ENLIGHTEN
Client Hasselblad Project Hasselblad Masters Series ENLIGHTEN Year 2022
Winning first place in the architecture category of the Hasselblad Masters in 2021 was a dream come true. From over 70,000 submissions by the world's best photographers, the jury chose my series on modern architecture in the Alps. There were two awards for the winners in the competition's 10 categories. First, we received Hasselblad's newest camera, the Hasselblad X2D medium format camera with 100 megapixels. Secondly, the camera manufacturer gave us the task of using the new camera to create a photo series on the theme of ENLIGHTEN. Each winner was to interpret the theme within their own photography genre. Since my original winning images for the competition already played with the theme of enlightening architecture, I decided to continue this project and see what quality gains the new camera technology would bring.
Final Image Series ENLIGHTEN
Planning the photo series
I have been maintaining my bucket list of buildings that I would like to photograph once in my life for many years. In the Alpine region alone, there are 50 of these buildings that could be considered for the Hasselblad series. Using the fantastic app Milanote, I created an overview with images, contact details, and travel and hiking information for each building and planned which buildings could be easily linked together locally. The distances between the buildings should not take longer than a few hours. The plan was to arrive at a new building every afternoon, photograph it over the evening, night, and the next morning, and travel to the next location during lunchtime. Some very exciting buildings were dropped from the project because they required lengthy climbs to reach them. Other buildings were under renovation or temporarily closed during the planned shooting time. After finding out the travel routes, the current construction status of the buildings, and the operating hours of the cable cars, a plan was in place by the beginning of March 2022 for the shoot, which was to take place at the beginning of June. The weeks passed quickly until then, but something was still missing for the start of shooting: the camera. Delivery was delayed because Hasselblad was still fine-tuning the operating system. The camera did not arrive at the beginning of June. My team and the locations were informed. My nerves were strained that summer. I had the photo series of my life ahead of me, into which I put all my heart and soul, but the timing of the shoot was uncertain. The last possible window for shooting was at the beginning of September, before the snowfall began and the cable cars and huts closed in the off-season. Three days before the start of shooting, two packages finally arrived. A prototype of the Hasselblad X2D from China and prototypes of the three new lenses 38mm XCD-V, 55mm XCD-V and 90mmXCD-V from Sweden. Provisions were bought, a quick look at the operating instructions for the new camera was taken, and then we were off.
Hourly schedule for the shoot.
2. Bivak pod Skuto
After a nine-hour drive, my assistant Marcus and I reached the small town of Kamniška in Slovenia. We parked our car directly at the starting point of the hiking route to our first location. Dusk was setting in and a thunderstorm was brewing. So we decided to fold down the back seats and sleep in the car. This is a good option for many of my shoots, as I am right at the shooting location and don't waste any time. To make the night as comfortable as in a bed, I love the sleeping system from Zenbivy, which has also been available in Germany since October 2023. The next morning, the air was saturated from the rain of the previous night. Ahead of us lay one of the toughest climbs of this tour. In eight kilometers, we had to climb 1,500 meters in altitude into the Julian Alps. On narrow, steep paths, we made our way first through beautiful forests, later over rugged scree fields. The fog from the valley gave way to a short stretch of clear sky until we found ourselves back in the next higher cloud layer. Around noon, we reached the Biwak pod Skuto, a shelter designed in 2015 by OFIS Architects and brought to the mountain in three individual parts by helicopter. We took advantage of the fog as a stylistic device and photographed the building in a mysterious atmosphere while looking for suitable shooting positions for the night shots of the ENLIGHTEN series. Meanwhile, the bivouac filled with other hikers seeking shelter. As night fell, we had dinner with five Frenchmen and two Slovenians. Then we went out into the cold, wet night. Marcus protected the camera from the light rain with an umbrella while I set up the tripod and LED lamps. Two long hours later, the sky cleared and we saw the beautiful night sky over the Julian Alps and had our first two shots for Hasselblad in the bag.
