Ceahlau Massif panoramas

This autumn I took on the challenge to climb the Ceahlau Massif with my camera gear and reach the top, the Toaca Peak at 1904m.

The view from the top was impressive any direction and the best way to bring a little bit of it back was to compose these wide panoramas.

My gear for the following images was: Nikon D7100 with a 35mm lens and a tripod. The weather was unbelievingly good for the time of the year and you could see for miles. The best spot for the sunset was behind Dochia Cabin, near the little church. There were no clouds and no contrasts but the orange hue was just as impressive over the layers and layers of Carpathian Mountains

.Being at the top meant seeing both the sunset and the sunrise and nothing can compare with the view from above on a clear crisp morning from the room balcony. From a photographer point of view the sunrise is where I felt the need for a ND gradual filter but lacked one. The sky was getting brighter and brighter but the night shadows were still covering the trees and rocks beneath. I decided to go for a more underexposed setup and fix it in post processing (Lightroom CC).

The following day was just as clear and going through the juniper we followed the path to the top of the Ceahlau Massif where even more breathtaking views were waiting. I think this part of the trip was my favourite as no matter where you look there was amazing blue skies and incredible forests, lakes and hills. The path to the top was being rebuilt and part of the group stayed behind while a few of us braved through rocky paths and steep, slippery terrain to see beyond the peak. From the top, on the other side of the mountain we could see the Bicaz lake and some of the villages, looking very small from that hight. The trip was a real adventure especially on the way back and I'm planning on a second post with more pictures of the beautiful views and some stories from along the way.