Tag Archives: Documentary

John Harlin Walking the Swiss Border

By PatitucciPhoto | Published September 13, 2011

Earlier this summer we posted our story & photos about John Harlin’s Swiss Border project. It was a project we were very lucky to be a part of as we would have the pleasure of meeting John, spending some days with him as he walked the entire Swiss Border, and getting to visually document part of the process. After three very long & difficult days with John, I was left thinking that in order to complete this epic journey he would need a very strong will, endless endurance and bomber knees. Apparently, he has all these things as yesterday, September 12, at exactly noon, he summited Mont Dolent – this, after 104 days of being on the move . By doing so, he completed a very large circle that offered him countless geographic and weather challenges, but also an endless stream of memorable trailside human encounters and support via social media.

John Harlin arriving to the summit of Mont Dolent

We joined him as he first set out this summer, then again yesterday for his finish atop Mont Dolent, which serves as the border between France, Italy and Switzerland. Also in our group were supporters & partners from Swiss Tourism, some close friends, and his host SwissInfo.ch.

The day started off with the sound of heavy rain bombarding our bivouac on the Italian side of Mont Dolent. 5 am, rain, 6am, rain, 7 am, drizzle. With drizzle being a major improvement, and John determined to close the project, we all set out. 30 minutes later as we gained the glacier the first rays of sun were streaming through the clouds. Shortly after this we had bluebird conditions and a freshly frosted mountain all to ourselves.

A huge congratulations to John for completing his journey and lifelong dream. There are some great stories from along the way at SwissInfo Border Stories. Also, a follow up summary is soon to follow and can be watched for at the SwissBorder Facebook Page. His own write up of the final day is appropriately titled, Party Time.

A few images from a great day with a superb group of people.

Inside the Bivouaco Fiorio. Too bad we had to carry all the schnapps & wine up, there just wasn't enough.

John Harlin leaving the bivouac in wet and unpleasant weather for his final day on the Swiss Border

The crew negotiating a heavily crevassed glacier below Mont Dolent

The skies cleared to a perfect last day. Here, John is on the upper glacier before the final rock ridge.

John Harlin and Friends on the summit of Mont Dolent. Congratulations John.

Even the Ibex were out in support. This big guy was on the doorstep of the bivouac when we returned.

Everyone down and happy to the bivouac with Mont Dolent behind.

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Vietnam Travel Photography

By PatitucciPhoto | Published December 3, 2010

Travel Photography

On the first day of my photography school, I had to stand up in class, introduce myself, and explain what kind of a photographer I dreamt of being. To this, I proudly stated, “I want to shoot for the The National Geographic”. Later, I would learn that three years prior to my own announcement, a Swiss girl named Janine had done the same thing. Now, 14 years since that time, neither one of us are Geographic shooters. But, we did meet while applying for a NGS internship and we did shoot numerous assignments for the now defunct National Geographic Adventure. Maybe it is all for the best.

As professional Mountain Sport photographers, we know that having to shoot what you love instead of always just wanting to shoot what you love, sometimes turns it into, well, work. So, each fall we like to take a break from the mountains and go do what we enjoy most about photography, diving into another culture, wandering around, and photographing all the details and scenarios that we stumble upon. Not for work, but for fun.

Vietnam and Cambodia were this year’s destination. There we found a Southeast Asia in a frantic state of development where first world desires are colliding with third world traditions. As so often happens, it is the third world which provides all the color and character.

While shooting in this style we study life, both external and internal, in the hopes of finding beauty within chaos. I tend to focus on segments of the overall while Janine likes to pull back and show the larger picture.

To wake in the pre-dawn darkness and hop onto our rented motorbike, then to buzz along the coastline towards a chaotic fish market, this is our personal little National Geographic assignment.

This bucket is in the photo at the top of the post and was Dan's honing in on details while Janine preferred the overall scene, above.

The fish market, I knew this was going to produce a cool photo while walking towards the scene

Going a little tighter, suddenly it is an interesting image

Janine Patitucci photographing in Vietnam

Dan Patitucci making a discovery

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Photo of the Day: India Hot Air Balloon

By PatitucciPhoto | Published September 18, 2009

A hot air balloon rises as Indians watch

Today is installment number one of our Photo of the Day category. A quick hit on a random photo from our archives. For me it is fun to do a quick scroll through and see what image catches my attention, no doubt something with a fun sidenote.

First up, a hot air balloon rising above a crowd in India.

Last year, along with a group of other pro photographers, we shot the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan, India. A massive gathering of camel traders, nomads, and gypsies. The event has become something of a tourist attraction in the middle of the Rajasthan desert. Everything seemed more or less Indian while we were there until, one dusty morning, we saw a hot air balloon rise over the desert. Few visuals come as a surprise in India, yet this was actually a bit odd, we would have to investigate.

When shooting in these kinds of places, the ideal time to be out is at dawn. So, we rose in the darkness and headed for the launch pad of the balloon. There is nothing in this world like stepping onto the streets of India, at anytime of the day, but especially at dawn. At this hour there is a gentleness to the chaos, the intensity is dulled by the cooler air, and the traveler can feel as if they blend in a bit more. It is our favorite time of day to wander and see what we find.

To see more images from our documentary project at the Pushkar Camel Fair, visit our book’s site at Gurus, Gods and Camels.

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