Always
seeking that magical light which brings out the full depth and soul of a landscape
and the people inhabiting it, Philippe Bourseiller travels through the vast
open spaces Nature has created on our planet with his Leicas in hand. For nearly
fifteen years, his fascination with all that is extreme in Nature (volcanoes,
huge deserts of sand and of
Philippe
Bourseiller is a fieldwork photographer; knowledgeable and highly competent
in climbing mountains, exploring caves, diving to great depths. His experience
and physical capacities have enabled him to work easily in the extreme conditions
in the worlds to which he is drawn and thereby to share the rare sights of them
with us.
"These
landscapes are constantly changing, and photography is the best way to follow
their changes and better understand their upheavals and the permanent adaptation
of the people who live there."
Recognized
for his mastery of light, color, and layout, he has received several awards
for his work:
- Visa d'Or at the Perpignan International
Photo Journalism Festival (France)
In
1983, he joined the staff of France Soir Magazine. This was his initiation to
color photography, and all types of subjects were seen through the eye of his
cameras: current events, people, sports, expeditions, etc.
From 1988 to1990, he was a member of the magazine department at the Sygma agency
and progressively was drawn to what would become his "favorite hunting ground",
Nature in all its glorious and terrifying dimensions.
· Nominated for the World Press
award five times, with two first prizes and three third prizes
in the categories of "Science" and "Nature and the Environment"
In
1991, his decision to become a free-lance photographer was motivated by his
desire to specialize in subjects related to Nature and the environment. In 1991,
his first series of photographs on the eruption of mount Pinatubo was the turning
point in steering a major portion of his work towards the world of active volcanoes.
He frequently collaborates
with world renown magazines such as Geo, Paris Match, Stern, Life, Airone, and
National Geogaphic, to mention just a few.
"I
can only testify to what I see. I try to describe pages of History or parts
of a landscape with my photographs, in a simple and authentic manner, thus
helping to provide a better understanding of the world we live in.
"I enjoy seeking out the most wondrous light which will make a landscape sublime.
Light is my box of paints, Nature is the canvas, and my eye just simply tries
to seize the magical instant when the various elements come together. I hope
my photographs reflect this moment of beauty in its purest state when I am
filled with total emotion.
"I do not change or transform reality. I am content with just seizing an instant
of it. In its primary form, a photograph is superficial, it is the reflection
of an emotion. But when a photo is able to create this emotion in the persons
looking at it, or even better to make them reflect upon it, then photography
has found its raison d'être.
"I hope my photographs help people become aware and fully conscious of the
fact that these extraordinary landscapes which surround us are extremely fragile
and that they must be protected constantly.
"Human beings are the only species in the animal world which destroys themselves,
and they also destroy their own environment which paradoxically is indispensable
for human survival. Nature gives Man his true dimension, his greatness, while
showing him how fragile he is against the elements, such as volcanoes. The
lifetime of one human being is nothing on a geological scale, but the traces
he leaves behind can be unbelievably destructive..."
ice)
has led him to scour the planet in order to provide us with photographic testimonies
of these wonders.
