26 July 2018
During my hike along the AHV-Weg trail, I came across several vantage points where I could shoot beautiful vista of the entire town of Zermatt, with the Matterhorn in the background. One of these is at a lookout point above Mürini, which was a short walk uphill from my apartment in Zermatt, the Residence A.
I was very glad to have taken some photos of the first rays of the sun striking the tip of the Matterhorn during the third day of my stay in Zermatt. Those were taken from the balcony of my apartment slightly after 6 AM.
On this clear morning shortly before dawn, I hiked up to this photo-spot alone, while the rest of my family was still warmly snugged in bed. My goal was to shoot similar photos of the Matterhorn but with the town of Zermatt in the foreground.
I arrived at about 5.50 AM half expecting to meet other photographers but there was no one else. I had the whole place to myself.
I snapped a few photos using my Samsung Note 5 with HDR function and they turned out to be a little grainy.
Shooting the mountain and Zermatt at dawn in low light conditions requires long exposure settings on the camera and the use of a tripod to keep the camera steady.
I set up my Canon G5X camera on a Manfrotto Pixie Evo 2 mini tripod on the concrete slab by the side of the paved road and waited for the light show to begin.
These are some of the photos I took.
First rays of the morning sun lighting up the tip of the Matterhorn.
The red tips of the mountain spreading slowly downwards.
Matterhorn seemed to be on fire.
The sun almost fully up and casting its white light on the mountain.
My equipment
I was using a Canon G5X mounted on the Manfrotto Pixi Evo 2 mini-tripod. Some photos were also shot using the camera in my Samsung Note 5 with the HDR mode.
I choose to carry this compact camera and mini-tripod for my travels as they are so much lighter compared to a regular DSLR and regular tripod. The Canon G5X operates like a DLSR, although with lesser features and a non-changeable 24-100mm f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens.
It features a vari-angle touchscreen LCD viewfinder panel which can tilt in almost all directions. Very handy to use when shooting with the camera placed low on the floor as I can tilt the display panel out and facing upwards.
How to get to the Mürini Lookout point from Zermatt?
From Zermatt, go to the Sunnegga Furnicular Station which is a good landmark and reference. Exit the station, turn right and go along Vispastrasse which is parallel to the river.
Turn right into Sunneggastrasse. This road slopes gently uphill towards many residential chalets.
Turn left at the second junction (cross road). You will see chalets on both sides of the road.
Keep right at fork.
The next turn is crucial. Look for a signpost with a yellow arrow showing an icon of a hiker. This sign should point to a footpath on your right that leads uphill to official hiking trails around Zermatt.
Take this path that winds uphill, past the entrances of chalets. Continue uphill and it should lead to a metal staircase before arriving at the Mürini lookout point.
I choose to shoot from here (Location 1 in map above) as this lookout point provided good stable support for my small table-top tripod.
If you are using a regular tripod and wish to shoot from a even higher vista, continue into the trail that leads into the forest. This trail will lead uphill to the Gourmetweg and Riedweg hiking trails, where you should be able to find some other good locations (Location 2) for shooting the entire village of Zermatt with the Matterhorn as the backdrop.
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