PEAK

For Woudt, the unforgettable journey was heightened by the endless mountain passes and the hypnotic rhythm of walking — being so far removed from the rest of the world gave him time and space to reflect on life. Where am I now, and where do I want to go? Literally during the journey, but also as a metaphor for life. "There are so many different reasons, but in the end also not at all. It is because you are looking for something in yourself. And like McFarlane said: half because you love yourself, and half because you have no idea."

Themes & Intent

Peak is not simply about beautiful mountains. It is about the combination of rugged landscapes, still lifes, and above all the proud Nepalese people encountered along the way. Woudt wanted to show that Nepal is more than mountaineering: it is about culture, daily scenes, silence, and spirituality in the high mountains.

The result is a series of monochrome images that move between vast, towering peaks and intimate moments shared with Nepalese villagers, monks, and porters. From thirteen aspirant monks at a monastery to the owner of a tea house, the portraits testify to the grace and pride, the strength and wisdom of the Nepalese — received everywhere with warmth, despite hardship and isolation. It is their hospitality that gives this project its deeply human aspect. In this project, landscape takes centre stage for the first time in Woudt's practice, yet the human presence remains inseparable from his visual language.

The images align with Woudt's signature graphic, timeless black-and-white style: strong contrasts, minimalism, and an almost abstract approach to form in both landscape and portrait. His use of chiaroscuro — rooted in a deep admiration for Rembrandt — gives the work its striking tonal depth. The choice to photograph entirely in black and white removes the images from the literal and allows the viewer to focus more deeply on form, texture, and emotion.

Working in the Field

Unlike earlier projects with comfortable conditions — cars, hotels — Woudt worked in tents, at high altitude and in extreme cold, which forced him to keep photographing even in discomfort. He emphasises that you must be "always on": even when exhausted or ill, you need to be able to see and capture composition, light, and moments. The unpredictability — sudden snow, fog, dangerous paths — meant he often had to react quickly and rely on intuition and experience rather than elaborate on-site preparation.

As he told Metal Magazine: "One of the things I learned during this journey is to be aware of your surroundings and to be constantly scanning and alert from making work while walking, even if you don't feel like it or feel miserable. After having slept in a tent for 26 days, and often walking more than 20–30 km a day at altitudes between 3,000 and 6,000 meters, sometimes you don't think about photographing the mountains around you anymore. Still, at those moments you look differently, you start looking for different shapes, abstract lines — and when you meet people you are glad they want to stand in front of your camera, so every encounter becomes special."