Above

(Hardback)

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Although nothing initially predisposed Thomas Crauwels to become both a photographer and a mountaineer, ABOVE, his first book, proves that he has emerged as one of the few photographers capable of capturing such striking images of summits all exceeding 4,000 meters.

Through his lens, we gain access to extraordinary landscapes. His black-and-white approach, mastery of contrast and light, and a maturity honed through countless explorations allow him to elevate the mountains without reducing them to mere stereotypical representations. Each of his images is the result of a decisive moment, meticulously planned and executed-whether it's the logistics of his expeditions or the mental construction of the images he seeks to create. Detailed map studies, the perfect weather window, and a formal pursuit of purity all serve his dual aim: to evoke emotion and preserve the magic of a fleeting moment.

ABOVE is not just another mountain book. It tells the story of a photographer's deep passion for a mountain range whose magnificent beauty he captures with profound insight. The repetition of black-and-white images emphasizes the photographer's fascination with the vertigo of a summit, the pure line of a ridge, the white glow of a hanging glacier, the harmony of a peak, the slope of an abyss, and the verticality of a wall.

Throughout the chapters, Crauwels becomes a messenger of contemplation, where aesthetics are infused, if not with mysticism, then certainly with his quest for meaning. In a slow process of idealization, the mountains take on the qualities of a sacred figure, appearing and disappearing with reverence.

In this sense, Thomas Crauwels can be seen as an heir to the French Romantic writers who, in the late 18th century, began to discover the mountain landscape, just as Horace-Benedict de Saussure initiated the scientific conquest of the Alpine peaks in 1787. Crauwels follows in the footsteps of Rousseau, allowing the mountains to ignite his poetic imagination. His work expresses the unbreakable bond between wild, untamed nature and the intense emotions humans are capable of experiencing. The mountains stir something universal within us all-from the sublime to the mystical-offering an aesthetic adventure as much as a physical one. Photography, like mountaineering, is fundamentally about a body in motion, a body in action. Are the mountains an inaccessible land, the last bastion of true freedom An inhuman terrain

ABOVEThis version refines the language to create a smoother, more engaging narrative while maintaining the original meaning and style.

Author Bio

Thomas Crauwels was born in Belgium. A computer engineer, he discovered Switzerland a bit by chance and decided to settle there, caught up in the taste for adventure and the call of the summits, this irrepressible attraction exerted on him by the Alps. Passionate, solitary, enamored of independence, he undoubtedly finds in the mountains the terrain of exploration that perfectly suits his temperament. Very quickly, his passion prevailed over everything else and his endian character pushed him to devote all his time to her. From his firststeps in the mountains, he uses the camera to testify to the beauty of what he sees with those close to him back home. Since then, in more than 10 years of exploration, his formal research has evolved as his practice has become more professional. If it happens today that he leaves without his camera, it is because he has reached a true maturity and his high standards now lead him to a search for ever more exclusive moments. The evolution of his personality has thus gradually transformed his vision of the mountains and his gaze has become sharper with each exit: to capture a light, an atmosphere, to grasp a new landscape architecture, to account for the play of shadows and enlightenments, seeking stripping and purity to the point of abstraction, such is the mission he has set himself to achieve, as the last chapter of ABOVE testifies, to show what confers on the grandiose and to the divine of a kingdom which borders the heavens.

Professional skier and High mountain Guide, Vivian Bruchez was born in Chamonix Mont-Blanc and has been skiing since he was 3 years old. Both of his parents are ski instructors, as are his older brother and sister. He started teaching at the age of 21 in 2007. From 2000 to 2006, he competed intensely in alpine skiing, ski-cross and freeride. In 2010 he qualified as a high mountain guide. He completed 80 new descents in the Alps. among these are the Nant Blanc, several descents on the Aiguille du Chardonnet, the Aiguille du Goter, the Bietschorn, the Tschhorn and Blonniere.