B IG PI C T U R E Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland Some of the most spectacular Alpine waterfalls can be seen in Switzerland’s near-mystical Lauterbrunnen Valley (‘lauter brunnen’ translates roughly as ‘many fountains’). I waited for a couple of wet days to capture the scenery at its best, as it’s after heavy rain that these falls — which carry incredible amounts of water — are most visible. Once the rain clouds began to clear, all I had to do was find a good viewpoint and hope the sun would come out to make the scene even more photogenic. ACHIM THOMAE • PHOTOGRAPHER