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Roches de Crépin, Vallée de la Clarée
The Vallée de la Clarée is a beautiful alpine valley in the eastern Haute-Alpes department along the French-Italian border, close to the town of Briançon. The valley is lined with meadows and larch trees, which are the only coniferous trees in Europe whose needles change to a beautiful golden orange color before falling off for winter. The valley itself ranges in elevation from 1,400 to 2,000 meters (4,593 to 6,561 ft.) but is bordered to the west by peaks ranging from 2,800 to 2,900 meters (9,186 to 9,514 ft.) and to the east by peaks ranging from 2,300 to 2,400 meters (7,545 to 7,874 ft.).
Due to the elevation, the valley has a late spring with a short summer, which causes many of the hiking trails to be inaccessible to all but the most experienced alpinists and snowshoers until June. The dark brown and gray tones of the jagged peaks of the Massif de Cerces and the leafless larch trees contrast with the snow-draped slopes to create a magnificent if austere scene. As with all alpine environments, the weather changes rapidly and showers can move in and layer the slopes with even more snow.
It is this austere environment that I sought to capture and portray with this image. I was moved by the cold and harsh yet beautiful environment surrounding me. As I hiked up the mountain through the snow and heavily laden with my equipment, I slipped multiple times and struggled to breathe in the thinner air but was sure of my path with the solid rock beneath my feet. After finding the right viewpoint, I stopped to capture the multiple series of images necessary to recreate this view of the snowstorm traversing the peaks and valley below. The ice crystals in the clouds and the flakes falling to the ground created a soft yet directional light of varying intensities that highlighted the peaks and caressed the snowbanks below.
This 2,058-megapixel VAST image reveals details such as falling snow and small animal tracks in the snow. It was very challenging to create due to the constantly changing weather conditions ranging from the sun coming out to falling snow and strong winds.
Date & Time | May 14, 2021: 1:46pm - 3:05pm |
Location | Vallée de la Clarée, Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France |
Coordinates | 45.073465, 6.515983 |
Focal Length | 120mm |
Aperture | f/20 |
Shutter | 1/80 sec |
ISO | 100 |
Num of Exposures | 522 |
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Its resolution is 5,410% greater than a typical photo. Click on the boxes below to zoom in.
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Total Pixels | 1,157,707,090 px |
Width | 50,933 px |
Height | 22,730 px |
Aspect Ratio | 2.24 : 1 |
Date & Time | May 14, 2021: 1:46pm - 3:05pm |
Location | Vallée de la Clarée, Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France |
Coordinates | 45.073465, 6.515983 |
Focal Length | 120mm |
Aperture | f/20 |
Shutter | 1/80 sec |
ISO | 100 |
Num of Exposures | 522 |
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