During the 2017 summer, I followed the mountaineers Sean Villanueva and Christophe Dumarest for an epic traverse of Mont-Blanc Massif. Their challenge was to climb one famous climbing route by day over the course of fourteen days. I was able to join them on a few climbs to take some pictures. Here, they were on the top of Aiguille du Fou, after a very hard climb in the south face. The next day we had to do the Chamonix Needles Traverse to reach l’Aiguille du Midi. Sean was resting after this hard climbing day. It was a good time to play flute in front of the sunset.
Marc Daviet

About the shot

Biography
Born in Annecy in the Haute-Savoie, where I still live, the French Alps have been my playground from a very young age. Skiing, snowboarding, climbing, mountaineering or caving, all these practices allowed me to appreciate nature and especially the mountains. Being a climbing instructor, an international route setter for competitions and former member of the French Climbing Team, I have a sound knowledge of this field, which allows me to have a particular look, that of an actor. When I'm behind the lens, I feel what makes the athletes vibrate. Taking pictures of climbing, mountaineering or skiing means, above all, spending long days together with athletes, sometimes in very difficult conditions. Unforeseen circumstances may arise anytime, during photo shoots, too; quite often, it is precisely then that the most beautiful images are shot, the ones with that little added zest, that piquancy which make them unique. Outdoor photography also equals to fabulous scenery, especially in the mountains, where light changes all the time. Ideally, you should be both a landscape and an action photographer. I am both. It's these moods, these little precious moments that I try to share through my pictures.