The Carezza Lake in the Dolomites (Italy) is probably one of the most photographed spots of these gorgeous mountains, frequently filled with dozens of visitors roaming through its paths. Fortunately, when the night arrives, this place had the capacity to turn into the most silent place I’ve ever been to.
The virtues of silence have long been extolled as a powerful way to relax the mind and put us in touch with our inner emotions. On the opposite side, the chaotic and overwhelming sounds of urban settings have long been recognized as a trigger to states of anxiety and restlessness. Quite interestingly, just as there are different levels of noise, silence can also be measured and defined according to different intensities, as there is always some sort of residual noise in almost every place. There are specially built rooms, specifically conceived to be absolutely devoid of sound, for purposes of sonic testing, and they are surprisingly well known for triggering extreme discomfort in people who stay there for too long, due to extreme disorientation and potential hallucinations.
In the specific case of the setting in this image, depicting a moonlit scene in the gorgeous Carezza Lake, shot in absolute solitude at 4:30 am, I can still remember the most exquisite feature of the scene: absolute silence… The frozen lake, snow covered pine trees and beautiful mountains were quite striking on their own, but it was the whole sensory experience that turned the whole scene into an absolutely unforgettable moment inside my memory. Besides the sound of my footsteps and gear sounds, everything was endlessly silent, not a single animal to be heard, total absence of wind and nothing else but my breathing.
I rarely envision a specific emotional or cognitive purpose for one of my images, as the viewer always projects his inner emotions and meanings into the photo, but right now it would be a pleasure if I could carry just a bit of this night’s silence into your eyes….
Location: Lago di Carezza, Dolomites – Italy
Technical info: Sony a7R + Venus Laowa 12mm f2.8 | Aperture: f4 | ISO: 250 | Exposure: 30 seconds | Manual Focus | Remote Wireless Shutter | FLM Tripod