40 Days

40days | http://40days.hess.photography

In 40 days (eventually 43) at the evening blue hour around Lake Thun.

Starting from the lower end of Lake Thun, in November 2022 I marked points on the shore on the map at a distance of one kilometer as the crow flies, which I visited at the blue hour with my camera and - mostly - by bike. In total, this resulted in a straight-line distance of 40 kilometers and (because I count kilometer zero) 41 points that I aimed for in 43 days (2 repetitions, KM 9 and KM 38).

Interruptions are mainly due to the weather; photographically, the blue hour is interesting when there is little or no cloud cover. I increasingly tried to avoid a completely overcast sky over the course of the project.

The intention was to get as close as possible to the specified points on the shore of Lake Thun, sticking to the places that were relatively accessible to the public and safe. I marked and described the deviations on the Swisstopo maps.

I chose the winter months because that is when the blue hour is in the early evening (between 5 and 6 p.m.), because there is little activity on and around the lake, and because the lowering of the lake level meant I could often get closer to the point - and at the same time get an interesting foreground - than at normal water levels.

I took the photos with full-format cameras and wide-angle lenses (14 mm), a tripod, and mostly using a gray or polarizing filter. I did not stick to the original idea of ​​taking photos out onto the lake at right angles to the respective shoreline if a slight pan produced a more interesting composition - which was usually the case.

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