Winter at Plateau Rosa

Mid-March I was briefly in Cervinia to discuss a potential collaboration with Giovanni Zannetti on the Matterhorn Project. Mr. Zannetti has produced two earlier books on the history of the mountain, more particularly focusing on the feats of the famous Carrel dynasty of mountain guides. It was guide Antonio Carrel who put me in contact with his client. Eventually the contact proved to be fruitful and Mr. Zannetti agreed to produce an essay for the book I'd like to see happening.

When I arrived on that Friday, I was lucky. The Mont Blanc massif had been an effective barrier against the bad weather moving in from the west. The Aosta valley was still sunny. So I took the opportunity to to take the 4x5" op to the Plan Maison ski station to take a picture of the mountain's wintery south-eastern face. Skies were clear but it was extremely windy. As a result most of the ski area was closed. The only option for me was to huddle behind a small chalet and take a picture from there. Despite the wind protection, I wasn't sure at all whether it would be a sharp image.

The result was worth the effort, I think. I am quite pleased with this image. It is quite sharp, for a start. And I like the compositional simplicity, the strong, almost lithographic contrast and the smooth tonal range which really connect it to a Sella-kind of aesthetics. Definitely one for the book.