Switzerland Photo Tour

Switzerland's beauty is spellbinding. Join Jim for this incredible photography tour that encompasses ultra dramatic landscapes, quaint medieval villages at twilight, steam trains traveling through mountain passes, castles from the Middle Ages, and more.  You'll take cable cars and cogwheel trains to fantastic panoramas, photograph classic reflections of the Matterhorn, and go inside a mountain to shoot a thundering waterfall. Jim very much enjoys teaching, and he will make sure you understand HDR, how to put together panorama images, how to expose for night photography, and how to compose your images for maximum artistry.  This is a tour not to be missed!

Days 2 - 4, Wednesday - Friday, Sept 24 - 26. 

We depart from Geneve early and drive 40 minutes to our first stop of the day -- 15th century Vufflens Castle  The medieval architecture stands alone surrounded by agricultural fields, and it makes a great shot.  From there we photograph another historic site,  Chillon Castle.  Originally a Roman outpost, the first mention of the castle was in 1005 A.D.  It was built on the shore of Lake Geneva, and it makes a classically beautiful photograph.  Continuing our drive east, we arrive in Interlaken and check into our hotel.  Situated between two stunning lakes, we’ll use this as our base to explore the spectacular surrounding area. 

From here, we take the Brienz - Rothorn cogwheel stream train (operating since 1891) for extraordinary views of the Bernese Alps, and we can get off at strategic stations to include the red-colored train in the foreground.  We will explore the beautiful villages of Thun and Sigriswil, and one evening we’ll take a short train ride and have dinner at Harder Kulm, a restaurant high above Lake Brienz with a million dollar view.  Overnight Interlaken.

Days 5 - 7, Saturday - Monday, Sept 27 - 29. 

This morning we drive a short distance to the picturesque village of Lauterbrunnen.  This is our next base operations for more incredible photo opportunities.  We visit thundering Trummelbach Falls which is located inside a mountain.  Brilliant Swiss engineering allows us to take a tram to remarkable viewpoints to photograph this natural wonder.  We also take a cable car to a Mannelichen, a mountain lookout over the village where 

Day 8 - 9, Tuesday, Wednesday Sept 30 -  Oct 1. 

We leave Lauterbrunnen village today for Mogno, Switzerland.  On the way we stop at Erstfeld and photograph a lovely church with a mountainscape background.  At Mogno, there is one of the most uniquely designed churches in the world.  The graphic design is astonishing, and this is a great place to practice ultra wide angle photography.  If you have a fisheye, this place will make you glad you bought it.  From here, we head  toward Zermatt.  En route we stop at 13th century Tourbillon Castle atop a hill with a mountain landscape in the background.  Late in the day we arrive in Zermatt.  After dinner, Jim will show you a great vantage to photograph the village at twilight with the Matterhorn towering above it.  The next morning we’ll photograph the Matterhorn at sunrise from the village of Zermatt, and then we’ll take a train to Rifflesee, a small lake in the mountains.  After a short walk from the station, we will be able to capture a classic reflection of the mighty Matterhorn.  We will continue to explore the area looking for great compositions of one of the most famous mountains in the world.   We return to Zermatt and you’ll have the afternoon at leisure.  In the early evening Jim will hold a critique session where you can show images of the trip to the group and get professional feedback on them.  Overnight Zermatt.