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Shooting photos of the Matterhorn at sun rise

24 July 2018

I woke up slightly before 6 AM and saw the Matterhorn with no clouds around it through the windows of my bedroom. At that moment, I was truly glad that I had booked an apartment in Zermatt with unblocked views of the Matterhorn, the iconic and legendary mountain in Switzerland.

One “mission” I had on this trip was to shoot photos of the mountain at sun rise, at the time when the first rays of the sun hit its tip. I knew this spectacular light show would begin at about 6.10 AM and I did not have much time to spare.

Still dressed in clothes that I wore to bed, I dashed out to the balcony and set up my Canon G5X camera on a Manfrotto Pixie Evo 2 mini tripod on the wooden table. Shooting the mountain at sun rise in low light requires the use of a tripod to keep the camera steady. I had bought this tripod just before my trip and this was its maiden photo shoot. 

“Are you not feeling cold? ”, my wife asked from inside the apartment.

In the excitement of capturing some epic shots of nature’s light show, I did not have time to feel cold even though it was about 15 degree C at dawn.

The mountain was grey against the pale blue sky, like an ash-covered piece of sharp ember that was almost extinguished during the night. At about 6.10 AM, the first rays of the sun strike the sharp tip of the Matterhorn.

It was like as if an unseen giant had blown on the tip of the mountain. Blowing away the coating of ash, feeding it with oxygen and re-igniting it again.

The Matterhorn at sun rise, at the time when the first rays of the sun hit its tip.


As the sun rose in the next few minutes, I snapped away while watching the red tip of the mountain glows and grows bigger and bigger, spreading down the mountain. 

It was like the Matterhorn was on fire!

The Matterhorn at sun rise, at the time when the first rays of the sun hit its tip.The Matterhorn at sun rise, at the time when the first rays of the sun hit its tip.The Matterhorn at sun rise, at the time when the first rays of the sun hit its tip.The Matterhorn at sun rise, at the time when the first rays of the sun hit its tip.The Matterhorn at sun rise, at the time when the first rays of the sun hit its tip.

 The Matterhorn at sun rise, at the time when the first rays of the sun hit its tip.The Matterhorn, a mountain of gold.

The Matterhorn, a mountain of gold.


The colour of the mountain also transformed from red to orange and finally to gold. 

I hope the above sequence of photos had captured the incredible show my family witnessed on this morning.

The Matterhorn

The show ended once the sun was fully up and cast its white light on the mountain at about 6.30 AM. The mountain became grey and white again. Against the pale blue sky.

Show over and mission accomplished!

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