Lac de Bütgenbach

What you will find here

Lac de Bütgenbach lies in the Belgian High Fens, close to the village of Bütgenbach in the province of Luik. It is a reservoir built in the 1940s on the river Warche. The banks are heavily wooded, mainly with conifers and mixed deciduous forest. That gives the lake a somewhat Scandinavian character, especially when morning mist hangs low over the water.

For landscape photography this is one of the quieter locations in the Ardennes. No busy promenade, no prominent buildings along the water. Just forest, water and silence.

Light and season

Autumn is by far the strongest season here. Somewhere between mid-October and early November the deciduous trees along the bank turn yellow, orange and red, while the conifers stay dark green. That contrast works well, particularly when you combine it with morning mist drifting above the water.

Come early. The sun is low then and catches the treetops while the water is still in shadow. That creates depth. In overcast weather the lake also works well, because the flat sky reflects in the relatively calm surface. Wind is your enemy if you want to shoot long exposures.

Compositions and focal points

Along the south-western bank there are spots where you can get down low near the water, with tree reflections as your main subject. A wide angle around 24mm works well here when you are standing close to the bank and want the trees to appear large in the frame. If you want to compress distance and bring the wooded ridge closer to the water, use a telephoto zoom around 100 to 200mm.

With an ND filter and an exposure of several seconds you can smooth the water completely. That renders the reflections as one even plane and gives morning shots a calm, almost painterly quality.

Practical information

You can park at the recreation area on the north side of the lake, just outside the village of Bütgenbach. From there a path runs along the bank. The route around the lake is partly accessible on foot. Early on an autumn morning you will have the place almost entirely to yourself. In summer the lake attracts visitors and it gets considerably busier. No permit is required for photography without a tripod on public paths. With a tripod on private or managed land that may be different, but on the public bank paths I have never found it to be an issue.

Sources and further reading

• Maison du Tourisme des Hautes Fagnes - Malmedy
• Gemeente Bütgenbach (officieel)
• Wikipedia: Lac de Bütgenbach