3. Bivacco Luca Vuerich
The next morning, we went back down the steep path into the valley. Since we couldn't manage two strenuous hikes in one day, we made a stopover on the Mangartska Cesta mountain pass for the next night and drove on to Sella Nevea in Italy the next day. Here stands the Bivacco Luca Vuerich, a shelter built in 2012 by Pesamosca Giovanni Architekten in memory of the climbing professional of the same name.
As we laced up our shoes and shouldered our backpacks, we noticed how the effort of the first hike was still in our legs. After all, we carry 18kg of luggage every day with camera equipment, drone, lights, tripods, provisions, clothing and sleeping bags. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Lowepro for their support. Lowepro sponsored this project with one of their best backpacks, the PhotoSport Pro 70L AW, which offers plenty of storage space for hiking equipment in addition to a padded camera bag.
The first part of the hike went great. In perfect weather, we ascended the alpine meadows, passing grazing cows. After half the distance, we reached the steep face of the mountain. From here, a via ferrata led us up a chimney and then along exposed slopes on the rock face. As an experienced mountaineer, such a route wouldn't normally bother me, but this day was different. With my exhausted legs, every step was shaky, and the heavy backpack constantly pulled me away from the safety of the rock face. It took all my willpower to continue the route, step by step towards the goal. When we spotted the bivouac above the peaks, there was no turning back. The passion for photography had overcome my fear.
Over the summit of Sella Nevea, the wind was driving one cloud cover after another that day. It was a moment where we could feel the power of nature with all our senses. The view of the imposing mountain range was only revealed for brief moments through the clouds, but those moments were intense. We spent the afternoon searching for suitable shooting locations. I already knew from the research that this would prove difficult. The hut is surrounded by steep cliffs, several hundred meters deep. You can only move on a narrow ridge. The dense fog and wind didn't help. We finally decided on a subject very close to the hut. In good company with another mountaineer, we warmed up with a hot tea in the very cozy hut and talked about our ambitious plans for the next few days. Every 20 minutes, I looked out of the hut, hoping for a clear sky. Only at 02:00 in the morning did the clouds dissipate, revealing a clear view of the entire landscape. The tripod was already set up, and the camera was adjusted for the shot. So, all that was left to do was position the lights and press the shutter.
When the alarm rang four hours later, my body resisted leaving the bed with all its might, but the hope of a great sunrise prevailed. I started my drone and circled the mountain range during a wonderful sunrise. Now all that remained was to master the tricky climbing path back down into the valley.
4. Garnet Chapel
The next location finally had a chairlift. Even though I love hiking, every bit of comfort is welcome during a photo production with such a tight schedule. Marcus and I took the last cable car up the Finkenberg in the Zillertal to our next building, the Garnet Chapel. The chapel was built in 2012 by Swiss star architect Mario Botta in memory of the owners' family history. Directly adjacent to the building is an artificial pond that serves as a water reservoir for the skiers' snowmaking systems in winter. The chapel is beautifully reflected here. We also had mixed weather conditions at our third location. A thunderstorm was brewing, which swept over us in the late afternoon. Fortunately, we were invited by the operators of the Granatalm for dinner and were also provided with a bed. After dinner, we went out again. Two subjects were planned for this night, but the storm clouds wouldn't clear. A look at the weather forecast revealed that we could only expect a clear sky around 05:00 in the morning. So, it was time to get a few hours of sleep and get up early. When I stood by the pond in front of the Garnet Chapel the next morning, I couldn't stop marveling. A starry sky was reflected in the water, and the silhouette of the chapel stood out on the horizon. These were perfect conditions for the shot. In the next hour, my favorite subjects of the series were created.
5. iceQ Restaurant and 007 Elements
It was time to say goodbye. My assistant Marcus had to return to Germany and was replaced by another long-time assistant of mine. Mathias Pfützner accompanied me on the rest of the tour during my shoot and created a great series of sporty lifestyle shots of my work. Also with us now was Daniel Zenzipér from Flightseeing, who created breathtaking film footage of our photo series as a cameraman.
