Photography in the French Alps

Hi folks,

 

I'm planning a 10-day trip to Annecy in the French Alps towards the end

of June/beginning of July. I'm interested in photographing anything

nature-related, especially alpine flowers and birds/mammals of the

area. Does anyone have any tips or advice on locations etc. My

equipment 'limitations' are an EOS 3 with 28-135, 100-400, 180 (1:1)

macro and a 1.4x TC plus flash and tripod.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice,

 

Sam.

Can't give any specific information about Annecy, but I know who does. Call the French consulate (not embassy) in NYC and ask them for contact for that area.

Don't forget the Comte cheese with that red wine.

<p>In terms of flowers you cannot go wrong. On any mountain around Annecy you will find a wide range of flower species distributed at different altitudes. Overlooking the lake on the eastern side is a mountain called La Tournette, which is a wonderful viewpoint. Among other points of interest close to Annecy there is the vallon d'Ablon, on the plateau des Glieres. It is a nice secluded little valley with beautiful cliffs. Also, at the Col de la Colombiere near Chinaillon, it is common to see chamois and bouquetins (sorts of mountain goats with huge horns) You should get a map, scale 1:25'000 or 1:50'000 to locate these places.</p><p>The city of Annecy by itself is also very nice, with lots of little channels and bridges (little Venice?).</p>

In addition to Tomas' excellent advice, I would suggest you take a trip to the Manigod valley, about 45 minutes' drive from Annecy. Head through the market town of Thones, and on up towards the Col de la Croix Fry. You'll see an incredible panorama including the western face of La Tournette. There are over 200km of trails in the Manigod valley, and you can pick up a trail guide at the mayor's office in the center of the village of Manigod.

 

If you are willing to travel further afield, Chamonix and Mont Blanc are about 90 minutes' drive from Annecy by highway, or 3 hours if you take the mountain roads. (If you have the time, take the mountain roads - the photo opportunities are so much greater.) Mont Blanc is spectacular, but being a major tourist attraction, you will be fighting the crowds.

 

As always, be careful in the mountains. The sun's intensity is much greater at altitude, so wear sunblock. And check the weather forecast each day before you set out on the trails. It's not uncommon for storms to appear suddenly in mid-afternoon.

 

From a photographic perspective, take warming filters or warmer film (Velvia, E100 SW, etc) to compensate for the light, which is more biased towards the blue end of the spectrum. And consider renting a 24mm prime lens if you can. The extra field angle really makes a difference in mountain landscapes. With proper composition, a 24mm lens will give much more compelling results than a 28mm lens.

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Stuart

Regardless of how interesting the mountains in the vicinity

of Annecy are, I would not miss Chamonix and the Mount-Blanc

range for spectacular scenery. Nothing in North America comes

close to this range except Alaska, but there is a huge

difference in accessibility. In AK, you have to charter an

air taxi and then backpack. In Chamonix, you park or walk out

of the train and take a tram up the mountain. From the

Aiguilles Rouges range, you can photograph the whole Mount-Blanc

range and have nice flowers for your foreground as well.

My first morning in Chamonix was one of those drop-dead

jaw-on-the-floor aesthetic experiences that stay with you for the

rest of your life, so I'd heartily second Tuan's advice. He's too

modest to say it himself, but check out his mountain gallery for

some inspiration.

 

My only other tip would be to forget photography for one day and

go to the 5-star restaurant at Talloires. It *is* a holiday after all.

I would back up the advice to see the Chamonix Valley. I was

there in March and although the weather didn't totally cooperate, I

enjoyed the trip and the photography. I'm not sure what summer

will be like, but the popular trams can be pretty crowded. See my

website, www.wildrays.com, or photo.net folder for some

pictures from the trip.<div></div>

I have to agree with previous responses, Anecy is in fact a very nice village, and you should certainly go there, but going to the Alps and miss Chamonix valley would be unforgiving. As it was previously said, there is lots of tourism in the area, after all, France is the number one tourist destination in the world, and Chamonix is probably the second destination in France, after Paris. In spite of this, I think that the end of June is a perfect time to go there, and if you pick the right trails, you should not have any problems with crowds.

