Best of 2025 finalist
Every month Landscape Photography Magazine has a assignment competition. I don’t always enter, depending on the theme. The photo below was entered into the Best of 2025 assignment. I entered a couple of my favourite shots from autumn 2025, this being one of my all time favourites.
I absolutely love this location. Lake Jasna is an artificial lake near the ski resort town of Kranjska Gora in northern Slovenia.
Across the water, the mountains form a beautiful section of the Julian Alps. Over the years, I have photographed this view many times, through different seasons and varying light, yet it never fails to offer something new.
On this autumn day, I was visiting with my family after a hike into the surrounding valley. We returned in time for the evening and sunset. The view faces directly south, which makes capturing a vibrant sunset challenging: the scene requires just the right amount of thin, high cloud to catch the colours of the setting sun.
As I prepared, I was surprised to see the crescent moon rising beside the left-hand peak. The two prominent mountains here are Mt. Razor on the left and Mt. Prisank, the tallest, on the right. For the first part of the evening, I used my 400mm lens to photograph the moon as it aligned with the summit of Razor, capturing the last wisp of light illuminating the mountainside.
I had noticed the thin high clouds and hoped they would persist through the golden hour. In the past, I had often been fortunate with ideal conditions, only to have clouds dissipate at the critical moment.
On this evening, however, the clouds remained, catching the colours of the setting sun perfectly. The light from the crescent moon added subtle enhancement, prolonging the magic of the moment.
I captured a variety of frames, yet this one stands out as my favourite. The cloud layer appears to kiss the peak of Prisank, almost as if it is erupting from the mountain itself. This evening was one of the most memorable sunsets I have ever witnessed at Lake Jasna, a moment when light, landscape, and atmosphere aligned in extraordinary harmony.
More photos from that autumn day
Equipment used in my photoshoots
These are links to photography equipment I use and what’s in my bag and great places to buy them.
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