For the past year, I explored a lot on my own. It gives me the ability to move spontaneously, but I enjoy having company when it’s possible. Often, I need to place a character in the frame to give some depth to the image, and when I’m alone, I have to be the character. But the images are not about me, those are rather small stories, disconnected from me.

I really like when a place is in the middle of a forest. It gives time for a nice hike, then I set up my tent, and I can enjoy a beautiful morning after a night of taking photos.

Last summer, for instance, I slept in the ruins of a castle in France, on a hill surrounded by a huge forest. It made me wonder how it was to live there, way before the invention of electricity. I took some rest and woke up just before the sunrise to capture a mysterious and delicate ambiance, just between the night and the day.

Sometimes I need to be ready to move fast, like the time I shot a photo of an old temple on the top of a small mountain. It had been raining so hard that I had been stuck at the bottom. I had to rush to reach the summit before sunset. While I was working on my lights, some people showed up, looking for a sight to photograph the thunderstorm still ongoing further (and which can be seen on the background of my image). It is rare that I meet people at night, and it is usually not a problem. Another thunderstorm was slowly coming toward us and I rushed back to the bottom!

In the forest, especially in mountain areas, you cannot rely only on your phone GPS to find your way. I was planning to shoot in such an area and a friend lent me an old map. It was from 30 years ago, but I didn’t mind. I didn’t do my research correctly, and the ruin I shot this day was actually one hour away from the parking spot. The map allowed me to find it. As dusk came, I finally reached it, after going on a sketchy downhill path, which I didn’t want to climb again in the dark with my heavy backpack. I shot a photo with 8 speedlights and checked the map for an alternate way to go back up the hills. One of the paths looked way easier. But the way got smaller and smaller, the grass longer and longer, and soon I had to find my way through ferns. I was too far to go back. So I climbed the slope through the vegetation, until I found my way back up, all sweaty and thirsty. Small adventures like this are fun, and I would have been happy even if I didn’t take any photos.

For this new season, I’m starting to bring people along again. Having someone with me is nice! My friends aren’t always familiar with abandoned places, and I like to share those exploration moments. Sometimes it’s the beginning of a new passion for them, and this is great!

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