 

I suggest you stay at least 3 days in the valley. Among things you shouldn�t miss are:

 

 

La Mer de Glass - the biggest glacier in the Alps. There are to ways to clime to the 2000 meters to see the glacier. By train, or walking. I suggest the second, it�s a 2,5 our walk with plenty of photo opportunities.

Lots of details here:

 

http://www.mer-de-glace.com/us/indexan.htm

 

http://chamonix.net/english/home.htm

 

Le Brevent (2526m) - the mountain opposite to The Mont Blanc on the other side of the Chamonix valley, with great views and plenty of opportunities to photograph birds. Once again you can walk up and down, or you can take the cableway to the top and walk down.

 

Also with lots of spectacular landscapes a certainly with a lot more opportunities to see and photograph birds, mammals and flours is Vanoise National Park (about two hours driving South from Chamonix). If I were really looking to photograph fauna, don�t overlook this area.

Don�t miss their web page:

http://www.vanoise.com/_anglais/autres/pnv_gb1.htm

 

Have a nice trip.

Struan

 

Pardon my ignorance, but have you a link to Tuan's website?

 

Thanks

to Isaac: here's the mountain site, http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~qtluong/gallery/

Struan, thank you for info on Tuan's web site. It, is in indeed, impressive and comprehensive.

Sam, I have no advice for you, I am only writing this to express my intense envy..:-)))

Good luck, and good shooting.

Sorry folks, I had forgotten that Tuan's Photo.net link now points

to Terra Galleria.

 

Where to photograph in the Chamonix valley depends a lot on

how you feel about hiking and/or climbing, as well as whether

you are willing to hire a guide.

 

For my money, the best tourist views of the Aiguilles are to be

had from the opposite side of the valley. Any of the three

chairlifts/cablecar stations (Brevant, Flegere, Index) take you to

places with great photo opportunities, but they won't get you

there for dawn, so consider staying a night at the Lac Blanc hut

(or in a bivvi bag if you're feeling tough). Sunset can also be

spectacular, with everything turning pink, but in the high summer

it's often hazy by then and the wrap-around light of dawn usually

gives better shots.

 

Other classic couch potato spots include the cablecar station on

the Aiguille de Midi, the cabin ride across the Vallee Blanche,

and the views from the slopes above Les Houches and Le Tour

at either end of the valley. As others have said, there is also

Montenvers and the Mer de Glace, but I've always found the

easily-acessed parts of those slightly disappointing. The Italian

side also has some wonderful overlooks and - if possible - even

more dramatic scenery, but until they open the tunnel that will be

hard to do if you're day tripping from Annecy.

 

If you are prepared to hire a guide for glacier walking consider a

night in one of the high huts such as the Cosmique on the

Aiguille de Midi, the Argentiere in the spectacular cirque of the

Argentiere glacier, or the Tetes Rousses on the normal way up

Mt. Blanc. Apart from being in superb positions in their own right,

these will give you wonderful dawn shots of pink-tinged

mountains.

 

Tourists die every year by falling into crevasses, so if you are

tempted to 'just do it' and head for some of the high huts on your

own, please make a realistic assessment of your abilities and

experience. Americans are particularly prone to getting in over

their heads because they think that experience from, say,

Colorado 14-thousanders, is 'alpine'. This isn't Euro-snobbery,

just a warning that glacier travel is a skill all of its own. Even if

you are 'only' taking a high cablecar, remember to stay hydrated,

wear sun block and a hat, and take warm clothing up with you.

 

For alpine flowers and other flora I would recommend heading to

one of the nearby valleys, as the ski pistes have pretty well

eradicated all the alpine meadows in the Chamonix valley itself.

The hillsides around Contamines to the South and in the

Aiguilles Rouges to the west are much better, although by July

things are getting a bit thin.

 

The side valleys are also much better for animals and birds.

Chamoix, Ibex, marmots and alpine choughs are ubiqutious

once you get high enough, but that's about it unless you count

the sparrows. Rarities like lammergeier, eagles etc tend to

hang out in quieter places.

