Natalie Pronin
@natalie_pronin
Photographer based in the Czech Republic
I believe that the majority of our habits and affections come from family and childhood. At least, that is exactly my case. Traveling and admiring nature were parts of my parent’s life, so it was part of mine. When I was in high school, they suggested we go together to the mountains and I agreed. This changed my life completely, just like studying in Canada did, which changed my inner self and taught me to stand up for my own interests. It made me switch from studying Economics & Finance to Marketing & Innovation.
Tipping points
However, having serious physical traumas (an ankle split in my senior year + some knee problems) was the event that pushed me in a totally different direction. I used to take professional ballet and skating classes but the injuries made me finish both of them at different ages. Ever since – having been introduced to the mountains by my parents before – the majority of energy and adrenaline I used to dedicate to dancing was aimed at hiking and making hiking plans. It might sound old-fashioned but I appreciate paper maps and guidebooks a lot to work with. One day I read in a travel magazine a mention of the Tour du Mont Blanc trail and started to look for as much information as possible. Back in 2015, there was only one decent website about it – (now it looks completely different, of course). It has an interactive map where you can choose a mountain hut to sleep and make a reservation (for some of the huts you needed to call the owner). Nowadays I use Mapy.cz a lot, it’s quite a decent application for outdoor activities, not only for the Czech Republic, but it also works quite nicely in the Alps. But to be honest, I still love to sit with paper maps and guidebooks.
Tour du Mont Blanc
After I had found out about the Tour du Mont Blanc, I was determined to do it myself. This became a turning point in my passion for the outdoors. It impacted my attitude towards traveling tremendously, opening new horizons. It made me believe in my own powers: it was the first long-distance hike I’ve ever done, so it showed me that I’m capable of more serious projects than just one-day hikes. I learned to admire the small things and to love life. I also started taking global warming seriously and rediscovered my interest in geology as a result of increased exposure to nature and awareness of how it is changing.
The Paleontological Museum
The Paleontological Museum was one of the most favorite places of my childhood because there was a vast collection of stone samples. The more I hiked in nature, the more my interest in minerals grew. One moment I was amazed by was during a volcano excursion with a geologist during our stay in Tenerife, Spain. His attitude towards the lava was fascinating as well as his knowledge and experience. He advised me to go to Lanzarote to find a very handsome mineral – olivine – and this Autumn I had a chance to go there and look for it! It was truly breathtaking and mesmerizing.
"It is also very interesting to find some beautiful mineral examples during the hikes: one of my best finds is a violet quartzite."
For the moment, I’m working on creating online guidebooks about hiking regions and trails (Mountain People). My very first experience writing an article for a travel magazine was back in 2013. The article was called ‘South France: vampires, templars, and perfume’. In fact, it was a story about small French villages in the Alpes-Maritimes region and my impressions after exploring them. It was a fascinating experience and this is actually the moment when I started thinking about the Mountain People project. Although I am at the very start, I have gathered inspiration and experience while researching and hiking to start materializing my ideas soon.
The Haute Route and Muttenchopf
One of the hardest hikes for me from a psychological point of view was the Haute Route (from Chamonix to Zermatt). All the difficulty came from my old knee trauma and I had to make an uneasy decision of shortening the way in the end by taking some parts by bus instead of hiking. It was very hard for me because it ruined my plans and I was afraid that I would blame myself for this weakness.
It taught me to value health and family and learned many lessons I will also integrate into my guides. In fact, I cherish every hike I do because all of them show me the world I’d have never seen if I hadn’t gone or if I hadn’t had the attention to the details and uniqueness of nature. These hikes awaken new emotions and make me feel alive. Last summer, for example, we hiked up to Muttenchopf (Switzerland) and stayed there for a night. We expected a lovely sunset but it actually was one of the most brilliant shows that nature could present us: the sea of clouds in the valley, the orange and red sun rays and two mountain goats that came to visit us and came really close! Although this little adventure took us only a couple of days, we returned completely refreshed as if we had been out of the city for at least a month.
I’ve done many impressive hikes, however, one of my favorite mountain places is still Ortler, Italy. The tremendous beauty of that place leaves me tearful every time I go there. I think this is why I would say that a photo I took there, is my dearest at this point. The smallness of life compared to age-old giants.
I also see photography as part of my guidebooks and articles. My aim is to attract people to go outdoors and take care of nature. To be responsible for our world because with every careless decision the beauty of this planet fades.
Future plans
One of my other future goals is to create and shoot a project about glaciers, as they are my favorite natural phenomenon and need help because of their drastic melting. I am currently taking courses in the Geological field since having at least some education in this field is important to me. I want to fully understand nature myself and to be able to explain to others what is happening. I might not be there yet or even be still at the start, but I am dedicated to growing and contributing to this world so we can enjoy the beauty of nature for many more years to come while nature can thrive and shine healthily.
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