At the turn of October and November 2024, my wife and I set out on a full-day trek in the Western Tatras. The goal of our hike was a group of four peaks rising above 2,000 meters above sea level, together forming the Czerwone Wierchy Massif.

I’ve been struggling to sit down and write a full account of this hike. I remember very few details, as it was one of the most demanding mountain trips of my life — in fact, the most demanding one. It wasn’t about technical difficulty, although the route is certainly physically challenging. Simply put, it wasn’t my day. From halfway through the hike, it turned into a lesson in endurance rather than an enjoyable walk.

That’s why today I’d like to focus on a selection of photographs which I consider some of the best from this trip. I’ve divided the images according to the lenses used. That day, I carried two lenses with me: the Nikkor 14–24mm f/2.8 and the Sigma 50mm f/1.4. Today, I’m presenting the photos taken with the former. Let’s begin!

The idea for the first photograph had been forming in my mind for quite some time. I wanted to capture a mountain landscape with a human figure in the foreground. Although I have many similar images, most of them were taken for my wife and are more portrait-oriented.

This time, however, my goal was a purely landscape composition with a subtle human presence. I asked my wife to stand in front of me and look into the distance, toward the High Tatras, which can be seen in the background on the left side of the frame. To build the foreground, in addition to my wife’s silhouette, I also used several boulders scattered around that area.

The ridge trail of the Czerwone Wierchy offers plenty of spots that lend themselves to composing compelling images. The ridge itself forms a series of irregular lines which, when placed thoughtfully within the frame, guide the viewer’s eye through the different layers of the photograph.

At this time of year, the sun doesn’t climb as high in the sky, so the light remains soft and pleasing for much of the day — even in the early afternoon. That was exactly the case on this particular day.

At every step, I came across interesting landforms, often unable to decide from which perspective they would work best in a photograph. On hikes like this, when time is limited and I’m not alone, I have to make quick decisions, without the luxury of stopping for long and carefully planning each frame.

I don’t see this as a drawback, though. More often than not, it’s the spontaneous shots that turn out better than the carefully planned ones.

In some places, the compositions are so obvious that there’s nothing to overthink. That was the case with the photograph above, where I used the line of the ridge to create a kind of spiral that guides the viewer’s eye through the frame, cutting across a peak that looks as if it were split in two.

I love this image.

The only thing I felt was missing during this hike was a slightly more interesting sky — a touch of more dramatic clouds. Although I can’t say the sky was completely dull. 😉

To close, a photograph showing a panorama dominated by the High Tatras, with the Western Tatras leading toward them on the left side of the frame. I also used the stone steps that form part of the trail to give the foreground more structure and keep it from feeling empty or dull.

That’s all for today. In the future, I’ll be sharing images taken with the 50mm lens — for now, they’re still waiting for post-production. See you soon! 👋