Echo of Perfection

This exceptional photograph of the famous Matterhorn says it all. We are in the Valais Alps, Switzerland. Opposite us, the Hörnli ridge, normal route of the Matterhorn, joins shadow to light. A key player in the history of mountaineering, it was over this ridge that Edward Whymper achieved his first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. To the right, in the half-light, the Zmutt ridge isolates the mountain from the surrounding sky.

The Matterhorn, all white and snow-covered: I waited so long for this breathtaking portrait. I wanted it immaculate, totally plastered. For several years, I went to Zermatt whenever precipitation was forecast. But never did the Matterhorn reveal itself as I had imagined it. I was looking for an absolute aesthetic, supported by snow of a quality that would give the mountain a dazzling graphic force. Then one day, as the sun was rising, the miracle happened. Snow took over the eastern and northern faces of the Matterhorn, which became regal in its silver mantle. A natural magic that can only work for a few days in a lifetime, when the sun's rays light up the north face of the high summit.

The interplay of light and shadow sublimates the beauty and power of the Matterhorn, one of the most spectacular summits in the Swiss Alps. The Matterhorn's dark north face is nevertheless bathed in luminous shadow, as the snow that covers it reflects the surrounding light. The highlight of the piece is the condensation that forms around summit , forming a light cloud that is gradually blown away by the easterly wind. The perfect moment.

I'm very lucky to have been able to capture the almost mystical magic of this fleeting moment. This work is iconic. A signature portrait that illustrates the very essence of my art. I've been photographing the Matterhorn tirelessly for ten years, and I've never seen it like this again. The perfection of the light and the snow cover, with the final touch of a cloud rising into the heavens. That day, all the elements aligned, by luck of course, but above all thanks to my perseverance and insatiable desire to immortalize the high mountains at their most fascinating and unchanging.