weblog of my photography

So what, it's been well over a year that the blog is idle. There was a couple of reasons, obviously. But today it is just the right time to share the enjoyment of living my dream, living in Iceland and above all, having been accepted as a citizen. The latter event brought an incredible increase to my already strong passion, if not love, for the country. Based solely on the project I had for me and the country, January the 10th, the National Registry of Iceland delivered the ID number, known as kennitala. Individual with private means, that's what I am and believe me, I was extremely pleased to be accepted on the strength of my proposal.

It really gets back to what I've been dedicated to do the past two or three years : believing in who I am, in what I do together with a little bit of guts and intuition. It does pay off and those are early signs I reckon.

Being in Iceland goes way beyond the beauty of the landscapes, as a matter of fact I knew that I'd learn a lot from their values, identity and the idea of adaptation and survival that seems to go hand-in-hand with life in Iceland. The sometimes bleak, raw wilderness revealed to be extremely fertile when analyzed, absorbed, studied, touched, felt, captured. Yes I found it fascinating, on the other hand I will always remember the feeling I had when I landed at Keflavík on September the third, 2010. Seeing that land, the land of Iceland, deep sorrow waves crashed within me. But the were not strong enough to bring up tears. In fact the land was very bleak and to be honest scary but at the same time incredibly attractive. There was this perfect 50/50 balance and none of the two part overcame nor did it play down the other, it was 50/50. That very first feeling is a key moment. Until December 2010 I was absolutely unable to describe it, to understand why it was that organic mixture. I rapidly understood though that everything in Iceland has got stark contrasts, everything.

Research, writing and reading lead me onto a very personal path, providing a very personal experience of the life here. With my background, being a naturist for well over 20 years, I understood the some codes, the weather, the idea of adaptation was already familiar, the survival idea also played a key role. So certainly some values were familiar and I eventually understood them.

Living off the land and by the seasons also provided an incredible purpose and depth to my life in Iceland. Managing the land, harvesting and soon preparing it - as I will live the life of a farmer until June - allowed me to understand it at a deeper level. Being resourceful is also very important and my science background, an empirical one probably, let me understood that using what's available is probably the most important thing.

I will leave it here for today, it was just good to record that impulse on my blog that I've not updated for a little while.

Be safe.

Yogan.

Unsurprisingly they've not managed to overcome their own little interests to push through and to seal a brand new deal to tackle greenhouse gases emissions. I mean politics at the moment are all so scornfully inelegant that it wasn't worth it to expect anything from such a decisive summit. Always hard to make a decision trying to balance the 192 different problems and approaches dealing with climate change but instead of a breakthrough, like Ed Miliband said : we keep talking about talks rather than talking. So here we are in that vacuum of information.
Remember, a couple of months ago they were all so concerned of that crisis that they were stirred to give bankers hundreds billion dollars to prevent the whole system to collapse. They just should have let it burn up. Now that's the actual equilibrium of the planet that'll be mined before the actuation of global warming myriad of effects. Dear presidents of 'developed countries', I was glad to hear from you all !

Enough pain.
Enough desolated lives.
Enough violence.
Enough war.
Enough blood.
Enough tears.

Time to move on.

000 WTNT34 KNHC 060238 TCPAT4 BULLETIN TROPICAL STORM GRACE ADVISORY NUMBER 5 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL092009 1100 PM AST MON OCT 05 2009

...GRACE ABSORBED BY A FRONTAL SYSTEM...

AT 1100 PM AST...0300 UTC...THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM GRACE WERE LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 49.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 13.4 WEST OR ABOUT 210 MILES...335 KM...SOUTHWEST OF CORK IRELAND.

THE REMNANTS OF GRACE ARE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 26 MPH...43 KM/HR...AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE UNTIL DISSIPATION.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 50 MPH...85 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THE REMNANTS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO PRODUCE A SMALL AREA OF GALE FORCE WINDS THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES...140 KM...MAINLY SOUTHEAST OF THE CENTER.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 986 MB...29.12 INCHES.

...SUMMARY OF 1100 PM AST INFORMATION... LOCATION...49.7N 13.4W MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...50 MPH PRESENT MOVEMENT...NORTH-NORTHEAST OR 25 DEGREES AT 26 MPH MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...986 MB

THIS IS THE LAST PUBLIC ADVISORY ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER ON THIS SYSTEM. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE REMNANTS OF GRACE CAN BE FOUND IN HIGH SEAS FORECASTS ISSUED BY THE UNITED KINGDOM METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE UNDER WMO HEADER WONT54 EGRR.

$$ FORECASTER BROWN

Sources : the MetOffice & the NHC.

