Looking back, before moving forward
For some years now, I have been quiet with regards to email, news and photography updates. After many years traveling across the Americas and Asia, I settled in Bali in early 2007 and almost disappeared off the map for nearly six years. Disconnecting from the fast rhythm of time has been rewarding and as a result, a deep immersion into the realms of the body-mind complex have led me to some surprising discoveries about the nature of existence and the art of healing.
About a year ago, in the early days of 2012, I found that photography entered my awareness again and re-captured my attention in a new way. A desire to renew my website and bring a fresh look to this fascinating art manifested itself.
I have never stopped taking pictures and it is time to start sharing those with you once again.
Instead of sending emails to everyone, I have gathered all of you, friends, family, fellow travellers, clients, beautiful encounters and mysterious strangers onto this mailing list. If you wish not to receive theses messages you can unsubscribe very easily at the bottom of this email.
These newsletters are intended to share images of my travels that speak to our universal soul. We are all living on a different corner of this planet and yet images of our world speak to us as if we’ve been there before or we’ve met with those with whom we exchange a look. I hope these moments touch you as deeply as I felt when each of these images were taken.
2012 has been full of surprising opportunities. From Bali to Alaska, Singapore, Canada, New York, Paris, Venice and the French Alps, I have been blessed by friends, clients and new connections and with the chance to witness absolutely gorgeous scenery and capture some beautiful images to share with all of you.
The world of photography is changing rapidly nowadays, not only does everyone now have a camera on them, but the quality of equipment, previously reserved for professionals, is now in everyone’s pocket. Photography is an art that is now quickly becoming a form of communication for all. Thanks to iPhone, instagram and social media, the way we see photography has completely changed. These images, excessively modified by filters, previously disregarded or ignored by the masses, and considered an altered form of reality, are now a popular artform followed by millions and accessible to all. As a photographer, whether we like it or not, we can choose to resist or adapt to these changes.
In 2012, I decided to explore this art of ‘iPhotography’, inspired and intrigued by many friends’ artistic touch and vision unveiled by the unique nature of these squared images. I discovered that iPhone photography is very different from professional photography. Obviously there is a clear difference in skills and technical functionality, but the artistic essence unveiled by instagram shots is a new, redefined artistic category compared to other forms of photography. What is beautiful through an iPhone lens is not necessary going to be appealing viewed from a professional lens and the same is true in reverse. iPhone photography will never extinguish other forms of photography, it is an emergent art, creating and inspiring new forms of artistic expressions. Some photographers won’t have the eye for both, and some will discover a new side of their inner artist and have a camera in one hand and an iPhone in the other !
I have just got back to Bali, my home, where I will be preparing new galleries and another series of updates to my website. In the meantime, below is a glimpse of what I have seen through the iPhone lens and a teaser of the galleries that will become available as we move further into 2013.
Stay tuned for my next newsletter!
Blessings
Jean-Manuel