Extreme climber and mountain photographer Heinz Zak in portrait

Zak was born in 1958 in Wörgl and moved to Axams with his parents at the age of primary school. Later, he completed his training as a secondary school teacher in Innsbruck. As such, he got a position at the private secondary school in Scharnitz. This was the moment that would have immense influence on the rest of his life. "I actually only wanted to live and work in Scharnitz temporarily" remembers Zak. "But I particularly liked the workplace, and then I discovered the Karwendel and the climbing area in the Wetterstein and stayed." At first, he was primarily fascinated by the climbing opportunities, but over time the moods that the surrounding mountains and nature offered came into focus for him and his camera.

Zak has always taken photographs: Even when he began climbing seriously at the age of 15 and later rose to become one of the best extreme climbers in the world, the camera was always with him. The hobby turned into a passion when he met the legendary landscape photographers David Muench and Ansel Adams during his climbing trips to the USA. "Their way of capturing only the mountain, the nature, and the surrounding atmosphere was new." Zak began to photograph like them, trying to capture special moods on the mountain in his images. In doing so, he followed his nature and his passion for the mountains. "For me, there is still nothing more beautiful than spending the night on the mountain and photographing the moods at sunset and sunrise," he raves. It is a blessing that he can do this. "I have the best life there is."

The seven years he spent with his current masterpiece “Tyrol – Magic of the Mountains” made him happy: Countless hours in the mountain, many thousands of meters in altitude with 30 kilos of luggage, consisting of camera and bivouac equipment, on his back as well as hours of waiting in all weather conditions and every season were his greatest joy. “That's why I postponed the publication three times, I wanted to have a little more fun,” he says with a sly smile, but then admits more seriously: “I was also afraid that when the book was finally out, I wouldn't enjoy being outdoors and photographing as much anymore.” Because even though Zak photographs out of a genuine passion, he draws a lot of strength and motivation from the fact that his images are seen. “That really helps to stay in a bivouac at minus 20 degrees on the Großglockner.”

He will likely continue to endure the nights in the mountains, as he has no shortage of projects. “We are working on a second version of the music evenings ‘Sound World Mountains’, and I'm constantly changing things like my lectures.” So one can be sure that the 300,000 photos that Zak has taken since 2016 for the Tyrolean photo book will not be his last of the local mountain world. He is too fascinated by capturing the right moment, the right light. Most of the photos are preceded by a long planning process: “I have been to almost all places several times; I often have a picture in mind that I want to make.” The right moment is then planned with the help of maps, weather reports, locals, and a lot of mountain knowledge. Yet, it often takes several attempts, many hours of patience, and sometimes a bit of luck. Just like with the cover photo of “Tyrol – Magic of the Mountains,” Zak's declared favorite image: “I was up there all day, and it was unclear for a long time whether any photo would come out at all, and then suddenly this light appeared.” The light that makes the magic of the image, completely captivated Zak. “To experience such a mood and be able to capture it photographically fulfills me. These are magical moments.”

The Scharnitzer did not find this only in the changing sunlight. The variety in "Tyrol - Magic of the Mountains" is astonishing: from the classic mountain panorama seen from a new, unusual perspective, through breathtaking night pictures, to artistically staged flower meadows and autumnal color plays – everything that Tyrol has to show in terms of beauty is there. There are also some insider tips. It is okay for Zak to "reveal" these. "My book should also be an inspiration to take the time to discover our precious nature with open eyes and a wide heart." The Scharnitzer deliberately chooses the medium book, as it is not as fast-paced and has a different mental framework than social media. Zak does have an Instagram account, but he only fills it sporadically. Nevertheless, he is open to influencers: "I wish everyone to shape their lives as they want. I was able to do that too." The fact that some postings cause a large influx to certain areas may be uncomfortable. However, this does not affect Zak himself. "Because at the time I pass by, there is not a single person even at the famous bridge in the Zillertal."

He probably wouldn't photograph them, and if he did, it would certainly be from another, very special perspective. Because although some classic motifs can be found in his photo book, all Zak's images carry a very personal, artistic handwriting. The Kalkkögel (p. 186) look like the Himalayas because they were photographed from a perspective where the mighty "Hawk" is wrapped in a Föhn wall behind them. The Große Ahornboden not only shines in its gold-yellow that has been captured millions of times but also in vibrant green or dissolves impressionistically in dense snowstorm (pp. 111 ff). At night, his trees become extras for the starry sky, just like the Großglockner (p. 249), which seems to wear the North Star and countless star trails as a crown. For this image, Zak spent two nights on the mountain after a long planning period, restlessly hiking hundreds of elevation meters up and down for the perfect viewpoint, but only found it 24 hours later on the second attempt. To capture the color splendor of a glacier cliff on the Großvenediger (p. 41) in perfect light, he returned fifteen times. Only very rarely is a photo a happy coincidence, like the one from the path to the Stüdlhütte on the Großglockner (p. 30), where snow and rock create a bizarre pattern whose photographic qualities, in passing, probably only catch the trained and artistic eye of Zak.

His perspective has developed over the years, also thanks to the viewfinder of his camera. Because unlike many prophets of mindfulness who today advise against distancing oneself from the experience through the omnipresent mobile camera like Max Frisch's 'Homo Faber', Zak perceives the camera as the best companion: "It helps me to focus fully and immerse myself completely in the moment." He gladly passes this experience on in his photo workshops but also benefits from the perspectives of his participants there. "They have contributed to a significant expansion of my way of seeing and horizons." And as Zak writes in the preface to his book, they have made him aware of the most important concern of his photography: "I want to convey the beauty of nature in the most diverse ways." Everything, from the smallest flower to the mightiest peaks.

With this variety of his photos, Zak has managed to place himself and Tyrol on par with the works of the most famous travel photographers in the world. Therefore, he received the ITB Berlin Book Award in the category of travel photo books for "Tyrol – Magic of the Mountains" in 2024 at the world's largest tourism fair, the ITB Berlin. This places him among the best landscape photographers in the world. It is particularly noteworthy that for the first time, a purely regional photo book has received this honor, which impressively confirms Zak's statement in the preface of his book: "You don’t have to travel halfway around the world to find magical places in nature. It is enough to go outside your door with open eyes and a wide heart."