Gesamtkunstwerk & Holism

It's been a while Iceland fascinates me. The internship I did in London gave me the strength to get started soon as a photographer. Not easy at all to decide then to dedicate yourself to. But it's what I'm about, what I want to do so I'll be getting started soon. I would never have learnt all the things I experienced during my stay in London, in a course, whatever the topic, whatever the grade, whatever the country. It was pretty much like a life experience, extremely valuable. I feel like I'm ready now.
To carry out all those things I'd like to move in Iceland. This country fascinates me and it's what it's closest to me and my concerns. I will work hard to fulfill my dream.

The money for the sake of money era has come to an end, they all stated.
No more golden parachutes and other sort of golden bonuses, they all agreed.
Regulate the trading euphoria, they all wanted.
Regulate capitalism, they all discussed.
Tend to a peaceful world, balance inequities, poor people and rich people gap, they were trying to.
Face climate change, they all stood up.

Did they actually ?

Back in France, from the UK and a six weeks internship in central London. It was one of the most vibrant period of time in my life. It was pretty much like a life experience instead of an internship. I was amped to move in England back in the days I applied for photography courses. It just felt right to me to go there. English is not my native language but in my early childhood i used to play in a park which is nearby my former house. My mother has a friend, she is Australian and I clearly remember the conversation they had in English. In the early time of your life, you quickly grew to be fascinated by new and uncommon things, in a very wide range. In a way English, I mean I love English since these early moments. It's within me and it came up again a few years ago. So I was amped to properly experience the english way of life, going in any country English is the main spoken language.
Immersing yourself. It's all about immersing yourself. Forget about the english classes you took, especially if you took english classes in France. You may feel you're fluent because you can have a conversation with your mates or with the teacher but when it comes to the real side of things and especially the actual english conversation with a english native speaker, it's almost like what you've learnt is basically useless and you feel like starting from day one. I thought that would be fine because I've been reading extensively, but actually not. You first of all have hard time understanding any single word because of the accent and because of the fast pace being used. It takes a lot of energy to entirely dedicate yourself to focus. Of course you can grab this word or that word and mixing it up to have a feel of what's being said but to fully understand it's not easy at all. Basically time has nothing to do with a proper understanding. Like I've been immersed in the English way of life during 6 weeks but I don't feel like I improved my spoken English. To be honest I still had hard times to fully understand. It's pretty much like being exposed to the English thing and to speak, hear, read as much as possible without luring to your native language. Each time I read French, my english was bad afterwards. My flatmates were all spanish except a South African girl and they've been living in London for 5 months now. The thing is that they constantly speak spanish and believe me or not, in months they are not fluent at all. So it's more about exposure I reckon.
It was a life experience because of what it happened and how it happened. It was flawless. No question, I felt good there, no wonder about me or whatever else, like sit down and enjoy the whole flight. It's unforgettable. I'm amazed by the gap between English and French media in the extent of the threads you can watch. In the UK the television broadcasting serves small shows, most of the day multiple series are broadcasted and almost in a row. News at ten on BBC1 provides such an insight on what's going on and you can hear about international issues. I did not watch tv that much so I heard very few about what's been going on internationally actually, should I say in France. I gradually lost my interest and my taste for France news as I went across pitty ones once or twice. It dealt with Nicolas Sarkozy and you know the tune he's been using illegally during his meetings. He's just the counter example of the policy he set up when elected and it irritates me a lot. English papers got the chance to mock at our gold marked French Republic. On the other hand in France they have to fill out twice a day a 40 minutes tv show with obsolete stories that draw very little interest. But happens what happens, they must do so even though there's nothing interesting to tell on a regular basis. I did not miss France.
I gradually lost this feel that makes me French. This feel that makes you say, I'm proud of being French, I'm glad to live there, etc... That was a total experience owing to my strategy was to live the english way of life as much as possible. And actually my origins are not that French but mixed. So in the end I know that the right place to be is elsewhere, somewhere English is the main spoken language and the whole thing with a different way of life.
I'm back in my country but don't feel like speaking my native language anymore and French irritates me when spoken. I belong elsewhere, it's that simple.

Today's front page of The Independent, March the 11th 2009, #6991.

