6:23am The Moment of truth at 3000 meter.
Cold. Patience. Perfection. The Story Behind an Image.
Piz Palü and Biancograt. Seen a thousand times, photographed a thousand times. Every angle is familiar, by day and by night. But familiarity is not enough when the extraordinary is required. Decision made: One more night up there. Alone. A new work emerged. One of my best images to date.
Sunrise on Piz Palü © Jürg Kaufmann
It all began with a message a few months ago. An art collector had seen the 24-meter Piz Badile work at the Grace Hotel. His vision for his domicile in the Rhine Valley: An over four-meter large Piz Palü by night and a four-meter high Biancograt. A house, designed down to the last detail. Nothing left to chance.
Gratitude mixed with respect. Such a task weighs heavy. It had to be perfect. No compromises, no shortcuts. The dimensions exceeded every standard for Fine Art prints. Together with a long-standing partner, a roll of the finest canvas was tested to the limit. Real color pigments on premium white canvas. After meters of test prints, the foundation was right.
Printing the Biancograt was a beautiful experience. But with the Piz Palü, something was missing. The light of the existing image did not do justice to the sophistication and design of the house. Fresh snow and a full moon were in the forecast. My intuition said: This fits. So, pack up the gear, followed by a night up in the mountains.
Sunrise on Biancograt with Piz Bianco © Jürg Kaufmann
Out there with camera and tripod. The moonlight was intense. At 4 AM the thought: Cool, pack up, the shot is in the can. No… Intuition demanded patience. The light comes gently over the peaks in the early morning, from Palü across to Bellavista. 6:23 AM. The time had come. The first sunrays grazed the white peaks. Eight high-resolution, vertical images. One after the other. After hours of waiting, everything had to happen fast. The moment was magical, concentration total. Fingers cold, nose tip too.
Back at the mountain hut, after six hours at 3000 meters, came the moment of truth on the screen. The panorama is complete. A resolution that eclipses everything that came before. Still on the way back, a call to the client: "I have a surprise."
wo days at the monitor followed. Assembling the eight images, digital craftsmanship to perfection. During printing, it became clear: Every minute in the cold and at the monitor was worth it. The works were finished by a specialist. Mounted and framed in black oak – matched exactly to the color tone of the house.
Seeing these giants come to life in the workshop was moving. The moment was almost too short before they were packed for transport. Installation on site: Pure tension. Everyone was focused. And suddenly, the Biancograt hangs on the wall. Sat down on the stairs and simply enjoyed the moment.
Thanks to everyone for this great collaboration. True teamwork from the first idea to the moment the image found its new home.
Enjoy the picture. Now you know the story behind it.
Jürg
Partner in this project: Bost Productions & Studio Arte
Biancograt & Piz Palü.
Note: AI visualization used for privacy reasons.
