Black and white photo of Pré de Madame Carle in the Écrins.

The Pré de Madame Carle unfolds in black and white between torrents, rocky blocks and the great walls of the Écrins massif. The monochrome treatment simplifies the palette to emphasize the lines of the valley, the texture of the stone and the depth of the relief. Numerous slender, bare trees fill the valley floor. Their outlines stand out against the walls, where patches of snow remain, while winding pale lines cross the lower ground. In this photograph, black and white brings these motifs together without merging them: the light verticals of the trees echo the great masses of rock.

The bright areas of the water and sky answer the darker slopes, creating a precise reading of the different planes. The absence of colour reinforces the timeless character of the place and gives greater presence to the mineral forms that close the valley.

At around 1,870 metres above sea level, this site in Vallouise-Pelvoux marks the entrance to Écrins National Park. It lies at the start of routes leading to Glacier Blanc and Glacier Noir, in a valley shaped by glacial erosion and torrents.

This black-and-white photo print of the Pré de Madame Carle is printed to order on matte aluminium Dibond. It reproduces a wide range of greys, from the bright surfaces of the torrent to the deep shadows of the mountains.