Here we are. Increasing human impact & footprint, pollution, global warming, climate change, ice pole shrinkage, climatic refugees.
I can't help thinking about my concern of Global Warming. Three years ago those projects popped up, I was convinced that even though "developed" countries are well aware of climate change and eager to play it down, the measures wouldn't be scaled enough, definitely. In 2007, the economic turmoil the world is now badly facing, surfaced. The interesting thing is in 2007 the IPCC released an assessment report which is on many points, dramatic. Instead of heading to a greener way of life, politics on a worldwide scale still pursue the capitalist dream of making money for the money's sake. To me this is the very first bug. We must now fully bear in mind the 2007 assessment report as it's been confirmed and actually went over that Rising Sea Levels are expected to be twice worse as expected only two years ago. Considering brand new policies is the right attitude but basically no any government seems to yearn to move forward and step out the capitalism era that came to an end recently.
This is basically why I carried out Rising Sea Levels in a very dark atmosphere. It's pessimistic, definitely but is any reader there optimistic with Global Warming ? Is anyone convinced that Humans will meet the deadline ? My feeling is that we won't meet the deadline and that this issue which is perceived as journalistic in the extent of making a story or a fashionable and astonishing fact in the vacuum of information, is and will be put aside.
The dark atmosphere is what I feel, I perceive and see. I contemplate the Rising Sea Levels theme within an historic frame, a century when Humans have to pull up because of extreme weather events and Rising Sea Levels.
This scientific news reinforces what I'm about and I want to carry out next. I feel like extremely dedicated to what I've been contemplating for the last years and I'm now sure that's my own path. I will be getting started soon.

South Ealing est devenue ma ville pour les 6 semaines à venir, j'ai trouvé une colocation ici. C'est calme, très joli, typiquement anglais et relativement peu cher. South Ealing est à 45 minutes du centre de Londres via la Picadilly Line. Je suis tellement heureux de pouvoir savoir ce que c'est de vivre en Angleterre et en particulier pas loin de Londres. J'y suis pour un stage de 6 semaines. Heureux.

Yogan.

Hier soir j'ai mis en ligne un petit essay d'un sujet qui me tient particulièrement à coeur. Je l'ai réalisé fin octobre pendant un workshop en Angleterre. Il traite du réchauffement climatique et de son futur impact sur la planète. L'un de ces impacts sera la montée du niveau des Océans d'où le titre de "Rising Sea Levels". C'est d'un pessimisme avoué que j'ai choisi de traiter de ce sujet. Plus petit je voulais être ingénieur pour la météo et même si je n'ai à priori pas choisi de faire carrière dedans, cette passion est restée dans mon coeur pour toute ma vie. J'ai toujours été très ému par les orages, les grosses averses, les ciels par toutes les saisons et c'est bien pour cela que je suis inquiet de ce que nous faisons de notre planète. Il ne s'agit certainement pas de suivre la mode, puisque le rechauffement climatique (bien plus joli en anglais climate change) est devenu depuis peu un sujet dans l'ère du temps. Non. Je pense que c'est une de mes préoccupations depuis 4 ans maintenant et finalement un sujet auquel je suis sensible depuis mon plus jeune âge. Ma passion pour l'Océan se joint à celle pour la météo et plus largement les sciences, pour aiguiser cette sensibilité. Il ne s'agit pas non plus de donner des leçons d'écologisme étant moi-même dépendant de tout notre système économique. Je pense cependant qu'une autre vie est possible, la récession actuelle m'en fait prendre conscience plus que jamais. Nous arrivons au terme d'une ère d'abondance, c'est le moment de définitivement la quitter et d'envisager des modes de vie nouveaux, qui oublient le profit juste pour le profit. Il est temps de devenir responsables il me semble.
Il y a deux parties dans ce projet. La première est en noir-et-blanc et décrit ce qu'il se passe d'ores-et-déjà. Le rechauffement climatique est une réalité que les rapports du GIEC (IPPC International Panel on Climate Change) confirment. J'en faisais état l'année dernière lorsque le rapport de 2007 était sortit. En comparant les conclusions de chaque rapport, il y a un inquiétant affinage des prévisions ou si vous préferrez, une confirmation de ce que le protocole de Kyoto avait commencé à dire. Je voudrais souligner que dans ce rapport de 2007, le responsable du rechauffement climatique est identifié et cité. C'est l'être humain. D'autres théories revendiquent qu'il ne s'agit que d'un cycle périodique. Le dernier rapport du GIEC estime à 5% la probabilité d'une telle périodicité... La seconde partie parle plus de ce que j'éprouve lorsque je réfléchis à des thèmes comme la montée du niveau des océans, l'acidification des océans, fréquence accrue d'événements extrêmes, etc...
C'est un paysage imaginaire.

