It took a four-hour hike to get my striking black-and-white photo of Mont Blanc

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Photo of the Day: Intrepid photographer hiked high up into the mountains to capture this stunning mono image of Mont Blanc

A black-and-white landscape with light settling on Mont Blanc in the background
(Image credit: Per Wilms)

This jaw-dropping black-and-white image of Mont Blanc was taken in the Aiguilles Rouges, Chamonix. It was captured by photographer Per Wilms, who used the Sony A7R III and Sony FE 24mm f1.4 G Master lens, paired with a Zeiss polarizing filter. Remarkably, the lighting settled directly on Mont Blanc in the background, highlighting the magnificent mountain.

Per set out to capture the picturesque Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe. But this wasn't an easy feat. A considerable hike at high altitude (2200m) was required to reach this vantage point and that meant contending with strong winds. He explained: "Oh, it took a lot of hiking. About four hours from the town of Chamonix. Technically, it wasn't difficult, but you have to be in good shape, because you're hiking in thin air, and some parts of the trek are steep."

While planning is a huge part of landscape photography, it can be harder to plan when attempting a long hike. Thankfully, Per had his camera with him when this incredible moment appeared. "I didn't do anything special, I was just lucky," he said. "I arrived in the morning when the sun was at the right angle, around east to south east.

"I was very lucky that the surface of the small pond was almost calm, despite the wind. I used an aperture of f/9, so I could add more depth to the picture."

A key decision was the black-and-white conversion, which Per did using Adobe Lightroom. "The mountains look better in black/white – it has a special mood and the contrast between light and shadow is easier to see."

Per's top tips for photographing mountains...

"Patience. You have to wait until the right moment. And if you're trekking into the mountains then you also need to build up your stamina, because of the high altitude."

Check out previous Photo of the Day images, and the stories behind them. If you have an image you'd like us to consider for Photo of the Day, email it to us at digitalcameraworld@futurenet.com

Are you interested in landscape photography? Check out the best cameras for landscape photography or the best polarizing filters.

Mike Harris
Mike Harris
How To Editor

Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...