For a century and a half, mountain images by their beauty have largely gained from its influence, its frequentation and its development. But they are also a tool in the service of science, fixing the transformation of landscapes, habitats... Over 150 years, the Tairraz dynasty photographed the mountain. Four generations of photographers have magnified the Mont-Blanc massif. From the first photograph taken at the summit of Mont-Blanc in 1861 to the present day, this art is at the origin of many mountaineering vocations and has largely contributed to the tourist development of these formerly ignored valleys. Here is the wonderful story of a dynasty of photographers, the Tairraz, which stretches from 1861 to the dawn of the 2000s.
Many mountaineers as part of their activity have used cameras and films to allow us to participate through images in their adventures and their emotions. Many of them have become true film professionals: Joseph Vallot, Lionel Terray, Marcel Ichac, Renè Vernadet, Jean Afanasieff, Pierre Royer, Denis Ducroz, Kurt Diemberg and many others are among the conquerors of the image of the mountain. The film depicts the passion of these men on the highest mountains in the world... behind the lens.
Pierre Tairraz (born November 19, 1933 in Chamonix and died September 14, 2000 in Divajeu) was a French mountain photographer, the fourth in the Tairraz family. Pierre Tairraz was born in 1933; his father Georges II, his grandfather Georges I and his great-grandfather Joseph practice or have practiced the profession of mountain photographer, his father is also a filmmaker. He studied photography and cinema in Paris (at Idhec) before returning to train in the field with his father. Pierre Tairraz then joined expeditions in several mountain ranges as a filmmaker. He worked in particular with Roger Frison-Roche, illustrating with these shots the works "Mont Blanc Aux Sept Vallées" and "50 Years In The Mountains", and accompanying him in the Canadian North in 1966 and 1969; as well as with Gaston Rébuffat. In 1972, he exhibited his photos as well as those of his Tairraz ancestors in Paris. The following works will be illustrated with his photographs: In 1959: Mont Blanc aux sept vallées, texts by Roger Frison-Roche, Arthaud editions, 1963: Two thousand years later, Israel, texts by Pierre-François Degeorges, 1966: Hello Romania, texts by Pierre-François Degeorges, Robert Laffont editions, 1967: Peoples hunters of the Arctic, texts by Roger Frison-Roche, Arthaud editions, 1968: Chamonix Mont-Blanc, texts by Philippe Gaussot, Navarre-La Rochelle editions, 1971: Le Petit chamois des Perrons, texts by Anne-Marie Gillet, Mythra editions, 1972: La Vanoise, National Park, texts by Roger Frison-Roche, Arthaud editions, 1974: 50 years in the mountains, texts by Roger Frison-Roche, Arthaud editions, 1975: The Mountain, texts by Roger Frison-Roche, Larousse, Vie-Art-Cité, Mythra editions. We will also find Pierre Tairraz behind the camera, on many documentaries including: In 1954: "Sur Les Traces Du Premier De Cordée", directed by Roger Frison-Roche, as assistant cameraman to his father Georges Tairraz. 1961: "Between Earth and Sky", directed by Gaston Rébuffat, images by Georges Tairraz and Pierre Tairraz, awarded at the 10th international mountain and exploration film festival in Trento. 1963: 2000 years later… Israel, film from the expedition with Pierre-François Degeorges. 1966: "Hunting Peoples of the Arctic", film taken from the expedition with Roger Frison-Roche in 1966. The tairraz dynasty went dormant when Pierre died on September 14, 2000 in Divajeu in Drôme (France). It leaves us with a certain way of looking at the mountain, of magnifying its forms to express the emotions of those who venture there.
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