Dear All,

 

Thanks very much for all your comments, I really appreciate them. The overwelming opinion seems to be that Chamonix-Mont Blanc is the place to go, so I'll take your advice and spend some time there.

 

Thanks again,

 

Sam.

<p>Sam,</p>

 

<p>yes Chamonix is unique in terms of mountain landscapes, and it is definitely worth the trip. I think that together with Zermatt in Switzerland (another 3 hours drive) it offers the most awesome sights in the Alps. </p>

<p>If you have an interest in more rural landscapes you might find better locations just a few miles off the beaten path, since the valley of Chamonix and of the river Arve are quite developed, both with tourism and industry. In the side valleys you will find isolated villages, altitude farms with cows and goats, people making cheese on spot, etc. </p>

 

<p>One magical place is at the Col des Annes, by the Aravis mountains, at the eastern end of the range underneath the Pointe Percee mountain. You reach it from Chinaillon or Grand-Bornand villages, at the end of a dirt road. As the crow flies it is about halfway between Annecy and Chamonix. Hiking higher up on the slopes of the Pointe Percee you will find really beautiful landscapes, and with luck you might see one of the few specimens of "Gypaete barbu", the largest european bird (of the family of vultures).

At the end of the day, you can stop at the pass at one of the summer farms where you can get simple meals including the local speciality "tartiflette": melted Reblochon (the cheese produced in these valleys) over potatoes. That rounds up the day in a very pleasant manner. </p>

 

<p>There is definitely enough to keep you busy for ten days�</p>

Sam --

 

I agree with the recommendations on Chamonix and that to be so near it and not go would be shameful. There is much to photograph in and around Annecy that hasn't been mentioned, though.

 

For nature photography, my favorite way to spend a day near Annecy begins by venturing 12-13km East around Lac d'Annecy to a nearby village called Talloires (local buses go there frequently from Annecy's bus depot during the day if you don't have a car).

 

On the mountainside above Talloires, there lies a nature preserve containing an exciting and very photogenic waterfall named Cascade d'Angon. A trail/foot path going from the village up to the waterfall alternates between woodland and small alpine meadows. It's a nature photographer's paradise much of the year, including summer months. The hike up to the "cascade" itself finishes on an interesting cliffside path, the final several meters of which require use of bolted-to-the-cliff iron handrailings and in a couple cases pulling one's self upward hand-over-hand on chains while actually passing behind a portion of the waterfall. It's not strenuous and easily done with a photo backpack. The trail system in the preserve is well marked.

 

It's possible to drive to a car park slightly above the falls and hike briefly down to the cascade, as well, but you'll miss many of the best photo opps.

 

By continuing on up the mountain beyond the "cascade," follow the signs to L'ermitage du St. Germain, which is beautiful little historic church, for which the historic significance totally escapes me at the moment. More important with regard to your question, however, aside from the fact that the church itself is quite photogenic, is the fact that the church site offers sweeping vistas of the entire Lac d'Annecy valley -- the emerald lake below, chateaux on the distant hillsides, paragliders sailing overhead (above this location, on up the mountain, is one of the Annecy environ's more popular parapente departure sites). There is also a small cemetary as well as gardens on the church grounds, offering some interesting subject matter.

 

In all, it's a great photographic daytrip near Annecy. Actually, the village of Talloires itself is interesting to wander with camera in hand, and the residents are very warm and inviting. The kind folks in the Talloires tourist office can point you to the trailhead, and can answer any other questions you have in English. Maps to the cascade are also available there.

 

If you go, do keep an eye on the sky. Summer afternoon squalls can come over the Lac d'Annecy valley very quickly and it can go from bright sun to a downpour in a short time. Luckily, from the elevation of the cascade or the St. Germain church, storms are usually easy to spot in time to take cover. And in the summer afternoon squalls don't tend to last long. That said, the last trip my wife and I took there ended with a muddy slide on our backsides most of the way back down the mountain from the Hermitage to the village.

 

Happy travels!

Sorry, the subject line in my last post should read "Cascade d'Angon near Annecy" not "...Agnon..."

 

My apologies on the mis-spelling.