This French Photographer Tells Us How To Come Out Of Mental Fences To Be A Successful Photographer

David Bouscarle from France shows us his mind-blowing photographs on nature and landscape. In this fine Interview with 121clicks.com, David shares some great thoughts on the lines of art and photography. Some of those advice are very inspiring and motivational.

Three things I love about his photography:

Top-notch landscape photographs with spectacular light
Elements such as fog and mist plays a great role in elevating these photographs
Crisp photo editing which really stands out and deserves a mention

Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is David Bouscarle. I am 36 and live in the South East of France. I have only been a semi-professional photographer since last year.

How did your journey as a Landscape Photographer happen?

I live in one of the most beautiful areas of France, la Provence. Thus I can easily have access to the seaside or the mountain within less than two hours’ drive. And this has been a real opportunity at the time I started photography. Year after year, landscape photography became a real passion. With its own motives. Even though I still love every aspect of photography.

According to David what are the most important traits of being a Landscape Photographer?

Several parameters have to be kept in mind to get a good landscape picture: composition, light, textures, the site itself, the point of view, and the originality of those parameters. Trying to be original has certainly become one of the most critical aspects in my mind today. We often see the same pictures of the same places, from the same angle, with the same composition, etc… Trying to put down these mental fences, which we put up ourselves, is in my opinion what really needs to be focused on.

How do you prepare yourself before any photo trip?

Nowadays I usually plan my trips and my holidays depending on what inspires me most. I have several softwares I use for this. Google Earth, GeoPortail, and Photographer’s Ephemeris, and I can thus get a rough idea of the lighting conditions of the site I am planning to visit. But I still love to leave some dark areas in the plan. Some great pictures are still taken during a rush of excitement.

Your Gear?

I use a Canon 6D and I essentially bring three lenses on the field. A 16/35, a 70/200 and a 85mm which I use a lot in forests. Along with a good tripod, I insist, a LOT of batteries. I also use a lot of filters NG, GND and above all a polarizer on each of my lenses. There is this thing to that is often left aside when one thinks photography, but a good backpack and an even better pair of shoes also have a huge place in the landscapes photographer’s mind.

Your Inspiration?

I find inspiration in a lot of different disciplines. Photography of course, but also cinema and even music. Some photographers who really inspire me these days are Xavier Jamonet, Adam Gibbs, Guy Tal, Dorin Bofan and actually a lot more. Some movie makers are inspirations as well: the way they use colorimetry in their movies, but also the atmosphere they build. Guillermo Del Toro, Christopher Nolan and Daren Arofnosky are good examples.

Your Photographs are rich in colors and composition. Can you share us your post processing techniques?

I spent a good amount of time on post-production techniques to eventually find my own « touch ». I manage my galleries with Lightroom, I export and apply the initial process with DPP Canon and then I finish with Photoshop with which I usually set up contrasts and colour via a lot of luminosity mask and selective colour mask. Tony Kuiper’s panel can be found on the internet. And I use it a lot.

One thing David has learnt as a photographer over the years?

To become a good landscape photographer, I think that one really needs to develop, and eventually master, the ability to read the field like a book. It allows the photographer to quickly adapt to a site he or she has never been before, thus increasing efficiency. But above all, this ability allows the photographer to really become him(her)self in creating new dimensions and new pictures. Undoubtedly the work of a lifetime.

Thanks again for this wonderful opportunity with 121clicks.com, any final thoughts?

As a conclusion, there is this advice I can give to anyone into photography: spend your « extra money » on plane tickets. Forget about the extra photo gear! Buy yourself the essential stuff you need and get the f*#k out!

Many thanks to 121clicks.com for this wonderful opportunity to share some of my work and reflexions on photography.

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You can find David Bouscarle on the Web:

Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted to David Bouscarle. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.