All posts tagged as Verbier

08Nov

Wall Art for your home or secondary residence

In Uncategorized by Franco Pfaller / November 8, 2022 / No Comments

After having published my trilingual photo book ‘Mein Wallis – Mon Valais – My Valais’ I got contacted by several interested parties to ask if they could buy some of the photos as a print (for example as wall art to improve your home or secondary residence) and this year I sold more photos than labelled panoramas. Before getting too excited for me, panoramas seldom (never) sold like hotcakes. The photos are usually photos printed on either AluDibond, canvas, or occasionally printed on photo paper and framed.

The photos are a great idea for a big birthday, a Christmas gift that lasts forever and a feature that will not only improve your walls, but also most likely increase the value of your property. Believe me, in my role as a property photographer I have taken photos of many holiday homes that are either for sale or for rent, and rarely I am impressed with the things (I chose this word carefully) that are hanging on the walls.

When I received my first large prints I was nervous. Will the photos look as good as on my computer? Will the colours be represented correctly? And most importantly, will the customers be happy with the result?
The answer was yes on all accounts. I loved the photos and was nearly sad to part with them.

When customers are interested in buying a high quality print we usually discuss what they are looking for. e.g. mountains, trees, autumn, a specific place, what colour would match the intended space.

I then send a small selection of photos to the customers from which they can choose the one (or several) they like.

I have many photos from the alps (and maybe buying my book to give you some ideas would be a great start), but also from around London.

As a side remark, some of my London photos will be published in a book in 2024 (I know, how exciting).

Once you have chosen your photo, indicated your preferred size and on what material the artwork should be printed I will make you a price. Please get in touch by email through my contact page. Wall art for your home or secondary residence could of course also include my labelled panoramas. Check them out in my various galleries please.

10Jun

Book Launch Party in La Tzoumaz on July 25th, 2021 at the Marché Artisanal

In Uncategorized by Franco Pfaller / June 10, 2021 / No Comments

I intend to have a little book launch party for ‘Mein Wallis – Mon Valais – My Valais’ at the Marché Artisanal in La Tzoumaz this summer. I have attended this market since 2015 on a yearly basis, offering and promoting my labeled panoramas, photos, postcards, and calendars. It was always a fun event (generally followed by a mild hangover) and I feel it is only appropriate that I have my slightly delayed book launch there.

The book reached the shops at the end of November 2020, but unfortunately, I had to return to England where I was unexpectedly stuck until now (the global pandemic showed very little consideration for what in my world was the most important book launch ever).

If you have already bought a copy of the book (in shops or online), bring it along and I sign it for you. If not, the book is available in most bookshops in Switzerland (at least the good ones) or you can order your copy online. As an example, on the Japanese Version of Amazon it costs ¥6,286 (but you can get it cheaper closer to home).

Should you wish to buy your copy at the market, please let me know in advance and I will reserve one for you. I will only bring a limited amount of books with me (and the local shop does not have many left either).

There will also be an open copy of the book on the table for you to browse in (with gloves of course) should you wonder what it is about.
In short, it is a hardback photo book, published by Kümmerly+Frey about some of the places I visited in the Valais over the four seasons. It’s not a guidebook, but it might be inspirational for you and your guests should you look for places to visit.

I am looking forward to seeing you soon at the Book Launch Party in La Tzoumaz.

Franco

27Oct

Zoom interview with the author/photographer Franco Pfaller

In Uncategorized by Franco Pfaller / October 27, 2020 / 1 Comment

Welcome to the interview with author/photographer Franco Pfaller.
His book ‘Mein Wallis Mon Valais My Valais’ will be released at the end of November 2020 to probably neither critical nor any other acclaim.

Initially, the author intended to hold a press conference for members of the world press in the drawing-room of the Swiss embassy in London. With the health of the reporters and the Swiss ambassador in mind, he canceled that event before anybody knew about it and held a Zoom Q+A from the safety of his house.

Q1: Franco, welcome to this interview and congratulations to have signed an ‘author contract’ with the renowned Swiss Publishing Company ‘Kümmerly+Frey’. How did you manage to do that?

F: Thank you very much for this interview and your interest in the book. I signed the contract with a pen, on the dots where it said: Sign here. It was surprisingly simple.

Q2: What can you tell us about your book?

F: It’s the typical story of succeeding against the odds. With my background as a white, middle-class, straight male in his fifties nobody would expect me to achieve anything. The world can be such a cruel place against my demographic. Why does nobody love me? Why do I have to work for a living?

Q3: But I thought this was just a photobook about your favourite places in the Valais, structured by the four seasons?

F: Ah, sorry… I misunderstood the question. Yes, that is absolutely correct.

Q4: Do you think holiday-home owners in the Valais could be interested in the book?

F: A hardback photo book about the Valais, showing the beauty of this canton during the four seasons on 240 pages sized 28cmx21cm? I doubt it. But the book could work as a door stopper or if they have kids it could be used to dry autumn leaves.

Q5: Who do you expect to buy the book?

F: Mainly the Gen Z. Very little text and a lot of photos… perfect for those kids with a short attention span.

Q6: Where can one buy the book?

F: All decent bookshops should have a copy. I would go as far as saying that if the book is not on the shelves, you are probably not in a bookshop? Does it smell of freshly baked bread?

And my website www.yourpanorama.ch has an online-shop that offers the book too. I would love to find out if the shop works by the way.

Q7: We don’t want to bore our readers with details, but where could they find out a little bit more about the book?

