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I Am A Mountain-Obsessed Hiker And Photographer And Here Are My 30 Pics I Took In The Swiss Alps
My name is Christine and I'm a mountain-obsessed hiker, adventurer, and elopement photographer living in the German Alps with my husband. When I'm not out exploring, I'm also running an elopement photography business where I get to work with couples who love being outside just as much as I do.
I've hiked and explored from Alaska to Austria, but something about Switzerland just hits differently. No matter how many times I go, my mind is blown every single time.
These pictures may make you book a flight ASAP!
More info: Instagram | madeinthemountainsphoto.com
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I became interested in photography while doing conservation work in Glacier National Park, USA. One of the leaders of my work team was regularly taking photos of the breathtaking places we worked and explored, and I wanted to do the same. When I started university a couple of months later, I began documenting my hikes via cell phone photos.
Six months later, I decided to move close to the German Alps as an au pair. I purchased a point-and-shoot camera (that had some manual settings) before leaving. During my time spent hiking in Germany and across the alps, I photographed the places I hiked more and more. I watched as many YouTube videos as I could about learning to use my camera.
When I moved back to the US, I saved up to purchase my first ‘’real’’ camera. I continued to take photos everywhere I hiked, and a couple of years later, photographed my first engagement session while living in Alaska. From there, I quickly fell in love with photographing couples in the incredible landscapes we found ourselves in. Eventually, that led me to start a business photographing adventure weddings (first, in the USA, and later, the alps, when my husband and I relocated). I now work as a full-time adventure wedding photographer, but I’m equally as passionate about documenting the landscapes I’m regularly hiking in too.
The thing I love most about photography is that it helps me connect more deeply with the outdoors. In some ways, it’s meditative. Photography forces me to slow down and notice the little details. I’ve learned to become so aware of the different types of light that come from various cloud formations, the way grass changes shades of green throughout the summer, when certain types of flowers bloom, why lakes can have different hues of blue, and more. When I’m out (even if I don’t have my camera), I’ve learned to appreciate all the unique forces that make nature as special as it is.
One of the most challenging parts of the creative process in outdoor and adventure photography is waiting for the right light. Sometimes, I’ll go back to a location many times before the conditions align for the image I have in mind. Despite this, waiting is also one of my favorite parts. I regularly find myself out at sunrise or sunset, or even in the middle of the night, almost completely alone (besides my husband). The peace in these moments is indescribable.
Currently, I’m working on selling prints of my work, and also adding videography (with my husband) as a new service for our adventure wedding photography business. I’ve also recently launched a website that shares helpful information about hiking in the alps, and tips for landscape photography (with a focus on the alps). In the future, I would love to work with tourism boards and outdoor brands photographing content.
NO ONE IS STOPPING ME FROM GOING HERE, I KNOW FOR SURE IM COMING HERE HEHEHEHHEHEHHEHHHEEHEH
I lived in Switzerland for 10 years and share your obsession of the alps. I was lucky enough to live near Lake Geneva with views to the French Alps and on a good day we could see Mont Blanc. I could look at the mountains for hours. Miss the Alps a lot. Australia has nothing like it to compare.
The perfect village. Can someone leave one of these houses for me in their will. Thanks lol
Which camera and lense did you use to captire this magnificent picture?
Christine, these photos are beautiful. They make me feel like inhaling deeply to catch that fresh air.
Thank you for the kindest words. I always hope people can feel a little piece of what I felt while out hiking. Switzerland's scenery is perfect.
Load More Replies...I took a train ride through Switzerland once, on my way to Italy, and it was THE MOST MIND-BOGGLINGLY AWESOME EXPERIENCE!!! Not just that the Alps were so amazingly high and gorgeous and the valleys were so steep and it was all right next to the train tracks and not miles away, and it wasn't just that the villages were all heartbreakingly beautiful and charming, but also that amidst all these towering gray mountains the valleys and mountainsides were the kind of lurid brilliant emerald green that doesn't exist here! OMG I need to go back, but I don't dare travel yet...
Oh my goodness, that had to be absolutely phenomenal to travel by train between the two! My husband and I always road-trip, but the railways catch such gorgeous little corners not even the roads travel through. I hope you get to go back and have a magical experience there again!
Load More Replies...Lovely places! But it would be be appreciated if you could add the name of the places where the photos were taken.
Thanks Isabella! I tend to shy away from taking locations just because I've seen how many beautiful locations have been ''loved to death'' after one internet photo blowing up. I used to work doing trail and wildlife conservation in the US on public lands, and I've seen how location tagging can play a huge role in damaging an area. I hope to encourage people to explore + find places on their own because there are countless stunning spots to go, not just the ones in my photos. :)
Load More Replies...Christine, these photos are beautiful. They make me feel like inhaling deeply to catch that fresh air.
Thank you for the kindest words. I always hope people can feel a little piece of what I felt while out hiking. Switzerland's scenery is perfect.
Load More Replies...I took a train ride through Switzerland once, on my way to Italy, and it was THE MOST MIND-BOGGLINGLY AWESOME EXPERIENCE!!! Not just that the Alps were so amazingly high and gorgeous and the valleys were so steep and it was all right next to the train tracks and not miles away, and it wasn't just that the villages were all heartbreakingly beautiful and charming, but also that amidst all these towering gray mountains the valleys and mountainsides were the kind of lurid brilliant emerald green that doesn't exist here! OMG I need to go back, but I don't dare travel yet...
Oh my goodness, that had to be absolutely phenomenal to travel by train between the two! My husband and I always road-trip, but the railways catch such gorgeous little corners not even the roads travel through. I hope you get to go back and have a magical experience there again!
Load More Replies...Lovely places! But it would be be appreciated if you could add the name of the places where the photos were taken.
Thanks Isabella! I tend to shy away from taking locations just because I've seen how many beautiful locations have been ''loved to death'' after one internet photo blowing up. I used to work doing trail and wildlife conservation in the US on public lands, and I've seen how location tagging can play a huge role in damaging an area. I hope to encourage people to explore + find places on their own because there are countless stunning spots to go, not just the ones in my photos. :)
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