Christophe Vermare's interview

Christophe Vermare

Member since 2007

His superb book Distance

He offered me dedicated, I love it

" The process is as follow : I open my eyes. I try to be “available” all the time to catch emotions. I look in detail, I organize the reality elements to “optimize” my feeling. This phase is very important. I sometimes think that all the process energy comes from this period : when I am in front of the real elements.

Christophe Vermare, French photographer born in 1971, enjoys shifted projection of the reality. Along his university curriculum, he discovered, via the "modern physics theories", some thinking approaches close to his personal feelings. Observations considered more as projection of the "reality" biased by the observer brain and less as absolute facts. He likes the simple idea that everyone is distorting the reality around him since he may affect the reality perception of others. This influence depending on the intensity of one believes and dreams.

How did your passion for photography begin ?

As everyone, my first interest on Photography was about its capacity to “remember” ; to freeze a specific time on specific conditions you would like to see again and again. But really doesn’t mean much to me so my passion really started when I understand that Photography acts as a “Judas Eye”.

Indeed, this medium is based on reality (in the sense object and light exist in the “real” world) and this original taste deceives the observer. The photograph print doesn’t have anything to do with reality, it is only a two dimensional piece of paper, very specific projection. I always asked myself what could be the “reality” if human eyes collect X-rays or Infrareds instead of “visible” photons… The connection between the photography and the reality is driven by the reconstruction made by the observer brain. And we are educated - for example, we always see a white paper even under colored lighting because our brain corrects directly the “real” signal from the eye to match our knowledge – this page of paper is white. More, the brain adjusts the color of the surrounding elements on the image to match! More globally, how many times you think you receive information from an image that is not correct (new papers, television…). In France, the so hard pressure of photojournalism references makes this deceit only more effective.

Anyway, my passion started when I start to use a photograph as fuel for my brain to brew emotion. As a human, my main limitation is that the photographs must “looks real” to penetrate my mind…

Wow... Where did you learn your art ?

I don’t know if ones can learn art.

For the technical point of view, I was always curious about physics principles and technologies. Along my physics curriculum at the university, I learned bases to understand optics, chemical and electronics that act on a film or digital camera.

Talking about “Art studies”, I was never attracted by collective art analysis. First, it seems to me too personal and I don’t appreciate any kind of analysis that takes you away from your raw emotions perceptions. Understand our self, our personal tastes is fundamental but I prefer to do so without exchanging with others.

 






Do you plan every detail or is it improvisation ?

First the “creation” (strong word) never really stops. For me, a photograph is a source of feeling. Some may induces so much different things that I can always use it over and over.

I act on the image, as I want, without moral limitations, I only try to enhance the contents of the image its ability to produce emotions on my brain.

The process is as follow : I open my eyes ; I try to be “available” all the time to catch emotions. I look in detail - I organize the reality elements to “optimize” my feeling ; this phase is very important. I sometimes think that all the process energy comes from this period – when I am in front of the real elements. After the “CLIC”, I feel empty but I directly know if the image will become a photograph with all the fuel required. I shot very few. After, I act like a painter with pencils, colors and a precise enough sketch to pass trough my brain watch. May be I am just too Cartesian to be a painter !

How long could you be far from your camera ?

Much more longer than from my prints… Taking picture is only the starting point for me.

I didn’t shot on regular basis ; there are conditions where the emotions are so “present” than I will suffer to not be able to collect some seeds. So, I quite always have a camera system with me… But my prints are the final stage the “cold and flat” souvenir of my brain activity. I printed in small series using “Piezography” and I am very perfectionist - I have respect to them!


Your compositions are really particular... How long did it take to find your style ? Could you define it ?

If you say so ! I don’t have any external view of my photographs ; I am just too connected to them to have an opinion…

 
Do you want to express a message through your work ?

Only one, big one, Enjoy life ! You can change every thing by using your imagination, your perception of real - Don’t pay attention to any “shopping list” that will make you happy, you are happy – you just don’t know it yet !

I will not forget ! Is your photography mostly nudes ?

As I said to a French Magazine, I must confess : I like women curves...

"So Kyla - 2"
Art Model Kyla Cole




















Me too ! Who are your favorite photographers ?

I don’t have favorites photographers ; I have favorites photographs.


It is the first time I hear such an answer, and you're right... I saw in your portfolio many outdoors and B&W pictures ?

At the beginning, I only used BW in order to have a clear separation between reality and my prints. With time, I use more and more color photographs but having a shifted tonal range or rending. I found color to be an interesting dimension to be added, it may help to express feeling inside an image.












 




Some words about your art models ?

I started to use Photography as described around 10 years ago with my wife as model. Today, it is very hard to found the same kind of flexibility and comfort with another model. Lots of models are just looking for quick money, witch is perfectly understandable, but it doesn’t fit my way of shooting.

I need time, I try to create or use a set-up (artificial or natural), I walk around, the model is moving and sometimes I stopped and grab my camera. Two times, I took pictures of Kyla Cole since she is quite “special” for me ; I remember image of her at the beginning of my nude interest ; the images quality was poor but she was always provoking something to me, like if I knew her for a previous life… Anyway, I propose to share the benefits from the prints sale with the model, there is no guarantee (I only sold a few) so I don’t have many candidates !


A message to send ?

No, making prints is very personal and I finally don’t know what I am waiting from observers !

Thank you a lot Christophe, for this wonderful interview, for your time and your trust ! Keep us informed.

"Wave form"