Lake Cei, with the Lagabis Lake, is one of the two basins that form the beautiful protected area of ​​Pra dell’Albi, in the autonomous Province of Trentino and is dominated to the north-west by the Stivo-Cornetto-Bondone mountain chain.

I have been to this small biotope and number of times, both in Spring and now recently in Autumn. The colours depicted in my photograph were so intense that they took my breath away and required some desaturating later in post-production. The centuries-old beech trees, with larch trees, made this palette of colours incredible. This alpine lake sits at 900 meters above sea level, which made the timing of my visit perfect, not discouraged by fellow photographers who tried to convince me that the colours of autumn were fading. I wonder!

For me, the best time of day to photograph autumn colours is early in the morning or in the evening. However, having said this, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shoot at midday; one has to be aware of the atmospheric conditions.

If I had to pick one time of the year to photograph trees, then it would have to be autumn, and I’m sure most photographers would say the same.

As autumn is a short-lived season, I know that I need to use every opportunity available, even when there is less than ideal-weather. On this particular day, the clouds were heavy, which for me is a bonus as it saturates the colours of leaves and cuts down on bad reflections. Most people who know me understand that I love bad weather, and I loathe blue “smurf” skies! This overcast lighting gave me the ability to eliminate harsh shadows and highlights and bring out those powerful tones and colours that aren’t visible under bright sunlight.

This cottage on the banks of the little lake is iconic, and very gingerbread style and is quite old. It stands alone, surrounded by its own small forest, which makes it an ideal subject matter to photograph, and I loved the softer reflection that is cast onto the water.

Here, I used a CPL filter and a tripod.