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Jonas Ardon
@jonasardon
Best of the week 19 at #nomadict 2021
When I started having money and I could travel on my own, I planned my first trip without my parents to Chernobyl, Ukraine in 2018, together with three friends.
For this trip, my mother bought me my first camera (a Canon 700D). Unfortunately though, I had know idea how to use it. I was so frustrated to be in such a mythical place as Chernobyl and not being able to take great photos, that I promised myself that when I returned to France I’d do everything to learn photography.
"This is where my love for photography was born."
After watching hours of YouTube tutorials, and following some online training, I started to travel a lot in Switzerland, Germany, the Vosges and in my region of Alsace. My outlook changed as a result, and I learned to see the world differently. Nature is a real natural work of art that I want to immortalize.
Always looking to discover new things, I headed to the paradise of outdoor photographers: Iceland. It was a real eye opener for me, I really fell in love with the Arctic countries. I fell in love – with its beauty of course, but mainly because it was there that I became truly aware of my position on Earth. I fell in love with the indescribable power and presence of nature and my own insignificance. And I also fell in love with the strong desire to illustrate and communicate this with my photography; like I had found the deeper purpose behind my work and it gave me a focus. I had realized how the human is nothing compared to the immensity of nature but how devastating humans can be for her despite. The earth is a welcoming land for us, so let’s preserve it – Things have to be put into context. The yellow man I often add into the scenes I want to photograph, allows me to create this context, to show the greatness of nature. Just like I did with the winning shot.
When I went to Iceland I really wanted to go to this waterfall (Dettifoss). It is one of the biggest waterfalls in Europe, and for me it means the embodiment of the power of nature. To really show how huge this waterfall is, I asked my friend to stand in front of the waterfall with his yellow coat (always yellow, for good weather). When editing the shot, I chose a rather dark atmosphere to transcribe the emotion this place provokes. It’s almost an oppressive feeling, seeing nature rise up strongly, right in front of you. It is to feel small, in danger… For me, this photo represents these emotions, this energy.
However, I have to say that my style in general is rather dark, moody. Not sure where this comes from; maybe because my first photo trip was to Chernobyl? Because of my love for horror movies? Or because I have been a big fan of Harry Potter? It’s probably about all the above. In the end, all our experiences and preferences influence our next steps and how we approach things.
In addition to my personal influences, I think the photographers I follow on social media and the ones that are featured in the photo books I have contributed to finding my own style. But this is always two sides: is my style and preference influenced by whom I follow and what I have seen or is whom I follow, what photo books I buy, and what places/experiences I look after, a result of my personal style and preference?
Today, my dream is to make my own photo book in tribute to my father who passed away early 2021. My father has always supported me in my travels, financially and mentally. He always pushed me to sell my photos online, and his dream was for me to release a photo book. Unfortunately he passed away before he could see his son’s name on the cover of a book. I wish I could have honored him by that means before – but the significance won’t be less if I do so in the future, and I am sure I will. I would also like this interview to pay tribute to him.
"To Philippe, my father, thank you."
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