Photographing in the Hoëgne Valley

Sunday 7 November 2021, 20:20 by Elja Trum | 4,545 views | 9 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Today I visited the Hoëgne Valley with a number of members of my photography club. This beautiful valley is in the Belgian Ardennes. A lovely little river, the Hoëgne, runs through the valley, with lots of small waterfalls.

f/22, 4 seconds, 100 ISO @ 24mm
The walk started from the village of Jalhay. To reach the car park, you first have to drive through the river. An exciting start, then, but it went fine.

The idea was to take long-exposure photos of the waterfalls, but of course there is plenty of other beautiful nature to photograph in the valley as well.

It was just over a two-hour drive from Wijchen, where I live. We also set off early to beat any crowds, and to make good use of the daylight. By nine o'clock in the morning, we were the first ones at the car park.

It was a drizzly day, but that is not a problem at all for long exposures. You often do not even need a filter to achieve longer shutter speeds.

f/16, 2 seconds, 100 ISO @ 25mm
We are of course right in the middle of autumn, which provides a beautiful variety of autumn colours in the photos.

If you would still like to visit the valley this year, I would not wait too long. I think the leaves will all have fallen from the trees in a few weeks.

Besides the river, I also took some photos of the colourful surroundings. On the way there, we had talked in the car about Intentional Camera Movement, the impressive term for what is basically a deliberately blurred photo. So I took a few photos using it straight away.

Intentional Camera Movement - f/10, 0.8 sec, 100 ISO @ 45mm
We were nowhere near completing the whole walk. When you walk through beautiful surroundings with a group of photographers, you do not get very far. After a few kilometres, we turned around and walked back. After a five-hour walk, we were back at the car in no time.

f/4.5, 1/100s, ISO 800 @ 64mm
I personally prefer photographing portraits to nature, but this was a lovely day out in beautiful surroundings. Definitely worth a visit.

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About the author

Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.

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9 comments

Jan Budding wrote on Tuesday 9 November 2021 at 10:48 | reply
I've been there several times already. It remains a beautiful piece of nature. There is currently a lot of work being done to restore the paths and little bridges further up. If you want to do a nice photo hike sometime, keep walking along the path until it ends, have lunch at Auberge le Randonneur (Dutch owner) at the top and then calmly walk back through the woods.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 9 November 2021 at 11:58 | reply
A nice story about a beautiful valley. I am considering going there this coming Thursday. Thursday, November 11, is an official day off and I could go there with my partner. However, I have not yet found out whether that valley and especially the photogenic places are accessible to wheelchair users. Do you have any insight into that, Elja? You have been there now. I have already started looking for information about it myself, but I have not been able to find anything yet.
Thanks for this tip, by the way.
Translated from Dutch.

Rudolf wrote on Tuesday 9 November 2021 at 12:40 | reply
Definitely a beautiful environment to photograph. But a warning beforehand: Wear sturdy footwear, absolutely no sneakers or sports shoes. The paths and little bridges are slippery as ice. Hang the camera around your neck or harness, you need to keep your hands free to balance over the narrow, steep and paths with boulders and stones. Don't forget food and drinks and don't leave any rubbish behind. Enjoy the impressive colourful nature.
Translated from Dutch.

guest wrote on Tuesday 9 November 2021 at 12:42 | reply
Beautiful photos. Which hike exactly? After all, many hikes are inaccessible following this summer's floods.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 9 November 2021 at 13:54 | reply
@Rudof, does that mean that not a single hiking trail is suitable for wheelchair users?
Translated from Dutch.

Elja Trum wrote on Tuesday 9 November 2021 at 14:24 | reply
@Gast; This walk. You can see that the river has overflowed its banks, but otherwise it is perfectly passable.

@Donald; This walk is not suitable for wheelchair users. You really need sturdy shoes (as Rudolf also points out). Lots of stones, tree roots and narrow paths and bridges.

There is still a path a little further on that I think is manageable with a wheelchair, but then you walk a bit farther from the river. The photogenic spots are then much less accessible.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 9 November 2021 at 15:01 | reply
@Elja, many thanks for the extra info. I can walk a bit with a cane or crutches, but on uneven ground the risk of falling is too great for me. Especially with a camera, tripod and filter set as well. I would really like to use my new Haida filter set with ND filters on those beautiful little rapids. I was planning to go to the Ardennes anyway, because I have a lot of family living there. I could then include that valley if that would be possible with a wheelchair.
Translated from Dutch.

Rudolf wrote on Tuesday 9 November 2021 at 17:05 | reply
Ninlingspo near Remouchamps is also a challenging location. Waterfalls with beautiful names, rapids, rocks and little bridges. Amazing nature and just as exciting as the previous route. Sturdy footwear here too, and not suitable for people who have difficulty walking.

Translated from Dutch.

Jef Langenaeken wrote on Tuesday 9 November 2021 at 17:23 | reply
@Donald Willemsen. Unfortunately, it is not a nice location for wheelchair users. Very rough terrain with very narrow bridges.
Translated from Dutch.

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