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Bastien Artigas
@bastienartigas
Landscape photographer based in Sweden
In 2018 I decided to leave home, the Pyrénées in the south west of France where I was born and raised. And the idea was that it would be for the long term, I didn’t plan on coming back. My girlfriend and I arrived to the north of Norway by campervan; in my childhood we used to travel by campervan with the family and this way of traveling has always attracted me. Every time I would explore the nature around when arriving in a new place, and my dad always took my brother and me hiking or fishing.
"When I could, I started traveling alone often searching for nature and still favoring a campervan as means of transportation."
I traveled a lot in Europe, and when I discovered Scandinavia five years ago, I fell in love with these lands and mostly with the Arctic. Since this trip I went back there every year, until the moment I decided to go and stay… In Norway I first spent a year working and traveling around the Arctic, then I continued to travel around the north, and together with a friend I explored a lot of Sweden. A hard and unexpected break up made me return to Norway alone and led me to photography. That was in February 2019. I bought an aps-c and focused on capturing the amazing landscapes – I passed through bad times but photography was a remedy for me.
"I discovered in photography a hobby that matches perfectly with what I like and who I am."
When I went back to France for a holiday, I showed my photos to my friends and family, and also to some who were into photography too. They told me I should share it, something I hadn’t really thought about before. I began to upload more content to Instagram and received lots of support from people, which encouraged me to continue. There are many people who helped me over the last years to keep up after the break up and to create something meaningful with my photography. I am very grateful for their support and they are all part of my story, and of who I am now. I learned to never underestimate the importance of others in your personal development. I am not afraid to admit that I need others to go through certain moments, hardship or success.
Many of you might recognize the value others provide, unintentionally or unconsciously, when you travel with them, or simply interact with them while you are on a short adventure. You learn a lot by being by their side. In my case, the mentality of the north is very distinct from the one we can find in southern Europe, or the south of France to focus specifically on my case. Other cultures, people that have another ‘default’ way of thinking and doing, taught me a lot about the world, about them, and about myself. Though it is not just about world views, it’s also about knowledge and skills. I learnt a lot in Lapland about forest, wildlife and the work that comes with that, while I learnt about sea life and the animals in Norway when working there.
"Every place, every person, has its unique contribution to making you a better, more complete person."
In the meanwhile I am back in Sweden, in Gävle, where I am living now. I love the landscapes around here, the valleys, the rivers… I enjoy being by the river, maybe because I am into fly fishing, but it’s just a lively place. There’s always something happening and I feel myself calming down when looking at the water flowing. It’s also a great subject to photograph, you can take up many different perspectives and create interesting compositions. There’s lots of opportunities to practice my hobbies in Sweden and in some sense they are similar; I go out in nature to explore, hunting for either fishing places or photography spots. But when I take my camera with me, I can share with others my passion for nature through the photos I take.
"Showing the northern lights to my father in northern Norway was one of the most special moments that I could share, not only through my photos, but in real."
I was a real epic moment. As usual it was not as expected, with a week of rough storms which shut the electricity down in the whole village for a few days there was no chance of seeing the northern lights. But after rain comes sunshine… The forecast was promising and clear weather finally allowed an impressive solar storm – it was awesome, especially because I could admire the lights together with my dad which made it one of the dearest memories I hold.
"The photos I took that time are directly one of my favorites. And apart from those, I have this picture that I took in northern Norway from a snowstorm."
It is one of the first pictures I took so it is technically not the best, but it evokes lots of memories and emotions within me. The strong wind, the moody weather… I feel alive in the Arctic. I have always felt, and that is probably the reason why I kept coming back after having been there once and why I eventually ended up living there. I have a particular relationship with the far north; sometimes I felt lonely and wanted to leave, though at the same time, when I am not there, I miss it. I live in central Sweden now, but I go up north as often as possible. It clearly shows that we can have whatever we want in some place, whether it is simply our roots and family or a house and materialistic comfort, we can feel most happy elsewhere. The ‘why’ can be inexplicable with words, but a feeling says everything. And often that’s enough. Eventually we will end up there, if we have the courage to follow our hearts.
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