A fascinating portrait of the Drus, rising from darkness to light. I took this photograph at the foot of two of the most beautiful mountains in the French Alps, in the Mont Blanc massif. On the right, the impressive monolith of the Pointe des Drus rises out of the clouds and into the sky. This famous summit is the emblem of the guides in the Chamonix valley. Behind it, the sunlit Aiguille Verte rises to an altitude of 4,122 metres.

It's winter, and the storm is raging. Clouds stubbornly cling to summits. Fog engulfs the valley relentlessly. But I remain hopeful. I've been watching the mountain for years, waiting for the moment when the beauty of the Drus will finally be revealed. So I wait patiently, my heart in my mouth and my eye ready to immortalize the work of art that nature has offered me. Then, all of a sudden, the wind blows away the clouds, revealing summits. A masterly vision of the absolute power of the Drus, striking and unreal. There it was, the portrait I'd been dreaming of! The power of the moment, staggering in its emotion, is all the more intense for having waited so long. I love this mountain so much, so strikingly beautiful and inaccessible to man. Only the most experienced mountaineers can climb the slope facing us. One day, perhaps, I'll be one of them. In the meantime, I honour the Drus in my art.