SeaScape Silhouettes

 

“Ocean is more ancient than the mountains, and freighted with the memories and the dreams of Time.”

H. P. Lovecraft

SeaScape Silhouettes

Symbolically, the sea has long been perceived as a hostile and dangerous environment populated by fantastic creatures: the gigantic Leviathan of the Bible, the shark-like Isonade in Japanese mythology, and the ship-swallowing Kraken of late Norse mythology.

The coastal landscape exists in a constant state of ambiguous transitions where there is no clear definition of a beginning – or end. Where do the sands meet the ocean? Where does the ocean join the skies? And what of the clouds and slivers of light that play and linger in the waves? These spaces are never static. Instead, they remain a visual reminder of landscape’s constant flux.

Nature and weather have always intrigued me as much as photography has energized and excited me. The union of these passions ignites a spark and my Coastal Images is the result. I approach a coastal scape with a mental blank slate. It begins with observing, breathing, enjoying the scents, textures, and visual cues. I immerse myself in the rhythm and energy in the air, earth, and water until, like a re-birth – the images reveal themselves to me. The sea is a favourite place for the birth of visions.

Then I begin to choreograph. Combining years of training, life experiences, technical skills, intuition and vision into photographs. Looking north, south, east and west. Searching downward, upward, outward and sometimes even inward, I begin to visualize the image.

Whether it’s the calm, foggy, gray spring mornings of passive ripples, blending sand into sky. Or, the chaotic winter waves filled with stormy, wind-churned ocean currents that boom and roar, powerfully spewing foam and spray.  I try to capture smaller, simpler images using longer exposures that portray not “moments in time” but rather “moments of time.”

Once these moments are revealed to me, I’ve already photographed them in my mind. Capturing the image with the camera is but another small step along the memorable journey, from exploration and discovery to digital editing and print.

My Coastal Landscapes collection consists of various projects including; Seascapes, Ocean PanScapes, Seascape Silhouettes and my most recent work, Coastal Spirits. I take great care in printing these images onto the highest quality Fine Art papers using Archival Pigment Inks (Giclée) so they can be enjoyed for years to come.

SeaScapes and OceanScapes photographed by Jean-Francois Cleroux