This week’s interview is with Thomas Clavel. I first found Thomas’ work when going through his “Terre Mer Ciel” photographs of the “Foto Nova 19: An Exhibition by Bay Area Photographers” at Modernbook Gallery in Palo Alto. From there, I went on to Thomas’ website to spend a few hours browsing through his photographs – www.pictin.com.

Thomas’s “Terre Mer Ciel” photographs have been published in the 2008 Folio edition of Silvershotz Magazine. He also has a book called “Terre Mer Ciel: a Portrait of San Francisco“, presenting the Terre Mer Ciel photographs. This body has also been exhibited in 2008 at the Appel Gallery in Sacramento.

I urge you to look through Thomas’ website – www.pictin.com and look at his different projects, so different from each other, yet distinctive. You can also keep in touch through his Facebook blog follow him on Twitter.

Here is the interview and photos from his newest “Vapeurs” project.

Photograph by Thomas Clavel, All Rights Reserved

SU: Tell me a little about yourself. How did you get into photography?

TC: A little by accident, and a little by fate. At 12 I wanted to have a point-and-shoot camera but instead my uncle and aunt offered me a fully manual SLR – a Praktica MTL-5. I struggled a bit, but I eventually learned how to really take pictures as opposed to snap them. Had my wish of a point-and-shoot camera be realized I would probably not have gotten into photography.

As far as I can recall I have always been fascinated by the visual arts. Knowing the odds of making it as a movie director, I never engaged in that way beyond high school. I was eager to communicate in a visual way and photography gave me that opportunity. Through that medium I am able to convey my vision and share it with my audience.

Today I’m very thankful to my uncle and aunt for their gift. And I certainly appreciate how in many ways photography is superior to motion pictures.

Photograph by Thomas Clavel, All Rights Reserved

TC: Yes, you are right. Over the last 15 or 18 years my work has evolved quite a bit.

Early, I composed my photos around geometrical lines and perspectives. I was quickly drawn to water environments so some of my early work is focused on beach and water areas. I then built up my composition skills and moved on to urban and street sceneries. These were my formative years, the first ten years or so.

But I am convinced that mastering an art requires focus and so my next four series have been focusing on landscape photography – most of them in black and white. Landscape photography is a natural means for me to show how my view of the world is different.

How do I pick my subjects? A subject has to both have a personal connection and enable me to push my own photographic limits. When working on a new series I spend a tremendous time reviewing my own photographs. I am always very critical of my own work and my next subject will be the one that enables me to accomplish what I couldn’t with my previous series. Auto-critique is what makes me move from one subject to the next.

Photograph by Thomas Clavel, All Rights Reserved

SU: In each of your series, the look and feel of the photographs are very different – from lomo type to ‘traditional’ black and white. How do you achieve these different looks and why?

TC: Many photographers and the best ones are constraining their art to a specific look and feel. It is part of their art and also part of their photographic brand. Moving from one look-and-feel to another is part of my learning experience. I don’t try to apply lomo or infrared to my photographs. Rather I come up with a vision and my vision shapes the techniques I utilize, to realize that vision.

Photograph by Thomas Clavel, All Rights Reserved

SU: Can you tell us about your current project “Vapeurs”? How did the idea come about? What is your goal for this series? What does it take to see a project like this from beginning to end?

TC:For a long time I have been intrigued by the fact that we cannot see either infrared or ultraviolet. Since we cannot see these colors, then the world around us is not really the way we see it. “Vapeurs” is about revealing this alternative world that we cannot see – with a focus on skyscapes because skies and clouds are the common denominator to what we all see every day. “Vapeurs” is about exploring what we’ve seen many times already and what most people probably don’t even pay attention to anymore.

It takes three things to take a project like this to the end. First clarity of my vision: understanding of what I am trying to show. Then flexibility: I don’t want to restrict myself to too many specific elements and I am open to experimentations. And third, patience.

Photograph by Thomas Clavel, All Rights Reserved

SU: You have photos published in Silvershotz magazine, a book out. Your work has been seen in a few exhibitions. How did you get to where you are today?

TC: In France we say that cathedrals are built one stone as a time. Being published, being represented or exhibiting must happen one at a time.

I first focused on my work, exploring who I am photographically speaking. Once I had that photographic personality matured, I tried to understand my surroundings. I took on workshops about the photography business, started to attend openings, and discovered other people’s works. I learned from others. The third step was to be organized and take action. Don’t contact galleries by random, look at what they do, understand they expectations. And build things one on top of the other: try to be published then use your publications to be featured in galleries and shows, and in turn leverage those shows to be published in other magazines.

But most important of all, always understand that you can only reach one person at a time. Reaching more people depends on how much your contacts will support your work. So be nice and open to their feedback.

Photograph by Thomas Clavel, All Rights Reserved

SU: Any recommendations? (like Photographers, Photo techniques, Music, Books, quotes, food..anything?)

TC: One suggestion and two recommendations.

Many fellow photographers ask me “how did you do this?”, and then start talking about focal and aperture. What they should ask instead is “why did you show that?”. What prevails is the vision of the photographer, not his or her technique. The technique is not the end but a means to the end. Confronting your vision with that of other photographers is very helpful in one’s maturation process.

My first recommendation is Silvershotz Magazine. I have been very disappointed with American magazines and then I discovered this magazine at Border’s. Silvershotz is a bi-monthly magazine from the UK and distributed globally. I recommend reading it, for the quality of the work presented there is very good and very inspirational.

My second recommendation is the “History of Photography” class by Jeff Curto, professor at the College of DuPage in Chicago. I listen to them on iTunes. They are free and most enlightening. Like Jeff, I believe that understanding where photography is coming from is essential to the creative process. I highly recommend listening to his podcasts.

SU: Can you mention how people interested in your work can contact you?

TC: Yes please, people contact me! You can inquire about my work by contacting the Modernbook Gallery at info@modernbook.com. You can also write directly to me at thomas@pictin.com. Until March 29 some of my Terre Mer Ciel series is exhibited at Modernbook Gallery in Palo Alto, California (www.modernbook.com). My web site is there for people to visit (www.pictin.com), you can also follow my blog on Facebook (artist page registered under Thomas Clavel) and follow my tweet on Twitter (VividLight). Whether you like my work or not, I am always curious to hear about it and why.

Thanks Thomas!

And readers, we would love to read your comments!