Our next location was the summit of the 3040m high Gaislachkogl in Sölden. Here are two exciting buildings that connect to the James Bond film SPECTRE. A scene from the film and a subsequent breathtaking chase through the Austrian mountains were filmed in the iceQ Restaurant. The 007 Elements museum now reports on the filming and shows many props from the film. Both buildings are by architect Johann Obermoser and blend into the mountains in their own way. The iceQ is almost exclusively surrounded by a reflective glass facade, which reflects the surrounding Alpine panorama. The 007 Elements is set into the mountain and only partially protrudes from the scree like a rocky peak.
The shooting conditions were perfect for the first time that day. No wind, no clouds. That gave us enough time to get in sync as a team. Because from that moment on, I was not only a photographer, but also a model for the Hasselblad film and the photo series of all the project's sponsors. Mathias and Daniel both needed their time for shots from different settings, while I was looking for my perspectives for the building photos. That made the shoot much more complex. We worked on the pictures until 23:00 that evening. However, the full moon made the shoot difficult, as its bright light obscured the view of the stars. That's why we went out again after moonset at 03:30 for some clear night shots. After two more hours of sleep, we were greeted by one of the most beautiful sunrises of my life. Wherever we looked, the sun bathed the mountain scenery in an orange light that couldn't be more beautiful. Now three creative minds were fighting for their shots and patting each other on the back afterwards for the good work.
6. Edelrauthütte
Finally hiking again. For our next shooting, we had to climb 800 meters uphill on the Cima Cadini in Italy. There is no road or cable car to the Edelrauthütte there. All food is transported up by helicopter. Otherwise, the Edelrauthütte by MoDus Architects can supply itself with electricity, water and heat in a self-sufficient manner. Unfortunately, the sunset was clouded by a dense cloud cover. This allowed us a relaxed dinner with convivial live music and a great view of the mountains. Only the next morning at 04:00 we went out again for the ENLIGHTEN pictures. The perspectives were agreed upon and the tripods set up. In the early morning hours, the Milky Way runs, as calculated in advance, exactly over the Edelrauthütte, creating a particularly dense starry sky. It wasn't worth sleeping again after the shoot. So we waited for the sunrise and took some great shots for our sponsor Lowepro. After half an hour, the light was gone again and we looked forward to a big breakfast.
7. Ötzi Peak
For the next shoot, we stayed in Italy and moved to Maso Corto. In the Schnalstal Glacier of the 3212m high Grawand, the famous remains of the Stone Age man Ötzi were found. On the summit of the mountain, the installation artist Ólafur Elíason built two observation platforms in 2020, which allow tourists a safe view of the rugged high mountain landscape. After the chairlift closed its doors, we had the entire summit to ourselves. Once again, the wind whipped the clouds up from the valley, creating a dramatic atmosphere. Mathias and Daniel became uneasy as lightning repeatedly flashed through the evening twilight in the north and east. But the thunderstorms remained at a safe distance, and we photographed the two platforms "Ötzi Peak" and "Our Glacial Perspectives" under an undisturbed starry sky. We also created a photo series for our sponsor Gitzo, who produces the best tripods for photographers. Afterwards, we started data backup at 22:00, because nothing would be more annoying than losing these precious files, for which we give everything on this trip.
8. Julierturm
We left Italy the next day and drove on to Switzerland. Here, on the roadside of the Julier Pass road, stands a tower that is used for concerts. Or rather, was used. The Julierturm by Giovanni Netzer was a temporary installation that was only approved for five years and was dismantled and renatured in 2023. The shots taken here are therefore unique and cannot be repeated. I have already written a separate blog post about this project, which you can find here. With the shots, I received recognition at the European Architectural Photography Prize in 2023. In addition to the architectural images, we created a video and a photo series for the company INOVATIV about their waterproof and shockproof laptop case, which secured our data from all elements.
