© 2020 Nomadict. All rights reserved.
Guillaume Demerliac
@guillaume_demerliac
Landscape photographer based in Iceland
For as long as I can remember, I have been a creative person. As a child I loved to draw and I was always fascinated by the idea of mythical and uncharted worlds. I used to want to create my own imaginary world in whatever way possible as I dreamed about discovering new ones as the great explorers once did before me. Thanks to my parents, I grew up fortunate enough to travel to many countries and also live in many different countries.
"My adventurous childhood has definitely shaped the person I am today as it helped me see so much of the world and its beauty."
I am 25 years old and I have lived in France, Finland, Malaysia, UK and now Iceland. In recent years I have not stayed in one place for long periods of time as I am simply not very good at staying put. Moving around is not too much of a challenge for me, and although I always fear a new move, I know that the pros have always outweigh the cons. Living and experiencing different cultures are probably the most valuable experiences one could have, they truly open the mind and make you realise that we’re all the same at our core with only beautiful cultures and customs to share. This reality means that I do not fear discovering unknown places and unknown cultures. Adapting to new cultures has always been such a pleasure and I like to believe that it has enriched me as a person.
"I would say that my ‘unconventional’ lifestyle today is a result of my ‘unconventional’ childhood, a lifestyle that feels very natural to me nonetheless."
The places I have experienced and the friendships that I have made along the way also helped develop my urges to create, whether it was through music, art or photography. I was about 17 when I first understood the potential of photography, I was living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and I travelled to Nepal for a few days with my parents. At the time, I only had an iphone 4 as a camera, and a little multi-optical lens that would attach to it. It wasn’t much but I felt inspired, I saw the world in a new way and started to understand that I could portray my mythical world through the power of photography. Kathmandu is to this day one of the most fascinating places I’ve seen – everywhere you look, something is happening. I believe that was the trip that started it all for me.
Nowadays I find myself in Iceland. My parents lived here in 1989, before I was born (in France). As a child they took me and my sister for some days to Iceland and although I was young I got my first taste of Iceland from that trip. In 2017, during the summer break at University in the UK, some friends and I decided to fly to Iceland and rent a car for six days to drive all around Iceland. Armed with my Fuji X-T10 at the time, I was in awe of the beautiful landscapes that it holds and I knew then that this could be a country I’d like to move to. When I finished my degree at University, I managed to find a job in Reykjavik, an opportunity that I jumped at as it enabled me to live there for a bit. The following two years I was living on and off between Iceland and the UK. The cost of living in Iceland was so high at the time for me which made it difficult to live comfortably.
In March 2020 I was lucky enough to travel to Ilulissat, Greenland, where I got to see with my own eyes the vast expanses of icebergs and the truly remote yet happy lives of the residents there. As a photographer I was amazed by everything I saw. I remember sitting on the side of a mountain looking out onto a vast landscape of frozen fjords and icebergs as big as mountains. The remoteness and pure serenity of the place is something I’d never quite experienced before. It was -20 degrees celsius and very windy but I was shielded by some rocks behind me. Amongst the quietness I could hear the haunting noise of fracturing ice.
"As I looked out onto the ice-fjord, I saw a lone Greenlandic Inuit fisherman on the ice fishing through a whole he had just made in the vastness of this frozen world."
"My favourite photo is probably the one I took when I saw this lonesome fisherman on the ice."
At the time I wished I had a bigger zoom lens to be able to get closer to him but I only had an 18-55mm lens for the shot which ended up playing to my advantage. Because I was so far away, the shot ended up showing not only the small black figure of the fisherman, but also the beautiful frozen fjord he was standing on, next to a colossal iceberg. The shot means a lot to me because every time I see it, it takes me back to this mountain I was sitting on, looking into the infinite glacial landscapes of Greenland, whilst witnessing the beautiful yet harsh isolation of this man.
"The sight of this true isolation has resonated with me ever since and has inspired me to venture even further in search of true isolation."
Remoteness and the Poles fascinate me and that is why I love Iceland so much and why I’d like to visit more of Greenland, Faroe Islands and Svalbard eventually to expand my photography portfolio. The dream would also be to visit the Holy Grail of remoteness, Antarctica. One day hopefully, I will. Also, my photography, so far, has been mainly about landscapes and nature but an ambition of mine is to travel to the most remote places in the world and document cultures in beautiful landscapes through photography. Mongolia and Tibet are some of the places I’d like to do this.
