Into the Blue: Gorge Excursion

Breitach Detail // f16, 1/2 s, ISO 200

QUICK SUMMARY

Best Conditions	Winter for the icicles, early summer for snow-melt
Challenges	Tripod inadvisable due to narrow walkways / avoid midday sun in summer / check opening times (link below)
Parking	€2 at Gasthaus Breitachklamm
Where to Stop	Gasthaus Breitachklamm (traditional German food) or Waldhaus (rustic; approx. 40 min up from the top of the gorge, follow the river)
Links	Breitachklamm

Our first winter excursion to the Breitach Gorge [Google Maps] was in 2012. We'd had a snap freeze in February and the car thermometer was showing about - 20°C on the way down. There was snow on the fields all the way from home. We'd set off early enough that we saw a fox on his morning return commute back to his den. It was so cold that I had to keep my camera under my jacket to preserve the battery and could only take my gloves off to shoot for a few seconds at a time. It was so cold that there was ice on the stones of the river bed with the water flowing over it. I'm told that the water has to be about -10°C for this to happen.

The Breitach anno 2012 during a cold snap

This year it was only just below freezing at home, so I was expecting about -5°C inside the gorge. I wasn't sure how much ice we'd be seeing. I certainly wasn't expecting the ice curtains we'd seen 8 years before. But this time I had a secret weapon with me: my Olympus EM-1 Mk II has 6-stop image stabilisation on board, 7 when it's synchronised with the Zuiko 12-100 mm f4 telephoto. It really is difficult to believe, but I can get pin-sharp 2 s hand-held exposures using this combo and I've read reports of people claiming the same for 7 s exposures. And I don't have the steadiest of hands.

Black/Blue/Grey // f5.6, 1/2 s, ISO 200

So, winter conditions and the possibility of multi second sharp pictures: bring it on! Normally, using a tripod in the narrow gorge, especially in the middle of the day at the weekend would have been extremely antisocial towards the other visitors and so heavy IBIS (in body image stabilisation) is the best way to get those juicy silky flowing water shots.

There was no snow on the ground this time, but there was still a significant frost on the ground as we entered the gorge and we were soon rewarded with out first icicle pipe-organs.

Icicles in the Gorge // f8, 1/8 s, ISO 1600

Gorges are funny things, they're never the same twice, I learned this the hard way the first time I walked through the Partnach gorge in Garmisch. Towards the end there was a waterfall with a wonderful rainbow. There were too many people standing around and so I thought I'd catch it on the way back. Coming out into the sunshine at the end, we sat down to a comfortable lunch on the river bank. Forty-five minutes later we headed back. To my dismay, in that time the sun had moved completely and the rainbow was nowhere to be seen (duh!). Walking back through a gorge is always worth it though, because there are always angles that you missed the first time round. The Breitach was no exception and as we made our way back down, we were met with the sun shining down through a gap in the rocks above.

Hole in the Roof // f5.6, 0.8 s, ISO 1600

Towards the end of the gorge, there's a mossy waterfall falling down the southern bank of the Breitach. There's a reason why I love the Zuiko f4 12-100 mm (24-200 mm FF equivalent) and why probably more than 95% of my photos are shot with this lens. Apart from the optical quality, weatherproofing and image stabilisation and a closest focal distance of 12 cm, the 12-100 mm range is perfect for most of what I want to catch. Unless I'm going for wildlife or need my ultra-wide Panasonic Leica 8-18 mm (also a lens with exceptional IQ), it lets me take the bigger picture or zoom in here to a detail of a waterfall across the narrow valley. 

Frozen Christmas Trees // f22, 1 s, ISO 160

Not an ideal perspective on this shot (tricky without a rope and harness in this case), I thought this showcased the water colour and flow nicely. I also enjoyed the opportunity for an unconventional crop. Most of my images end up at a 5:4 or 16:9 crop, but a 1:1 can also be powerful. Micro 4/3rds cameras have a native crop of 4:3.

Gorge Detail // f9, 1/2 s, ISO 200

Sometimes, a human figure in the scene puts everything into perspective like here. Many of the icicles were at least as long as Sharon.

Enough Icicles for You? || f8, 1/2 s, ISO 1600