on Instagram or Google - this is pretty close to the colour of the water.. its pretty incredible.. Ive actually done very little to this image in terms of the colours..
Also no polariser.. its just incredibly clear!
So I was all wrong! What an amazing place, then, Robin! Is the water tinted with schist, like in New Zealand and, I think, Iceland, giving it that turquoise hue? Or is it the reflected sky?
I dont know exactly what causes the colour of the water, but a little research tells me that it is crystal clear as it is fed by underground springs, and absorbs more long wave light than short wave light, giving it its blue colour.. Its name, Blausee, literally translates as Blue Lake..
I thought I would mention the one time I've seen water that color and that clear. I was at a "hot springs". This was many years ago but that's exactly the color of the water. When I first saw it I thought somebody had dropped dye into it but was told it was completely natural. There were several pictures of the site around the area and every one had that color. I was completely blown away that water could be that turquoise and that clear. I could see the polish on my toenails at the bottom. Not sure if Robins picture was anywhere near a hot springs but it's a beautiful place. Good job Robin.
Thanks Elizabeth - we have quite a few thermal baths around us in Switzerland - while this lake is not known as a hot spring, the principles of spring fed lakes may be similar 👍🏻