Pokljuka

It was one of those days when the weather was impossible to predict, especially the fog. Heading to Pokljuka around noon, we first wanted to climb Mt. Viševnik, but seeing there would probably be no views from the top we opted for skiing on the nearby course. There are only two short ski lifts, but as the queues weren't long, it was actually possible to get some good exercise. The fog kept rolling in and out, luckily it only reached tree tops, and for a few fleeting moments we saw the sun, too.







After skiing we drove around Pokljuka for a while.

Planina Javornik was fighting the fog.

The road was snowy but quite passable.

One of the cabins on Pokljuka.

A cabin in an enchanted forest? ;)

The sweet light just before sunset on the hills around Šijec peat bog.

Sunlit tree tops.

A snowman was guarding the peat bog.

The sun set and the clouds turned orange.

One more look across the snowy marshes and off we went.

Driving home we stopped at Gorjuše to take the last few photos for the day.


More photos here.

Cave photography in Planina Cave

Cave photography is demanding and quite time-consuming. What Luka, Andrej and I did last week can hardly qualify as true cave photography, but we got a glimpse into what is really involved and now we're determined to go back and shoot some more.
Planina Cave (Planinska jama) is located not far from Postojna, at the edge of Planinsko polje (Planina Karst Field). It is one of the longest Slovenian water caves at over 6 kms in length, representing the subterranean bed of the Unica River. About 500 meters from the entrance into the cave there is the confluence (the largest confluence of underground rivers in Europe) of two underground rivers, Pivka and Rak.
We only shot from three locations. Our goal was to try out different lighting and see the various effects. There weren't any tourists around as organized visits normally take place in the afternoon.




At some point a group of spelunkers emerged from the dark cavern. After a short chat they marched on towards the exit.

Luka ran to and fro with a flashlight a few times.

We didn't go any further into the cave as we ran out of time, but the experience was great and I'm pretty sure the cave will see us again soon.

Velika planina sunrise

After spending a good portion of the night shooting star trails we had to get up early to catch the sunrise. Luckily, days are short and the sun doesn't come up until 7.30 in late January. :) But as nice as it was to have a clear sky for the night shooting, I would have liked a few clouds in the morning to add some drama to the sky.

Pink dawn.

First glimpses of the sun.

Soon the whole slope was orange.

The Kamnik Alps in fiery sunrise and the valley of Kamniška Bistrica below.

Kočna and Grintovec.

Planjava, Ojstrica and the village of Velika planina.

Snežnik in the distance (about 85 kms away).

Orange fog in the valley.

Domžalski dom is waking up.

Tired or blissfully happy? ;)

After breakfast we headed back. By then the sky was adorned with some lovely wispy clouds.

Črnuški dom.

An island? :)

Velika planina architecture is really something special.

Do we really have to go back to that fog?

More photos here.