(february 28, 1958, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, France)
Olivier Föllmi is a Franco-Swiss photographer. Particularly known for his photos of the Himalayas, especially Zanskar and Tibet and its inhabitants. He married Danielle Föllmi in 1984, with whom he adopted 2 children Zanskaris Tenzin Motup and Tenzin Diskit and 2 Tibetan children Yvan Tharpa Tséring and Leonore Pema Yangdon.
Winner of a travel scholarship, he went to Afghanistan at the age of 17. The following year (1976) he left and discovered the Zanskar region. In 1988, he and his wife cared for two children of a peasant couple in Zanskar to take them to the nearest school, in Leh in Ladakh. They will then spend 14 days in the deep canyon of the Zanskar River in winter. Le Fleuve Gelé tells the story of this trip, which was also the subject of an award-winning 1989 photo report on World Press Photo. Winner of a travel scholarship, he went to Afghanistan at the age of 17. The following year (1976) he left and discovered the Zanskar region. In 1988, he and his wife cared for two children of a peasant couple in Zanskar to take them to the nearest school, in Leh in Ladakh. They will then spend 14 days in the deep canyon of the Zanskar River in winter. The frozen river tells the story of this journey, which was also the subject of an award-winning 1989 photo report in World Press Photo.
He was also selected at the Visa pourimage festival in Perpignan in 1999 for his report “The Himalayan Workers” and produced reports worldwide for Life, Paris Match, Géo, National Geographic, Grand Reportage, Stern, Epoca or Aône magazines.
Danielle and Olivier Föllmi and their 4 adoptive children tell of their 30 years of life in the Himalayas from 1988 to 2008 in the documentary Destiny by Follmis.
“Photography is not an objective, but a means to get involved in the harmony of the world”.
BOOKS
- Deux hivers au Zanskar, Olivier Föllmi, 1983, réédité en 1988 et 1993
- Le Fleuve Gelé, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi, 1996
- Les Enfants de l’Espoir : l’histoire des enfants réfugiés du Tibet, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi, calligraphies de Lhakpa Tséring Sharley
- Les Bergers de l’hiver, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi, 1999
- Hommage au Tibet, Olivier Föllmi, 1999
- Himalaya bouddhiste, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi et Mathieu Ricard
- Offrandes, 365 pensées de maîtres bouddhistes, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi, 2003
- Hommage à l’Himalaya et à ses peuples, Olivier Föllmi et Benoît Nacci, 2004
- Sagesses, 365 pensées de maîtres de l’Inde, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi, 2004
- Origines, 365 pensées de sages africains, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi, 2005
- Hommage à l’Inde, Olivier Föllmi, 2005
- Révélations, 365 pensées d’Amérique latine, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi, 2006
- A hauteur d’enfants, Olivier Föllmi, 2007
- Eveils, 365 pensées de sages d’Asie, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi, 2007
- Hommage à l’Amérique Latine, Olivier Föllmi, 2007
- Souffles, 365 pensées de sages d’Orient, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi, calligraphies de Ismet Bozbey, 2008
- Conseils d’un photographe voyageur, Olivier Föllmi, 2008
- Hommage à l’Asie, Olivier Föllmi, 2008
- Femmes d’Éternité, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi, 2009
- Hommage à l’Orient , Olivier Föllmi, 2009
- Espoirs, 365 clés de la pensée occidentale, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi, 2009
- Hommage à l’Afrique, Olivier Föllmi, 2010
- Sagesses de l’humanité, Coffret, Olivier et Danielle Föllmi, 2010
- Le bal de l’Univers, Olivier Föllmi, textes Hubert Reeves, 2012
- Birmanie, rêve éveillé, Olivier Föllmi, textes Charles Genoud, 2013
Links
Some of his Photos
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