Rising Sea Levels

Yogan.

Quelques lignes pour quelques nouvelles.

Il y a un sacré vide dans ce weblog depuis plus d'un an. Au début lorsque j'ai décidé d'écrire, c'était pour vous faire partager mes expériences dans la photographie. J'ai pris beaucoup de plaisir à écrire à ce moment là. L'immédiateté des sujets que je couvrais entrainait une vicérale envie de transcrire mes émotions en mots. Je me souviendrai toujours des bousculades autour de Ségolène Royal, de la sueur et du mal de dos sur les plages et de tant d'autres situations. Je me souviendrai également de la satisfaction très personnelle lorsque j'avais réussi à réaliser des photos que je m'étais imaginé.
Voilà quasiment trois ans que j'ai choisi de tourner la page, pour m'orienter vers des sujets plus personnels, des sujets dits de "long-terme". Et aujourd'hui, j'essaie de mélanger plusieurs approches dans la réalisation de mes projets. La photo, mais aussi la vidéo et la musique font désormais partie de mes outils. J'essaie de créer des passerelles dans l'expérimentation entre ces disciplines. Y parvenir est une de mes nouvelles motivations. Cela me demande beaucoup de travail personnel et j'ai beaucoup de mal à communiquer sur tout ce qui touche à expérimentation. J'estime qu'entre le moment où l'idée me vient et le moment final de la réalisation, la publication sur mon site, je dois garder secret tous les chemins qui m'y ont conduit. D'où ce long silence pendant plusieurs mois. Je tenterai d'écrire quelques lignes plus régulièrement mais d'ici là portez-vous bien.

Yogan.

Long time no see
Long time no see

Long time no see
Long time no see

Long time no see
Long time no see

Comme disent nos amis anglais.

Bientôt la fin du mois d'août, bientôt la rentrée. Septembre a toujours cette consonance si spéciale. L'odeur des protège-cahiers en plastique, des feuilles de papier, de l'encre bleue, des batons de colle, des crayons à papier. Je n'ai pas grand chose de palpitant à raconter contrairement à l'été 2006 qui fut riche de découvertes. Alors simplement pour laisser un point de passage, je dirais que j'ai tenté de murir en m'orientant vers de nouvelles méthodes. Mais ça vous le savait déjà ? Oui j'en parlais dans le billet précédent. Aucun intérêt de rabacher ! Alors je vais parler du climat ! Voilà ! Sérieusement, que d'irrégularités observées tout au long de cet été ! La première quinzaine de juillet était dans la moyenne. Ventée, fraiche, pluvieuse. La deuxième quinzaine a été une copie améliorée de la première. Quant à août, il y eut beaucoup de contrastes d'un jour à l'autre. Les situations générales n'étaient guère stables. Ainsi nous connaissions de fortes montées de températures sous un temps radieux, jusqu'à une "saturation" qui annonçait une dégradation orageuse. Derrière cette dégradation, les flux de NW matérialisé par une relative fraicheur s'engouffraient et stagnait 4 jours environ avant de nouvelles montées de température, etc... La dégradation qui survint le 15 août mérite d'être relevée puisque pendant prêt de 10 jours, le temps n'a cessé d'être mauvais. Un temps quasiment automnal. Bref, un été en demi-teinte. Dans l'Atlantique Sud, la saison cyclonique est pour le moment assez calme. Dean, le 4ème rejeton de cette saison, d'abord classé tempête tropicale puis cyclone de catégorie 4, a déchainé les ardeurs journalistiques. On a ainsi eu droit aux images choc montrant les habitants qui avaient tout perdu, à des mers marrons, à des inondations, ... Du sensationnel. Et du jour au lendemain, plus rien. Curieuse coïncidence, la mort télévisuelle de Dean correspondait avec la reprise de la vie politique.
Notez la mise en ligne d'un best of du Lacanau Pro 2006 et 2007.

Je vous souhaite une agréable fin de vacances !

Yogan.

2 ans que je tiens ce weblog. 2 ans déjà. Ces derniers temps les nouveaux billets ont été rares. La mise en ligne de contenu nouveau en dent de scie. C'est parce qu'il y a eu quelques changements et nouveautés dans mes centres d'intérêts. J'ai également cherché de nouvelles orientations pour de nouveaux contenus. A propos, certaines d'entre elles ont été conforté par des lectures et par des découvertes diverses et variées. Je poursuis.

Je vous souhaite d'agréables vacances.

Yogan.