Hi, I'm Sylvain.
Born in the French Alps, I've always explored the wilderness around my home town. A need for adventure grew after I moved away for my studies, so I took a year off to New Zealand, immersing myself in a new culture and breathtaking landscapes. After 4 years living in Colorado, USA, I've made the French Alps my base camp once again.
Photography and Hobbies
I started photography as a teenager with my first camera at 16, documenting hikes and shooting landscapes and macro photography in my family's backyard. I took my photography to a new level at age 22, practicing on New Zealand's landscapes and meeting people who inspired me to see photography as a way of sharing my vision of the world. In a digitized world, I believe photographs also belong on the art scene as physical objects, so I print my work as much as possible. Shooting film is also becoming a bigger part of my work, and I enjoy every step, from shooting to developing negatives at home and scanning them. As for hobbies, I love everything outdoors: hiking, trekking, camping, climbing, mountain biking, skiing. I try to combine those activities with photography, with backpacking trips mainly dedicated to making images in new and remote places.
My Gear
I don't believe gear is a limiting factor to creativity nowadays; every camera on the market is good enough to create awe-inspiring content, even a smartphone. For the longest time I used a 10 year old Canon 600D DSLR with 2 basic lenses. As my practice evolved, I moved to the Lumix Micro 4/3 system to save weight and bulk: a Lumix G9 with a collection of lenses as my main camera, and a Lumix GM5 as a portable option for daily life. For film, I started with a Minox 35GT that belonged to my dad, then invested in the Bronica SQ medium format modular system, which isn't lightweight but produces incredible results.
