Photo print of a family of ibex in the Vallée de Fontanalba

A family of Alpine ibexes roams the Fontanalba high pastures, amidst sparse grass, rocky outcrops, and stone pastoral buildings. The differences in size and posture give a natural rhythm to the group, without turning the scene into a posed animal portrait. The large horns stand out around the small stone building and wooden posts. Scattered trees dot the rocky meadow beyond the group. These elements provide several reference points in the pastoral terrain, where the animals move among the same stones and grasses that structure the landscape, on a much closer scale.

The rather wide framing preserves the necessary environment for understanding the scene. The brown coats blend in places with the vegetation and stone, while the animals remain distinct enough for their attitudes and their bonds within the group to be legible.

The Fontanalba valley is located above Castérino, in the commune of Tende, within the Parc national du Mercantour. This sector of Mont Bégo combines larches, pastures, glacial lakes, and engraved rocks, within a high Roya landscape marked by a long human presence.

Printed on demand on matte Dibond aluminium, this photograph becomes a photo print of an ibex family in Fontanalba. The rendering preserves the delicacy of the coats, the textures of the high pastures, and the depth of the Mercantour landscape.