F: That’s a tough question – but probably the internet? Google ‘Franco Pfaller My Valais’ and you will eventually find my Youtube channel, my website, my blogs and my social media accounts (all under @yourpanorama).

That was highly interesting and informative. I wish you all the best with the launch of your book.

F: Sorry, was that a question?

18Aug

Update on my coffee-table book ‘Mein Wallis / Mon Valais / My Valais’

In Uncategorized by Franco Pfaller / August 18, 2020 / No Comments

I have just returned to London after having spent a month in Switzerland. Among other projects, I was working on my book ‘My Valais’. I met my publisher at Kümmerly+Frey’s office for the first time in person (all our discussions thus far were on skype) and I was handed over the printed promo-flyer (above and below). We had a good meeting and decided, that I should add a few more regions to the book.

We have since added a series from above Zermatt and also from a mountaineering trip I made in August specifically to take photos. I traversed the Weissmies, a 4000m peak above the Saastal. This trip was a bit of a surprise to me, as when I traveled to Switzerland, I did not have any such plans. Luckily, I did a lot of walking during the lockdown and am reasonably fit. It was a fantastic 2 days, with lots of walking, a bit of climbing, great views, and traversing a stunning glacier. Having fallen into a crevasse last year, I was pleased when we got over this glacier without me having another unnecessary adventure. It will be one of my favorite double pages in the book. Below just one of the photos (taken from the summit).

The book is taking shape. We have now decided on the cover and all the photos that will be included. We are at about 240 pages and I can’t wait to hold the first copy in my hands.

Friends have started to put in their orders, now I hope that corporate interest will follow. While the publisher will sell through all the traditional channels (bookshops, Amazon, etc), I can sell the book myself too. My target clients are hotels, apartment-buildings, holiday homeowners, and tourist offices in the Valais. If you know anybody that could be interested in a coffee-table book about the Valais, kindly make an introduction.

We have one page reserved for an advertisement. I am currently contacting companies to ask if they would like to show their name in the book. Ideally of course it should be a company that has a relationship with the Valais, hiking/mountaineering, or photography. Feel free to get in touch if you know someone that could be interested.

The next step is to finalise the text for the book. There won’t be much text, but it will be in three languages (German, French, and English). As you can probably guess having read this blog, writing is not my forte… thus I expect a few subtle changes 😉.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Franco

20May

Calendars of London, Verbier or La Tzoumaz? The choice is yours…

In Photography by Franco Pfaller / May 20, 2019 / No Comments

2020 Calendar of London — London 2020 Calendar

In the past, I have printed various calendars (check some of them out here). I usually create one from the London area and others from Switzerland (with focus on La Tzoumaz and Verbier). So far it has not exactly been a money maker, but I have decided to have another go. Last year the garage proprietor in Switzerland where I service my car had to switch from the calendar he usually displayed (a cheap version of the Pirelli calendar) to mine, as he was getting looks from female customers. My photos are less likely to offend, thus there is hope!

Having just received the 2020 versions, here a little review of the process.

I kept the format the same as in 2019 (42cmx21cm). While previously I printed the Swiss calendars in both French and English I decided to only make a French version in 2020. I assumed that Brexit voters would only look at the pictures anyway and the others will understand.

Calendar La Tzoumaz 2020 — Cover of the 2020 La Tzoumaz Calendar

First I had to find the photos, 13 in all for the London calendar and about 20 for the La Tzoumaz and Verbier versions (I can use some photos for both). Since I also try to take slightly different subjects from last year, the challenge is to have enough high-quality photos that justify inclusion and fit the format. I have thousands of photos of for example London, thus finding 13 should be easy. It isn’t… The format for the photos on the calendar has to be 1:0.3. This is relatively narrow for a city with new skyscrapers seemingly popping up every other week. I managed to find 13 that I was happy with. These days when I am out shooting, I usually take photos of the same view in various formats to fit for my different needs. For my social media channels I usually shoot in portrait mode, for the calendars in landscape and when possible, I always look out for a potential labelled panorama too.

Then I had to write a template for the calendars. 12 months, 366 days correctly assigned to a day in a week (2020 is a leap year) and a small title for every picture. It seems simple enough, but the potential for a mistake is massive. I found that out last year when my London calendar had a spelling mistake. Selling it was then impossible, thus if you were an acquaintance of mine, you probably got one as a gift. This year my wife proofread them all and they look alright to me (and should there be a mistake, at least she won’t go on about it…).

Printing the calendar is another story. Having used various printers, I was very happy with my local printer (www.freestyleprint.com). We decided to go for a hardback, 13 pages including the cover and a clear acetate protection page. It oozes quality.

With the three calendars being printed, there is now only the small issue of selling them. The La Tzoumaz version will be sold at the market in July and through the local shop. London and Verbier I will only sell by word of mouth. The cuts shops take is too large considering the relatively small quantity I printed.

Et voilà, dear readers, that is where you come in. If you know anybody who lives in London, La Tzoumaz or Verbier I might just have an idea of what you could bring along next time you see them. 😉 And of course, you should also get one for yourself, it would be a shame to miss out.

The price? Sfr 25 / £ 20 (+postage).

Find them in my online shop here https://your-panorama.square.site/home

On a different note, if you own a business and would like to offer your customers or employees a calendar, please get in touch. We can personalise the photos (by for example adding your logo). A fantastic way to remind your customers who they should call next! Prices for size are substantially different from the above.