EARLE DE BLONVILLE
PHOTOGRAPHER
Thoughts
WHY PHOTOGRAPHY MATTERS
Starting with Joseph Nicéphore Niépce who in 1826 or 1827 captured an image from an upstairs window at his estate in Burgundy using a technique known as heliography, the first photographers were looking for the innate and universal essence of the subject, not merely a representation of it. They sought something that embodied the soul of the image as experienced by the viewer and which moved them emotionally.
Paintings capture the beat of one person's heart, a highly individuated response, and in doing so are not universal, but cultural interpretations of myth or reality.
Photographs remind us that mankind seeks to find a universal truth that can be shared, a single image that speaks to all our truths.
The photographer is called to interrogate old certainties by exploring new possibilities with a fresh, challenging light.
Starting with Joseph Nicéphore Niépce who in 1826 or 1827 captured an image from an upstairs window at his estate in Burgundy using a technique known as heliography, the first photographers were looking for the innate and universal essence of the subject, not merely a representation of it. They sought something that embodied the soul of the image as experienced by the viewer and which moved them emotionally.
Paintings capture the beat of one person's heart, a highly individuated response, and in doing so are not universal, but cultural interpretations of myth or reality.
Photographs remind us that mankind seeks to find a universal truth that can be shared, a single image that speaks to all our truths.
The photographer is called to interrogate old certainties by exploring new possibilities with a fresh, challenging light.
About
My principal interest is exploring abstract moments of light, which are everywhere, waiting to catch your eye, suggesting mystery and magic, while being nothing more than pure, ubiquitous reality.
I have a formalist concern for abstract shapes, and composition is central to all my work. In addition to the magic of light, my other interest is portraiture. I only take portraits of people I know because this relationship allows not just an image of a face, but the glimpse of a soul.
Most of my early photography was expedition-based, on 35mm film, with images used in magazines, newspapers and audio-visual productions. I've worked with stills and movie format since 1972 in Australia, UK, France, Nepal, Denmark and Greenland, and now produce higher education and virtual conference videos.
For professional stills and videos, I shoot Nikon full frame digital using studio lighting. But for pleasure, I shoot 'old skool', with available light, fixed lenses, a range of films and traditional formats - 35mm and 120mm - using Nikon F4s and FM2n (with 105mm: the McCurry kit), Olympus OM1, Leica IIIf, Hasselblad 500cm and Pentax 67. They somehow access the timeless image largely without my help.
This site now includes a GUEST gallery of images from pivotal photographers active from the 19th to the 21st centuries. I hope they inspire you.
I'm currently based on Australia's Pacific coast.
To discuss a commission: deblonville@gmail.com
I have a formalist concern for abstract shapes, and composition is central to all my work. In addition to the magic of light, my other interest is portraiture. I only take portraits of people I know because this relationship allows not just an image of a face, but the glimpse of a soul.
Most of my early photography was expedition-based, on 35mm film, with images used in magazines, newspapers and audio-visual productions. I've worked with stills and movie format since 1972 in Australia, UK, France, Nepal, Denmark and Greenland, and now produce higher education and virtual conference videos.
For professional stills and videos, I shoot Nikon full frame digital using studio lighting. But for pleasure, I shoot 'old skool', with available light, fixed lenses, a range of films and traditional formats - 35mm and 120mm - using Nikon F4s and FM2n (with 105mm: the McCurry kit), Olympus OM1, Leica IIIf, Hasselblad 500cm and Pentax 67. They somehow access the timeless image largely without my help.
This site now includes a GUEST gallery of images from pivotal photographers active from the 19th to the 21st centuries. I hope they inspire you.
I'm currently based on Australia's Pacific coast.
To discuss a commission: deblonville@gmail.com
