BLACKRAPID Spotlight: Thormey Lobsang-Gattini

Thormey Lobsang-Gattini – Thormey.Photography

I am a young French photographer, 21 years old, based in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in the heart of the French Alps. Passionate about visual storytelling and creation, I aim to capture authentic moments, breathtaking landscapes, and a wide range of subjects, while sharing my journey with a growing online community.

BLACKRAPID Spotlight: Thormey Lobsang-Gattini 2

Do You Have a Good Photo Tip for Us?

Technique can be learned, but the eye is developed through practice. Shoot as often as possible, explore different fields of photography, and step out of your comfort zone to build your own unique style.

BLACKRAPID Spotlight: Thormey Lobsang-Gattini 3

“Inside the Mind of My Drone Above Mont-Blanc”

The most memorable photographic experience of my life was a helicopter flight over the Mont-Blanc massif at sunrise.

Having grown up in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, these mountains are part of my everyday life. I see them from the valley, I hike through them, and I also experience them through mountaineering. Each perspective offers something different, but nothing could have prepared me for what I experienced that morning.

Shortly after takeoff, we were flying between peaks, ridges, and glaciers. We crossed the massif in a way that is impossible to experience from the ground. Even when you think you know these mountains well, seeing them from the air feels like discovering them all over again.

What struck me the most was the feeling of being inside my drone’s perspective. As a photographer and drone pilot, I spend a lot of time observing the world from aerial viewpoints. But this time, I wasn’t behind a screen — I was truly up there, seeing the landscape with my own eyes, exactly from the angles I usually seek through my drone.

Flying over the Mer de Glace, witnessing one of the largest glaciers in the Alps, and reaching the altitude of Mont-Blanc was an incredible privilege. I created some of the most unique images of my career during this flight. Yet my most powerful memories are not necessarily the photographs themselves.

At several moments, I put my camera down. I stopped shooting, stopped talking, and simply observed. For a few minutes, I forgot I was there to create images. I was just completely absorbed by the landscape I thought I knew so well, now rediscovered from above.

This experience reminded me that photography is not only about capturing moments — it is also about living them and seeing the world from perspectives very few people ever get the chance to experience.