cable-car | Flights. Camera. Satisfaction.

I didn’t realise it until we pulled up to the bottom of the cable-car station, but the volcano of El Teide was somewhere I had been in the past. It must have been more than 10 years ago we had a family holiday to the Spanish island of Tenerife. When I visited as a young teenager, I waited in the car with my brother while my parents took the ride to the top in the cable-car. I was not at all interested in making the trip with them.

On Saturday we had the privilege of attending a wedding on Tenerife, so decided to make the most of the opportunity and make it a long weekend. We rented a car and visited the volcano that dominates the barren landscape. As we rounded the corner to park up I had a distinct feeling of déjà vu. But this time I would most definitely be visiting the summit!

I couldn’t help but think about how much things change as we grow older, and this was a fantastic spot for a brief moment of quiet reflection. I only wish I had better appreciated the travel opportunities I was lucky enough to have as a youngster.

Has your attitude towards travel changed over time? Maybe you’ve visited the summit of a volcano? I’d love to hear from you!

Holding a camera out of the small openings provided by cable-cars is not the most comfortable position to be in, especially as they sway back and forth on their journey. Some are better than others at providing larger windows to lean out from, but they are all a bit unstable.

It’s something I always like to try because I think it’s the most interesting way of depicting the journey to the summit. My endeavour to capture said journey very rarely ends in success! I’ve often been left kicking myself for not just sitting back to enjoy the ride.

Whenever I try this kind of shot I’m always paranoid that my camera is going to meet its end with a nasty fall to the depths below. Fortunately on the way to the Klein Matterhorn in Switzerland I had a little more room to work with and managed to capture this moment. It was quite a journey!

Have you ever tried to photograph from a cable-car? Did you find it a challenge? Or maybe it was easy?! Have you visited the Matterhorn? Please get in touch!