My 5 most famous photos

Adrian Wirz
Jan 1
6 min read

Learn here which photos I selected and the stories behind them. I wasn't the one who discovered all of these photos, but I often incorporated my own ideas into the shots.

I have been involved in landscape photography for almost exactly 15 years now, with detours into wildlife photography, which has more to do with a hunting instinct that has stuck from the Stone Age.

But first, a little backstory to the beginnings of my landscape photography. After spending 2011 mainly exploring and documenting all the winding paths and trails around the Bölchen mountain, I stumbled upon photos by Andreas Gerth or Jan Geerk, both also from northwestern Switzerland, sometime in the summer of 2012. I saw my first photo of the Ankenballen peak above the fog. I wanted to be able to do that, and so much more. The winter of 2012/13 was very snowy; the snowdrifts piled up on the Bölchen and surrounding area well into April. From the very beginning of my landscape photography, I had a preference for long exposures. That winter, I often stood on the Belchenfluh peak in the evenings, often late into the night, practicing this technique. Over and over again. I remember losing track of time and the cold in my intense concentration, but also being ridiculed for the photos now and then, or even accused of manipulation. But none of that dampened my enthusiasm or my perseverance. My hands were chapped that winter and quite insensitive to the cold. My progress and enjoyment of photography grew daily. First it was the lights, and later the fog. These much-praised and often-discussed compositions didn't really interest me. Just keep shooting, as long as possible. That was my motto. Compositions? That, too, was purely a matter of practice. My advantage back then was that the Bölchen region was only known to insiders among photographers. I wasn't aware of this at the time, though, because I knew, if anything, only a handful of photographers from the upper Basel region. So my photos from the Bölchen ended up on Facebook almost daily and found an ever-growing audience. In the autumn of 2014, I held my first photography workshop at the Bölchen. I was overwhelmed with registrations, the day was fantastic, the fog flowed perfectly over the Jura ridge. The foundation was laid for many more successful workshops in Switzerland, the Dolomites, and Berchtesgaden. My second source of income was my then-current website, belchen-schweiz, and later this website here. But now back to my 5-star photos. I will list the photos in chronological order; this is not intended as a ranking. Let's start with 2014, when things happened one after the other. Sunrise at the pear tree.

I've known this pear tree for a long time, of course; it stands not far from where I live. I remember how, at the beginning of my landscape photography journey in 2013, I spent a long Saturday afternoon circling this tree. But nothing appealing, besides the imposing tree itself, came to mind at the time. A year later, I was back at the tree late one evening during a full moon, but even then, something just didn't work! Actually, it's quite simple: sunrise! So, at 5:30 the next morning, I was there again, armed with rubber boots, because I thought the grass was wet. But it was frozen, and my feet were freezing miserably. The rest is history. Every spring at sunrise, this spot is very popular. The Ankenballen in the thunderstorm

On that Saturday afternoon in early August 2014, a thunderstorm was brewing. I kept checking the weather app, and early in the afternoon I was at the Ober-Bölchen mountain hut, waiting. A storm front was approaching from the west, and I hoped to photograph the spectacle from the Belchenfluh. I had no plan for how I would do it. Reckless as I was back then, I stood up there, with no one in sight. I waited for at least two hours, but the storm didn't get any closer. Disappointed, I set off back towards the Chilchzimmersattel in the dark, but I took the path around it, along the edge of the forest. There, you have an unobstructed view to the west. It was already quite dark, but the full moon was rising behind the Ruchen. Lightning was still visible to the west, towards the Weissenstein. As I stood there, the saving idea came to me. I would photograph the Ankenballen from further down so that more of the sky would be in the picture. I quickly got in the car and drove down to the Schattenbergpass. I ran along the ridge to the edge of the forest. A short exposure time of just under 13 minutes at f/11 and ISO 100 was sufficient. With a 190mm focal length, the whole scene was compressed into an atmospheric photograph. A wave of fog at the Bölchen.

I've already described the story behind this photo in another blog post, so I'll keep it brief. Almost two years before I was able to take this photo, the idea for it came to me. On a hot summer morning in 2013, I took action and began clearing the trees: a wave of fog at Bölchen, the oak tree with a sunburst.

I'm known for my elephantine memory, so I can still vividly recall the first time I passed this tree in 1291... No, of course not! It was a Sunday in November 1983. I was hiking with my dog Laska, a purebred Collie, and finally visited this old oak. I'd wanted to see this tree for months, as it stands in a very exposed position on a hilltop. My commute to work in Wangen near Olten from 1981 onwards always took me past it. But as is often the case, I'd seen it before, and back then, photography was mainly Formula 1 to me. Decades later, during my tours through the Basel region, I noticed it again. But it took another five years or so before I seriously pursued this spot. In the hot and dry summer of 2018, a colleague sent me a drone photo of the ruins of the former motel on the lower Hauenstein. This tree was visible somewhere at the edge of the photo. Just a few days later, on a Sunday evening in August 2018, I set off. Arriving at the tree, I discovered the hole in the trunk. I knew then that September would be a good time. The rest is history. Unfortunately, this oak fell victim to another lightning strike in June 2024 and is now split. It's still standing, though, and we can only wait and see how it recovers over the next 50 years... The linden tree in front of the Schreckhorn.

I think the linden tree in front of the Schreckhorn is probably my most famous photo. Looking back now and seeing how many photographers have this photo in their portfolios makes me quite proud. Especially since many photographers have taken it from the same spot as me, which is on private property. I wasn't really aware of that at the time, because the house renovation had only just been completed and there was no garden yet. But at this point, I'd like to extend a huge thank you to one of the best Emmental experts: Daniel Horisberger. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to take this photo; he searched for the location one spring evening and found it quickly. If I had to make a ranking of the most difficult photos, it would probably be the fog wave. The contrast between the sunlit fog and the fog lying in shadow. This combination posed a challenge for every camera in 2014. But which photo has been the most commercially successful? That's clearly the linden tree in front of the Schreckhorn. It's already hanging in countless homes, especially in the Emmental. As a lightbox, as an acrylic print, or on canvas. In every imaginable combination. The motif has become an Emmental landmark. I even recently sold this motif with the oak tree in spring; despite my powers of persuasion, the oak in spring was chosen. So this first trip in spring 2020 was worthwhile. I could go on and on with this list. That's why there will be another blog post about it soon. If you don't want to miss it, subscribe to my newsletter – it's free! You can sign up at the very bottom of this page! At this point, I wish you and your family a very successful New Year and the best of health!