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Philine Bernard
@philine.bernard
Landscape photographer based in the Netherlands
I can’t exactly remember life without having a deep passion for traveling and exploring places. I feel extremely lucky to have been able to travel ever since I was little. We went on countless camping trips and hiked in the mountains since I learned to walk. I still get excited as if I’m 5 again when I step in the car to drive someplace new. I try to be as aware as possible that having that type of freedom is something to be grateful for. The feeling of going on an adventure, the strong curiosity to explore the unknown is definitely what moves my soul and creates a deep appreciation for everything around me.
I remember the first time I felt an interesting pull towards photography was when I was traveling in the USA, aged 17, so a little over 10 years ago. My family and I went on a long road trip from the south, crossed the border with Canada and back south again. I can still recall the impact of the immense and impressive (change in) landscapes. I remember my brother taking a lot of pictures and I just kept thinking to myself: “how on earth is it possible to capture such beauty in one single shot?”
"Apparently, I couldn’t let that question rest and I gradually started photographing my travels."
I’m very grateful for my close group of friends and family, who’ve been a constant source of inspiration. Each one who has their own unique ways of living, who inspires me with new perspectives on a daily basis, who challenges me, who lets me grow and lets me do my own thing. They form a support system that makes me aware not only how far I’ve come, but also of what lies ahead in terms of personal and professional development. They keep me sharp and that’s a good thing.
Looking back, I’d say there were different choices and moments that had a deep impact. My passion growing up was dancing. I practiced ballet and modern dance intensively until I was 17. But I decided to choose a different path for various reasons. Mainly because I had doubts about my success in the field and I could never shake the feeling of “there has to be so much more to life than this”.
"During my studies and early career, it hit me that I had left my first passion, but I was still in search of new ones to keep me going."
I was used to telling stories through dance, but without that, I felt the need to create stories in a different way. The unrest in my mind and body was building up to the point where I felt that a life that’s just based on going to work, eat, sleep and then do it all again, was creeping up on me. That way was never my plan and the realization hit hardest around 3 years ago. It was such a confrontation that I knew I had to get off that path as fast as I could. It burned me out feeling like this.
I knew I had to learn to listen more to myself, trust the process, search where my mind was wandering to, purely out of curiosity and obsession. I became more and more interested in creating stories that give meaning to my own life.
I took the time to create my own business as a writer, to be able to write stories for those who don’t exactly know how to themselves. This allowed me to have a remote role with more possibilities to travel and create at the same time. I’ve been able to spend a good amount of time on telling all kinds of stories and focus on my photography and traveling in a much more balanced way. It has given me so much freedom and a feeling of doing something meaningful, more than before.
If I’m not writing for clients, I’m busy with photography. I go out to shoot whenever I have the chance and love to keep myself busy with everything related to photography: talking about it, finding and learning from photographers who inspire me, building travels around that and developing my skills.
My main joy is in photographing natural elements, landscapes and things that fascinate me about the natural world. It’s at those places where I really feel at home, that give me a sense of belonging and oneness.
I’m often in search of places where I feel huge gratitude towards nature. Most often these places make me more grounded and help me realize how small we humans actually are. The majority of my photographs are taken at places where I just get overwhelmed by feeling in awe of mother nature. I hope that when I feel this, that emotion comes from deep within and somehow reflects in my shots and can resonate with other fanatics.
"Photography is a creative journey and I’m convinced it will remain that way. It never stops evolving and it’s not something static, but continuously flowing."
Already looking back, my style has changed and I’m sure this will be the case in the years to come. For me, this has everything to do with my development as a person, how I see myself, create my life and learn more about who I am or who I want to be. Basically, when I change, my outlook on life and how I experience the world changes too, which in turn changes the way I photograph places. I start to notice different patterns, angles, landscapes and images. This creates a constant back and forth between inner development and my photography, which visually translates these developments.
Similarly, my continuously changing outlook and perception influences the way I approach post-processing, although I try to edit as little as possible. I want to keep an image real and truthful, as that is what I love most. Also, because this is most in line with how I think about the whole process, capturing what is in front of me, just as it is. I like my shots to convey what I actually see at that exact moment. That way it comes closest to what I experienced and felt best. When I edit, I try to focus on leading lines, lighting and for the colors to be smooth. Afterwards, I want the image to express reality, just the pureness, soft or raw, of the natural place exactly how I experienced it.
"Photography constantly changes my perspective on places, people, things and situations."
It makes me wonder what else there is to discover and creates an awareness of a human’s place in the world. I find I’m not always in the mood to talk, I know I can spend a lot of time in my head, just being with my thoughts and observing anyone and anything around me. Travel and photography are probably the two things that trigger me to get out of my head and be present in the moment. It inspires me and it gives me endless positive energy. Both obsessions are a big outlet that feed that constant feeling of wanting to just discover as I go.
I think my favorite and also most meaningful photo is one I took during an iconic hike in the Swiss Alps last summer; from Schynige Platte to Grindelwald First. The Alps, and mountains in general, are definitely the areas that overwhelm me the most and bring out my purest emotions.
I booked a spontaneous trip because I had the urge to hike and surround myself with nothing but mountains. I took the shot at the beginning of the hike. I could count the peaks I still had to pass. The place gave me a 360 view with the Brienzersee on the left and the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau to the right, which made me absolutely speechless and brought me to my knees, it was so impressive.
"It’s at times like that, I’d say to myself: this is really what it’s all about."
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