MANIPULATIONS
Many years ago, I was frankly dubious even reluctant with regard to the bundle of software available on the market and the array of devices designed for images processing. In fact, I was a bit old-fashioned as my knowledges in the field of photography were limited to silver halide photo. But it was without taking into account an essential element. Digital art mixed with traditional photography has pushed back the boundaries of imagination and photographic composition. Today, in terms of creativity, it is possible to completely free our imagination with graphic drawing tablets and Photoshop. We are no longer exclusively working with photos, but a kind of merger between graphic work and imagery. However, sometimes it is not clear if an image should be considered manipulated or not. This is a matter of personal judgement. After all, all images could be considered nowadays manipulated. Click here to see some examples with "Before" / "After" processing.
Liberty tree
Browsing through a book, usually opens your mind, let you open up to the world. Each word plants the seeds of knowledge which grows like an old tree over the course of time.
The red Slippers
Les Chaussons rouges (The Red Slippers) is a company of tightrope walkers based in Brussels. Three young women perform a show within what looks an umpteenth dimension made of balance and imbalance in which a state of weightlessness seems to them a mere routine of daily life.
Catching peace and freedom
Politicians are inveterate chatty people about themes such as peace and freedom. But, most of the time, they promise the moon.
Arrival at Nowhereland Station
Everything is both real and false within the scenery. I've extracted the train from a museum. I've found the gravestones in my village and I've dressed my daughters with some old-fashioned Provençal clothes. I've asked for the exceptional assistance of my son to stick one of his eyes in the bull's eye just above the indication "Station Nowhereland" The station is still in service and the sky is authentic. Then, the two dilapidated wooden windows have been added to emphasize the dismal environment of the place.
Greenhouse effect
As regards our environment, I admit this is an apocalyptic vision of what could be our planet tomorrow if we carry on burrying our head in the sand.
Ghost in the night
Lighthouses are subject of curiosity for many of us, a source of inspiration to the photographer or the painter, but they are first of all the guardians standing like ghosts in the night to indicate to the sailor the proximity of shoreline.
Indian summer
The Indian summer is an expression heard for the first time in the 18th century in North America. It makes reference to a period of temporary warming during fall. But here, the photo was taken in Rio Grande, a city in the south of Brazil. The average temperatures stay quite high. Although my skills in botany are limited to the recognition of tulips and daisies of my garden, I believe these trees are fig trees, sometimes called in Guadeloupe and Martinique "cursed fig tree", "cursed tree" or "strangler fig".
Black and white in colours
"All colours will agree in the dark ", says Francis Bacon. This photo is mere coincidence. I was looking for a solution to accentuate the contrast between the background that was perfectly white and the pencils. I did not have good results. During processing, I guess that I've hit the wrong key on the keyboard somewhere so that I got something similar to a solarization.
Honeymoon
Destinations of a honeymoon trip are not always a dream atoll in the middle of the Pacific or Venice. Sometimes honeymooners have their head elsewhere to the point of experiencing difficulties to keep it on the shoulders. The mind wanders at random between reason and senseless dreams. But don't forget! Travels broaden the mind.
Sonata for her
Both women are looking at each other. The youngest listens to the music, the other plays. Time stands still, reality is fading away ingeniously. New colors cause a kinf of interlude in the greyness of everyday life, while a gentle solitude carries their senses into another world. The magic takes hold and caresses the women with an irresistible power hardly perverted by the soft breath of music. It captivates them.
Charlie Chaplin said in substance about music: "I like friends as I like music ... when I'm in the mood. But such freedom sometimes has a cost which is a certain solitude.
Twister!
The road sign indicates: "we are 17 days without a fatal accident on this road. Our previous record is 389 days. Thank you for collaborating to improve this figure." Obviously, with Photoshop, we are not ready to achieve the goal.
Ghost ship
Fantastic narratives often produce contradictory feelings among fans of the genre. There are those who shudder while others laugh. Literature, cinema and even opera (Der Fliegende Hollander - Wagner's Phantom Ship) are full of ghosts, zombies, poltergeists and other lovely creatures. With the ghost ships, one navigates in troubled waters as, in some cases, we do not distinguish the limits between myth and reality. If Wagner's "Ghost Ship" is to a great extent inspired by a legend, such apparition are not so uncommon in true life according to credible observers, usually sailors. They report ghostly apparitions on the logbook during their navigations. Generally, these are derelict ships ... or not. But the most disconcerting, most of these apparitions always have the bad habit to be surrounded with a touch of mystery. Remember the Mary Celeste enigma. They arouse a sense of fear not only for the danger and desolation they embody, but also for the drama that has most likely been played on board. The image represents the rigging of the Étoile du Roy docked at Saint Malo, a real sailing boat without ghosts on board.
Through the windows
Composition made of 3 layers at different opacities, slightly blurred with a bokeh effect.