My second motorcycle tour across Europe brought me to Hallstatt, a famous little 16th century village buried in the Salzkammergut mountains, around 45 miles East of Salzburg. I had intended to take the funicular from Salzbergbahn Bergstation to the Salzwelten salt mine, and photograph the village from the Skywalk viewing platform at the top. But it wasn't meant to be.

When I got there, the entire town had ground to a halt while military helicopters attempted to extinguish a forest fire on the mountain that had been burning for several days. Even despite the drama, Hallstatt was a bit of an anti-climax for me. There's not a lot to it, beyond the same tired photograph you see repeated over and over across social media. The journey to it from Berchtesgaden through the mountains, amongst rumbling storm clouds was far more iteresting than the village itself.

These photographs were taken with my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and the extraordinary Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 II.

Equipment used

Camera

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Lens

Canon 35 mm f/1.4 L II USM

Motorcycle

Triumph Bonneville Scrambler 865

About the photographer

I'm Alex Nichol. I'm an amateur photographer from the North of England. For me, photography is a way to share what I love most about the world. That includes everything, from family and friends, to wild animals and breathtaking places... or maybe just how the sun twinkles on a weed in my back garden. It's all fair game.

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