Hailing from the southwest of France, Yann Bervas has always loved the beach but has also been drawn to the mountains. For the past three months, he’s been living out of a van in New Zealand, where the landscapes are equally untouched and diverse.
Photographing blue hour has become a passion for him. He says, “Blue hour became an obsession for me. I fell in love with that kind of moments when everything seems to disappear in the dark and shadow. Sometimes I wish my eye could photograph a scenery even much better than my camera, but I’m still working on it!”
Spending the last few months living in a van has definitely changed his perspective on life.
I spent nearly the last three months living on the road. And it has definitely changed my perspective and lifestyle. I wanted to put myself out of my comfort zone. Being active and in the outdoors is a very important part of my life.
Yann is grateful his passion for photography has given him the opportunity to explore the outdoors more, cherish every sunrise, and live everyday to its fullest. As he wrote on a recent Instagram post, “one more sunset please, one more day please.”
Welcome Yann! First of all, what motivated you to pick a camera in the first place and what is driving you nowadays?
Hey thanks for having me!
Well, it’s probably the first question I ask myself when I wake up. What motivates me today? I think the easy way to answer should be to say something like “I love taking photos.” But I guess it’s even more than this. For me, everything is about lights, connections, and feelings. I remember when I was younger, playing in the garden with my siblings, and making great memories; it was quite simple. Life became complicated over the years and this feeling seemed to disappear slowly but surely. So taking photos and telling stories has become a reason to keep moving on with my childlike perspective. I found a job as a flight attendant and traveled all around the globe. But I always kept in the back of my mind the idea to keep living simply – a life full of true moments and meeting people.
Blue hour became an obsession for me. I fell in love with that kind of moments when everything seems to disappear in the dark and shadow. Sometimes I wish my eye could photograph a scenery even much better than my camera, but I’m still working on it! I’m mainly focused about travelling in countries where I wish to find what I’m looking for. Authenticity and simple moments of pure joy. I’m running about a life full of happiness…
You are currently based in New Zealand. In terms of nature, probably the most beautiful country in the world! In your opinion, what makes this country so special?
Oh man, New Zealand is a dream! This country is full of untouched places, surrounded by mountains, lakes, incredible fjords, and pristine beaches. It was one of my goals when I became a photographer to put my own feet on this land. I’ve met some nice people through my travels, had the opportunity to swim in glacial lakes, and hike to the top of incredible mountains.
You have a pretty distinctive style. Can you tell us a little bit how did you develop your style and what are the reasons behind the cold and soft tones?
Last year I met a photographer from the Dolomites and we hung out for three months together. You don’t know why but sometimes you can feel a connection with someone, and this is what happened. We learned a lot from each other about photography, but also which direction we wanted to go. Everything becomes clear after some few weeks on the road. I found my style to shoot more portraits and telling stories about the way to travel, the lifestyle on the road. Blue hour became my favorite time and I literally fall in love with this moment of the day.
Your portrait photography is also really special in my opinion! I really enjoy those personal visual stories. What do you like the most about portrait photography?
Oh, thank you! Portraits tell a unique story to me. You can read the expression on the face to someone you photograph. It comes from your eye but also from your attitude. Sometimes it seems like your body moves naturally and has more to tell than your visage.
Also I have to say I’m a huge fan of people with long hair. My favorite weather conditions are crazy wind, cloudy, or rainy. The emotions come naturally in the front of my camera and I love that!
Please now imagine for a sec that you have a super power! You can go back in time! What moment would you like to re-experience again?
Well, I like to think I should’t have any regrets in my life. Everything I’ve done before is the way I choose to go for. But yeah, let’s imagine for a bit back to when I was younger and get all the knowledge I’ve got now. It could be fun to see what would happen if at around 12-year-old, I already knew how to use my film camera and get some incredible shots from my boy scout expeditions. I remember a great hike we did in Corsica during a summer. I’ve got a huge backpack with a heavy metal structure and hit the step tracks with my Palladium shoes. It was awful! I’ve got some blisters, but I remember the view up there was so rad. We slept in huts with my fellow scout friends along the GR20 and played guitar, sang some old songs in a joyous mood, all seated around a campfire. I didn’t get any pictures of this summer camp, but the memories seem to get stuck in my mind for eternity. Such good times!
