Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté,
Luxe, calme et volupté.
(Charles Baudelaire)


It is very difficult, for me, to talk about the Alps from an impartial point of view. These are the places where I like living, working and spending my free time. This is the kingdom of snow and wind, of lonely valleys peopled by forests of larches where squirrels, ermines and wood-grouses find their refuge. Towards the sky you can gaze at powerful glaciers, twinkling horizons of light.
And then, the meadows at high altitude, with their little glacial lakes, the silvery streams which flow creating waterfalls (each of them has a different voice, that remains - ineffaceable memory - in the heart of him who belongs to the mountains).
There the summer rejoices with its colours and scents, when thousands of little flowers and gaily-coloured butterflies and grasshoppers fallen in love flood the meadow with a symphony of life.
There the meek gods of the mountains live in peace: the magnificent ibex, the diffident chamois and the marmot, that shares with gnomes the subterranean darkness. And finally the partridge and the noble crow, the eagle and the bearded vulture with its large wings.

You cannot live there without feeling a continuous emotion.

The dust of the mountain paths seeps into the pores of your skin and you cannot wash it any more. You breathe, and it is so impalpable that it penetrates in your soul.
When it has happened, you belong to the mountains and the wild nature.
The sun of the altitudes dries and crumbles your old, thin crust of civilization, and bares your true essence of son of the universe, of terrestrial creature made of trees and waters, of rocks and dust coming from the stars.
From now on, wherever you are, whatever you might be doing in the world, you will belong to these lonely places and you will come back here as often as possible. When your body will hinder you from coming, they will become your dreamy world, the lost paradise where hundreds of times you have fought against your limits to find yourself again. Or to meet God.

You are walking in paradises.

Now you are receptive to wildlife and aware of the few and rare signs of animal presence. Before taking any photograph you should learn how to keep still and listen, to appreciate the thousand smells of a summer meadow and to look carefully in the grass to spot the myriad forms of life we so often trample underfoot. And then, search for the tufts of winter fur caught in the brambles, lie in wait and continue to wait...
Only those who are capable of great internal discipline can do it. You must be full of curiosity, love and respect for all forms of life. In this way, a new relationship with nature is established, similar - in my opinion - to meditation. Only after that you can start to take photographs. Then your images will be the translation of your inner world, an original and unrepeatable message.

Then you can weave shining tapestries of light. And if someone understands your message and shares it, then your work will be successful. It will be a sign you will leave in the world; a little footprint that will remain on the path, when your journey will come to an end.