An inconvenient way to spend time.

Waking up at dawn, layering up like a World Cup slalom contender, waiting your turn at the ski-lift, gliding up to 1,800 metres… and then, instead of carving lines on powder, seeking out the perfect sunny corner to unfold a deckchair and read a magazine. De gustibus, indeed.

I took this photograph partly amused, partly curious. The two figures, bundled in ski gear, are frozen in a still life of leisure that feels completely at odds with their surroundings. It’s an unspoken reminder that the mountains aren’t only for the adrenaline-seekers — they’re also for those who see them as a backdrop for a slower kind of pleasure.

Technically, the image is a straightforward daylight capture. The high-altitude sun provided more than enough illumination, so I could stop down slightly to ensure both the couple and the textured stone wall behind them remained in crisp focus. The reflective glare off the snow and light paving did push the exposure towards the higher end — a quick check on the histogram showed I was brushing against the highlights, but without losing detail in the whites.

Compositionally, I placed the couple slightly left of centre to let the angular architecture of the refuge wall dominate the right-hand side. The horizontal lines of the window frames and paving contrast with the organic randomness of the stonework, while the splash of red from the deckchair and the distant jackets on the left add life to an otherwise muted palette.

It’s not an action shot. It’s not even particularly dynamic. But perhaps that’s the point — in a place designed for movement, this is a portrait of stillness, and of a very personal definition of what it means to make the most of your day in the mountains.