An extraordinary journey to the heart of the Valais Alps. This magnificent black-and-white panoramic photograph brings us face to face with the most beautiful summits of the Swiss Valais. From peak to peak, the mountains take our gaze beyond ourselves. In the foreground, the Pierre Avoi, a small rocky spur, shows us the way. We then reach Mont Fort and Rosablanche. Then the summits of the Val de Bagnes come into view: le Parrain, le Pleureur, Mont Blanc de Cheilon and la Ruinette. Our odyssey continues towards the mountains of the Val d'Hérens: the Aiguilles Rouges d'Arolla, the Aiguille de la Tsa, the Tête Blanche, the Bouquetins and the Pigne d'Arolla. Until the Imperial Crown of Zinal appears on the horizon. From the Weisshorn, we cross the Zinalrothorn,Obergabelhorn and Dent Blanche to reach the Matterhorn. Behind them rise the summits of Monte Rosa: Nordend, Dufourspitze, Zumsteinspitze, Lyskamm, Breithorn and Castor.

I took this exceptional panorama of the Valais Alps in 2014. One autumn evening, as the First snows had just covered the mountains, I climbed Dents du Midi to reach the Col des Paresseux, at an altitude of 3054 metres. After a short night in the high mountains, I got up while it was still dark to reach the Haute Cime, at 3257 meters. Up there, I waited for the sun to rise, tearing through the clouds to illuminate summits. A grandiose spectacle of pure, untamed nature revealed against the light.

I chose this angle of view because it disrupts our reference points. The alignment of the valleys is unusual, and the landforms follow one another ad infinitum. With no sign of our presence on earth, we are transported to the origins of the world. Lost in the splendors of a universe beyond our comprehension. I love the abstract beauty of the landscape. Where the mountains seem to answer the sky. Where the elements blend into one. And the lines follow the rhythm of our imagination.