Mexico

Emergency Exits

When in Iceland: a farmer’s best friend

Electricity travels

This picture was taken in the valley of  Vopnafjörður, Iceland. Throughout my trip, I always found it fascinating to stumble upon electricity poles. Maybe this picture explains why.

L’influence des saisons

Elle porte l’automne sur ses épaules.

Ted’s mother wished to return home

It’s a simple and touching story. I had the chance to meet Ted, an American Icelander whose Icelandic parents met in New York. Ted often visited Iceland when growing up but this time, unfortunately, it was for more serious matter. His mother recently passed away and wished to be buried in Iceland with the rest of her family. Ted was generous enough to show me the grave where they had just buried her remains and talk to me about the attachment he feels to his Icelandic heritage. I think his mother’s will is the best example of the pride and joy Icelanders have for their roots. Many of the Icelanders I interviewed said that no matter where they are in the world, they will always return home some day.

Thank you Ted.

He fixed a hole in the fence and kept me on the road.

Days spent in Iceland.

As I drove to Vopnafjörður, I came across this field worker. He was fixing a hole in the  fence to prevent the sheep from crossing the road. On that specific day, it was cold. Very cold. As I was driving to the north, the snow started falling and the roads got particularly bad. I will always remember this 12 hour car ride in the middle of nowhere with snow pouring down on the cold landscape. Night fell and I continued on the lonesome road. With many small encounters, I stayed awake. Whether it was a mountain, a sheep or one of the few human beings out in the nature, they truly made this experience unique.

Thank you for fixing the fence.

Iceland is not giving up

Downtown Reykjavik, October 1st  2011:
Icelanders protest and want to be heard by the corrupted government. A peaceful demonstration in front of city hall occurred yesterday and I took the time to interview a few people in order to learn more about the situation. Perhaps you will learn more about this situation in my next film?

A Day in the Bay

My first  experience on a fishing ship in Iceland was… memorable! I was able to film and take pictures for the first 12 hours (from 4 am to 4 pm) but when the waves got a little bit more serious, my stomach didn’t want to cooperate anymore. It’s quite a strange feeling to be in the middle of nowhere, away from technology, blackberries and all other forms of industry.  When the waves got serious, I could only think of how terrible it would be for me to fall overboard. I am still here, and now 5 hours after my return, I still feel sea sick and the walls of my hostel room are spinning when I lie down.

Surprisingly enough, I didn’t take many photos on the ship as I felt that Corey Arnold exhausted the subject with his beautiful and intimate shots of fishermen and their relationship to the fish. So, feeling unable to do something different with photography, I decided to film a day in the bay. I will be working on a short documentary film which explores the reality of commercial fishing in a silent and cinematic fashion.

But for now, here are more images…

Icelandic Encounters