An analogy that I often use to describe the relationship between my experience, my photography and my editing is this: When I am in a place, surrounded by beauty, there is an emotional manifestation within me that cannot be captured by just taking the photograph. The photograph will always show what is there but it will only very rarely convey the feeling of actually being there to the viewer. When I edit, I try to convey not only the beauty of the place but also the emotional experience that I felt whilst being there.
"I like to play with the shades of the dominant colour and not have too much complexity."
This way I can try to convey, besides the visual detail, the emotional aspect of the scene. Sometimes the best trips and the best photographs aren’t the most exotic ones, but those that you get to share with your loved ones. Being family or friends, there is something special about discovering or rediscovering a place with those closest to you. It’s the emotion that makes the difference.
I have been lucky enough to have incredibly supportive family and friends who have always encouraged my photography and made me believe that I should be sharing it with the world. This support pushes me to keep going and to keep sharing my work to those who are interested. We are always our harshest critic so if I’d not gotten this support I would probably have been much more reluctant to share my photography. Those who have supported me from the start and those who support me today will know who they are and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. They have given me the confidence to keep going.
"I don’t know where photography will take me, but I guess that’s what an adventure is all about."
Adventure has taken me to so many places and it has brought me more value than anything. Traveling to different countries has opened my eyes to the beauty of culture, a foundation of humanity that should be celebrated, not be a subject of division.
Would you like content like this sent to your inbox?
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
MUST READ STORIES OF JULY
MUST READ STORIES OF JUNE
MUST READ STORIES OF MAY
NOMADICT
ART GALLERY
THE LATEST STORIES
WRITEN WITH PASSION TO INSPIRE YOU
Maksym Mazur (@withmazur): Best of the week 35 at #nomadict 2024
Mazur’s journey intertwines his love for travel with a deep commitment to capturing the world’s fleeting beauty. His work often reflects his awe of nature, such as in his image of the jungle that won Best of the Week at Nomadict, taken from above at sunset with perfect timing and serendipity.
Katarina Batuta Višekruna (@katarina_mandarina): Best of the Year 2023 at #nomadict
From the wild beauty of Vermillion Cliffs to the depths of Mexico’s cenotes, Katarina’s work reflects a deep connection with the environment and a love for visual storytelling. With 18 years of experience and the co-founding of her production company, HiishiiPhoto, Katarina continues to evolve her craft. Katarina’s photo of the Vermillion Cliff was chosen for Best of the Year 2023 by the Nomadict community.
Alex Pantela (@alexpantela): Photographer based in Cyprus
In this article, Alex Pantela shares strategies to deepen your connection with nature through content creation, his favorite environments to stay creative, techniques for storytelling, the vision behind his work and editing style, and most valuable lessons!
Arnaud Ribeiro (@arnaud_ribeiro): Best of the week 26 at #nomadict 2024
Arnaud’s journey into photography began in 2023, inspired by a friend’s breathtaking road trip photos. Starting with a basic drone and a desire to capture the beauty around his home, his passion quickly grew, leading him to invest in a camera and fully immerse himself in the craft. Though still early in his journey, Arnaud’s dedication to practice, patience, and embracing mistakes has already shaped his evolving style. One of his images won the Best of the Week at Nomadict.
Cuno de Bruin (@cunodebruin): Best of the week 33 at #nomadict 2024
From his early days experimenting with a DSLR to capturing breathtaking drone shots in the mountains, Cuno’s work reflects his love for storytelling through images. In this article, he shares the experiences and lessons that shaped his career, from winning awards to balancing his creative pursuits with family life.
Harry Sohal (@harrysohalphoto): Photographer based in Canada
In this article, photographer and creative director Harry shares his journey from a college hobbyist to a professional creative, rediscovering his passion during the pandemic. He delves into his approach to capturing authenticity, his techniques for brand promotion, and the tools he uses to achieve a distinct, film-like aesthetic.
Derrick Kosea (@d_kosea_kaptures): Best of the week 31 at #nomadict 2024
Derrick is a photographer from the Navajo Reservation (New Mexico), a member of the Navajo Nation tribe, and an electrical engineering student. A recent highlight was capturing his dream shot of Shiprock surrounded by fog, a photo that won the Best of the Week at Nomadict.
Liam Alford (@liam_alford_photography): Best of the week 33 at #nomadict 2024
Liam Alford is a self-taught nature and wedding photographer with a passion for capturing the special moments in the world through his lens. In this article, we learn about his journey, valuable lessons from his outdoor experiences, and his shooting + editing approach to the image that won the Best of the Week 33, 2024.