As a photographer, I am sure that you feel attached to all your photos. All your pictures represent unique moments of your life. However, among your works, do you have any picture that you really like? Which is your favorite photo?
I guess my favorite photo is the one I took in the French Alps at the end of summer. I was in the Dolomites two days before, and I had to return to Paris for a job. It was unexpected to stop on the way to Chamonix, but I wanted to say “Hi” to my friend Marie who is living there. It was my first time in this beautiful valley and I was motivated to explore the surroundings. So we’ve been to the Lac Blanc and set up a camp there. At the end of the day, there was a glorious sunset and those crazy clouds seems to find some good times stuck at the top of the Mont Blanc. The glorious scenery in front of me is still blowing my mind. At this moment, I forgot all of my small problems and felt connected with a unique peaceful moment, as I like to call it pure nature.
You have been traveling in a van for a while now! What do you like the most about the nomad lifestyle?
I spent nearly the last three months living on the road. And it has definitely changed my perspective and lifestyle. I wanted to put myself out of my comfort zone. Being active and in the outdoors is a very important part of my life. I had the chance of growing up close to the beach, started to surf around 12 years old, but also wanted to escape often to the mountains. The southwest of France was just the perfect place to live. When I started to travel as a freelance photographer, I realized how the world could be a great playground to explore. I made the decision to move into a van full time. And if you live in a 7.5 square meter box, you’ll quickly discover that you can only keep what you absolutely need, as your favorite clothes, some hiking gear, and your camera. So I traded my TV for a car view window. Everyday has a new scene to offer, and I have to say it was a good trade! The van is my new home and it goes everywhere I go. I’m very drawn to anything that’s vintage, timeless or has an old school flair. And the van I choose for this trip definitely caters to that aesthetic.
What are the three most valuable personal lessons you have learned traveling?
I think the first one is to take it easy. Don’t struggle too much about what will happen to you. You will live incredible adventures because you want to do it, you will meet people during your travel and you can’t predict what’s next for you. If the weather is bad, that’s fine, go outside or chill in a café. You will always find something to do or start a great conversation with someone who’s traveling like you.
The second one should be to not plan too much in advance. I came to New Zealand because I felt attracted by this country. I wanted to be surrounded by the mountains, hike some incredible tracks and meet people. As a simple idea, when I landed to Christchurch, I took the time to list the spots I wanted to see and that’s it! Get prepared is the key but after it’s just please. And I love to travel like this.
Imagine yourself at the beginning of your professional career as a photographer. What four pieces of advice would you give to yourself?
Hmm, maybe the first advice is to believe on yourself. Don’t be scared to fail. Whatever will happen, it’s always better to try than to have any regrets.
Finding your own style is important. If you like to shoot street art, portraits, landscape or combine them all together, fair enough! Your style should be the perfect representation about who you are, what do you want to tell through your images. One good advice is also to work with people you feel, brands you really want to work with (and not because you need money) honestly, I didn’t choose to become a photographer to make money. I choose it because I’m passionate about images and it gives me some goosebumps when I shoot. My last personal advice is to be true with yourself.
Is there any artist/photographer who has inspired your art? Can you name three?
Life is great and I had the chance to meet people on the same page as me. Recently I meet Rod Trovino (@rodtrvn) and Brayden Hall (@braybraywoowoo), photographers living on the west coast of America. I don’t know why but I connected with them naturally. Rod texted me to tell me he’s heading to New Zealand end of December. I didn’t know him but my friend Bray told me I will love to hang out with him. “Sure! Let’s do that!” So I came to pick him at the airport at Queenstown and offered him to spend the next three weeks living in my van and hit the road together. I found in his personality a good human but also a great photographer. Together, we found the way to tell stories with our own eyes. We were totally on the same page about what we wanted to photograph, which locations inspired us to go. I love to work like that, without any pressure, just let our minds go free. Inspiration also comes when it’s unexpected!
Any new projects coming up or countries you will be visiting soon?
Yes! After my New Zealand trip, I will be heading to Byron Bay, Australia. It’s been a while since I wanted to visit this hippie surfing town and I was thinking to stay one or two weeks there, surfing and relaxing. Then going to Indonesia and maybe the Pacific Northwest of US and Canada. I don’t want to plan to much in advance, I just like to go with the flow.
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