Last week I was in the Swiss Alps on a teambuilding event. At the same time I took the opportunity to (sort of) kickstart a photo project I have had in mind for a long time: photographing the Matterhorn from all possible sides. I started to photograph mountains in 4x5” about three years ago. They’re not landscapes, they’re mountain portraits. First I took a series in the Brenta Dolomites. Then came the Italian side of the Alpes Maritimes. Both are wild, mineral sanctuaries. Last year I tentatively started to map out the terrain around the Matterhorn.
In 2015 it will be exactly 150 years since this iconic mountain has been climbed for the first time, by Edward Whymper and his party, four of which fell tragically to death during the descent. The event concluded the Golden Age of alpinism, a 20-year period during which mostly British climbers conquered all the major peaks in the Alps. By 2014 I would like to be ready with a photobook on the most photographed mountain in the world. However, by adopting the methods of the pioneers of alpine photography I hope to recreate something of the original magic surrounding this mountain for our age.
Taking 4x5” for a project like this is a pain: it’s heavy and cumbersome, provides limited flexibility in terms of film and focal lengths, and in a windy mountain environment the risk of unsharpness is considerable with a bellows camera. But each time I see the negatives I know for sure it is worthwhile.
One happy observation is that, although this is without a shade of a doubt the most often photographed mountain, there are many unfamiliar views that haven't been captured nearly as often as the stereotype Schwarzsee/Gornergrat perspective. I'm hoping to be able to collect as much as 30 very different pictures of this complex mountain.
Above is an uncleaned shot from the northwest face of the mountain, shot from a spot at approx. 3200m altitude (I have exact GPS co-ordinates of all my photo locations). It beautifully shows three of the four main ridges on the mountain: the classic Hörnli-ridge on the left, the Italian "Lion" ridge on the right and the awesome Zmutt-ridge right in front.
It's scanned with the 848 which performs beautifully. The level of detail is dazzling. I think this photo captures well the atmosphere that I'm after. This has nothing to do with the chocolate wrapper image of the Matterhorn, but it is a cold, epic image of a very impressive geological phenomenon.
Last posting before I leave for Iceland. Above is a picture of a Matterhorn neighbour, the Dent d'Hérens, a wild 4000m peak whose north face invites comparison with much bigger peaks in the Himalayas. An Eiffel tower would reach only one third up the face. I am very happy with this image which brings out the uncompromising savagery of this environment with great power. A big print will surely make an impression.
