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Adonis
@sylviaadonis_photographie
Photographer based in France
Photography entered my life during my studies in Graphic Art. I studied visual communication because I wanted to become a graphic designer within the advertising field. And by that means, I fell in love with images – the power they could have, the way they could emotionally touch someone, and the feelings they could convey.
In addition to that, I am a cinema fanatic and passionate about antique cameras, from the 40s, which I have been collecting since childhood. My grandfather offered me my first camera – one that he had been given by his own grandfather. It is because of this magical Royer, still in perfect state, that I began to adore vintage cameras.
In 2010, I got my first “modern” camera, a Canon 350D, with which I started to learn portrait photography. I have taken so many portraits of anyone in my direct environment, and later in collaboration with talented artists and creators such as Agnieszka Osipa, who has accompanied me in my artistic projects for 10 years. It was much later that I developed this passion for landscape and wildlife photography. I had the need to escape in a different way, contemplating and seeing a very distinct beauty, through which I also found a new world, a new me.
I was able to discover the world, enrich myself through various cultures, get high on various landscapes while traveling alongside my family. It was during these many trips that I developed a vital need to move/travel in order to enrich myself, flourish, and escape. My first trip was a tour in the USA, but a trip to Senegal really awakened this devouring passion to travel and live in total immersion. It is the trip that taught me the most on a human level. I have wonderful memories; I stayed in this magnificent country several times and learned about their culture, enriched myself with their beliefs, their customs, by immersing myself completely. It was fantastic! We learn a lot about ourselves on a trip like this, which initially was just a tourist trip and then became humanitarian aid trips. This kind of destination marks you for life, you realize how lucky you are to have a comfortable life, a healthy life, safety, and above all health.
"I learned to reach out to others and to feel alive by helping those who needed it most. It is living an exchange full of love and benevolence."
"I believe that these trips also made me reflect much more and were partly the trigger of the fact that, one year ago, my life changed radically."
I started questioning my life and existence and thought a lot about what I wanted for the future and what definitely not. I had put my photography on hold to take care of my personal and emotional life. I bitterly regret this break because it hasn’t been beneficial at all. After seriously asking myself questions about how I wanted my life to be, I chose a new life, a new start. And I made myself, my passions, and my ideas of personal evolvement priority.
Around that time, I met a photographer with whom I took up photography again and could live this burning passion to the fullest. Meanwhile, photography has become a therapy for me. It helps me to express what’s deep inside me. I am an emotional and sensitive person who stores a lot of negative energies from others around me, and I found a way out thanks to photography. For me, especially portrait photography is a way to relax, an opportunity to see yourself differently, to surpass yourself by playing a role… the one you want. Many people have the tendency to bring themselves down and underestimate themselves, I do too. Taking self-portraits helps me to accept who I am, what my body looks like and work on benevolence and positivity. The self-portrait is also a wonderful way to be another person, to get out of your comfort zone and overcome your complexes by taking on a role, as if you were an actor. Then, wildlife and landscape photography have their own specific contribution.
One highlight was when I had climbed the Aiguille du Midi and I photographed these climbers ready for the ascent of Mont Blanc. It was “intoxicating” to see these enthusiasts starting the adventure, braving the cold, the snow, the wind, and exceeding their limits to reach their goal. I then realized through my lens that life was also a mountain that had to be climbed. Life is full of pitfalls; we have to surpass ourselves, gain self-confidence and move forward without ever looking back. A phrase that stuck with me is: “L’aventure commence lorsque tu décides d’aller au-delà de tes limitées”, meaning: the adventure starts when you decide to go beyond your limits. When I wrote these words, I was experiencing an upheaval in my emotional life. During my stay in Chamonix, I realized that we had to get ahead, climb our mountain and surpass ourselves.
"Photography is a magnificent way of seeing life, and as the photographer, you are the philosopher."
It has been 11 years now that I have been doing photography – first portrait photography and later landscape – and I keep learning and rediscovering aspects within each genre. The people you meet usually have a big impact on where you are going and how you are going there. In my case, my models, fellow photographers, passionate communities, visual creators, artists, exhibitors…. They have all contributed to my evolution as a person and as an artist, not just by their help and support, but also by being a source of inspiration. I admire the work of others, their photos, their edits, their perceptions. The world of photography is incredibly diverse which makes it so enriching to exchange with other creators. And while I admire others, I learned that I can also be very proud of myself and my own work that I was able to exhibit in different places, and the print shop that I opened together with a friend of mine. Our collaboration has helped me evolve tremendously; this art shop is the start of a dream and we are proud of having accomplished that.
"The fact that people actually come and visit to see your work feels incredibly gratifying."
There are three photos I’d say I am particularly happy with and proud of, for special reasons:
1) This was my first photo after I had taken that break from photography. I learned this new technique of long exposure and felt super excited to bring it to practice. This photo was taken at a waterfall, Cascade du Rouget, in the French Alps.
2) A photograph of the sunrise, taken out of my tent after a night on the Plateau d’Emparis in the French Alps. I had a brief moment to grab my camera and capture that ray of sunlight hitting full. I am so delighted with the rendering and to have been able to photograph this magical moment. I was able to transcribe exactly what I saw that day.
3) This third photo was taken in a natural park located in my region in France. This park protects species like wolves. I love these animals and I love to photograph them. Although they are visible, it is not always easy to actually capture them on camera, clearly and beautifully. That day, it was raining and it was very cold. I was able to capture an image of this one-eyed wolf through the bushes. I love the composition of the vegetation and the wolf, who looks at me. The wolf is naturally framed. I remember how this moment filled me with excitement – it felt so good and gratifying!
When I edit a photograph, I want to represent my current state, my emotions, my feelings, my sensations – telling a story and actually getting it across to the viewer. I edit my photographs by colorimetric choice, creating a real opposition. This choice is based on two seasons that I particularly like: autumn and winter. My photographic universe mixes poetry and softness with delicate dark nuances. Warm hues of an autumnal light, to the cold hues of a freezing winter. The most important thing in a photograph is the story it tells and how it makes us feel.
"Again, photography, when paying true attention, is about philosophizing life."
The image is a result of how the photographer experiences life, how he or she experienced that particular moment influenced by all that was being held onto in the mind, body, and heart. In turn, the interpretation of the image is how the viewer understands and experiences life, influenced by his or her own thoughts and feelings. Photographs can encompass so much, and can reveal so much.
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