9. Capella Santa Maria degli Angeli
We continue to a second chapel by architect Mario Botta. We had only planned one afternoon and evening for the building. Daniel stayed in the valley to secure the several terabytes of video material he had recorded in the past few days. Mathias and I got into the cable car and were excited about what awaited us on Monte Tamaro. Although the Capella Santa Maria degli Angeli looks like a historical relic from the age of the Crusades, it is a building from 1996. The building is powerful and impresses with a dynamic interplay of compression and expansion.
After a short rain shower, we had blue skies for the rest of the afternoon and enough time to look for exciting compositions. As the sun went down, it suddenly became cold and damp on the meadows of Monte Tamaro. While we were waiting for the stars, which only become visible two hours after sunset, a figure came towards us out of the darkness. It was a hunter who made it very clear to us that we should disappear, as his group was going wild boar hunting that night and didn't want to accidentally hit two photographers. From that moment on, we didn't turn off our headlamps for a second and nervously turned around at every rustle. After a successful shoot, we immediately set off for the descent. It was pitch dark. A stream had changed its course onto the hiking trail and we waded through the muddy ground. After two more hours, we saw a small path on the map that looked like a shortcut to the parking lot. "Can't hurt," we thought. After 300m we were in the middle of the thicket of the dark forest, with a stream to our left and right again. After another 45 minutes of fighting through the alpine jungle, we reached our car in a moderate mood. Fully concentrated, I then took the wrong exit at 23:30 on the way to our next location and we were in the Gotthard Tunnel, which meant a 35km detour.
10. Monte Rosa Hut
We quickly put the previous day behind us. Ahead of us was the building that had sparked the entire photo series "Modern Alpine Architecture". The Monte Rosa Hut by architect Andrea Deplazes. We drove to Täsch by car. From here by train to Zermatt and then with the Gornergrat cog railway to the Gornergrat. You can find out here how it continues from here and which picture brought me into the Top 10 of the Sony World Photography Awards. So much can be said, it was a unique hike that demanded everything from us again during the glacier crossing.
11. Summit Restaurant
Daniel said goodbye to us. With four terabytes of video material, we had enough options for editing. Mathias and I had one more location to shoot and it was only just reachable. We drove back from Switzerland to Germany. The cable car was supposed to close in 15 minutes. Just enough time for a pizza to go, which we enjoyed in the gondola. Arriving at the middle station of the Nebelhorn, we took up quarters in a small, serviced alpine pasture. The efforts of the last few days were in all our bones and the weather was cloudy and not very promising. We had taken enough pictures for Hasselblad's ENLIGHTEN series and the motivation to drag ourselves up the mountain for an hour was very limited. But what would we be for photographers if we didn't at least try. So 18kg of luggage on our shoulders and off we go. In fact, the clouds suddenly cleared as we reached the summit and the weather gods granted us a dreamlike conclusion to our photo series. We photographed in all directions: mountains, architecture, each other. At that moment, the great burden of the past few days fell from our shoulders (no, not the backpack). We had made it. The ambitious goal of photographing ten buildings was achieved. We had defied the weather, the hunters, the lifts, traffic jams, glaciers, slopes and streams. An enlightenment. The ENLIGHTEN series was in the can. With two pictures of the Summit Restaurant by HK Architekten, we climbed down the mountain and slept deeply. Slept deeply until the alarm rang at 05:00. You can't miss a sunrise when you're in such a beautiful place. Because being a photographer is not a job but a vocation.
12. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I would like to thank all the locations, sponsors and tourism associations involved for supporting us in this project. Thank you Marcus, Mathias and Daniel. Without you, I would not have succeeded in this series. And a big thank you to Hasselblad. The Hasselblad Masters have always been an inspiration for me and have given me the drive to grow beyond myself in this project. If you are interested in my experiences with the Hasselblad X2D in this project, please visit the Hasselblad Website to see my ENLIGHTEN series. Here you will also find the photo series of the other nine winners.
Equipment
Camera
1st Lens
2nd Lens
3rd Lens
4th Lens
Tripod
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