Daniel Doyle Pleasantville recommends that all photographers who are serious about their craft visit Switzerland. As a relatively small country, it has an amazing variety of natural scenes and architectural treasures. The beauty of the country and its accessible size make an irresistible trip for photographers.
The Alps
The Alps alone are reason enough to travel to Switzerland, showing their beauty in a variety of weather and lighting conditions. Daniel Doyle Pleasantville recommends spending several days in the countryside, exploring the best of the natural landscapes. Photographers can enjoy the varied light and shade conditions on the mountainsides as well as in the green valleys. The local Swiss cows make beautiful photography subjects. The contrast between the green meadows and the rocky slopes makes a unique visual combination.
It is also recommended that you visit the Alps in summer and in the winter. The fragile Alpine flora are available for only a few months each year, and there are many well-tended walking trails which are accessible by cable car.
Picturesque towns in the Alps include Interlaken, Lucerne, Montreux, and Zermatt. Each of these cities has a vibrant community and a variety of food, drink, and lodging options for visitors. Interlaken is a good base for exploration of the local mountains of the Bernese Oberland. It is a cosmopolitan small city that is still friendly enough to be warm and welcoming to the international traveler.
To explore the true nature of the Alps, visitors and photographers can take the Jungfraujoch railway to experience its dizzying heights. The contrast between the glaciated slopes and the green valleys below makes Switzerland a truly stunning destination for photography enthusiasts.
Castles
After you explore the wild beauty of the Alps and their green valleys, you may believe that you have experienced all that Switzerland has to offer. Dan Doyle Pleasantville encourages you to explore further, experiencing the small towns and villages scattered around the Swiss countryside.
There are a great many wonderful sights on the plateaus and in the forests. Gruyere, a castle in Fribourg, is a well-preserved medieval fortress with lovely views over the surrounding farmland and the distant Alps. The castle is also enhanced by the HR Giger Museum, a tribute to the famous science fiction artist and designer responsible for the Alien films. The juxtaposition between traditional Swiss architecture and the futuristic style of HR Giger provides a great deal of inspiration for the traveling photographer.
Cities
While the beautiful Alpine slopes may be the most recognized feature of Switzerland, the cities should not be overlooked. Zürich and Bern are culturally rich cities with a great deal to offer the traveling photographer.
Zürich is the most up-to-date of the Swiss cities, with prosperous areas enhanced by the local banking industry. There is a great deal of modern architecture to photograph, including the Law Library, the Swiss National Museum, and the Peterhof Building. The riches of the financial industry have made their mark on Zürich, and the prosperous community has been able to make many investments into the local infrastructure.
Bern has a wonderfully preserved medieval city center with a famous clock and a historic fountain. You can find an apartment once occupied by Albert Einstein in Bern. Visitors also enjoy photographing the former bear pits where Bern’s namesakes resided.
Switzerland’s Incredible Diversity
Within one small, accessible country, Switzerland offers an incredible range of photographic settings. From cityscapes to medieval fortresses, Switzerland never misses a chance to impress. Dan Doyle Pleasantville recommends that all photographers take the time to explore Switzerland
