JEAN-MICHEL LENOIR

HAMPTONS

A series of Lenoir's photos, taken from the Hamptons in New York.

HORIZONS

A new opus in a long-term photographic project on seascapes. The fourth installment of a minimalist and unique look at nature, this book takes us on a path of thinking. The path of questioning our relationship with nature and what we want it to become. Between reality and imagination…horizons explores the universe of the sea. Advocating for the essential, where eternity and rebirth take on their full significance.

Aspiring to beauty in nature, simplicity as a way of seeing things, an image that sings to our eyes, ears, and heart.

A journey into the four dimensions of the horizon:

OCEAN
POETRY OF THE CLOUDS
NUANCE OF PASTELS
CALMING DUSK

ELEMENTS

Like a mirror reflecting his emotions, Lenoir's book Elements plunges the viewer into a natural dreamscape that is constantly shifting, producing light and ambiance at times serene, at times dramatic.

From the peaceful pastels of the Scottish shores to the spellbinding Scandinavian fjords, every place where the elements express themselves, nature is transformed, unveiling her beauty and limpidity.

Elements represents those fleeting instants when we are fully aware, humbled, and time feels like it has come to a standstill, overpowered by the here and now.

EVANESCENCE

Evanescence results from Lenoir's research on minimalist atmospheres and muted landscapes, photographed anywhere from his own doorstep to the vast expanses of Northern Europe.

Snow, ice, and mists make up the soul of this purely photographic work, the guiding thread that has fueled his photographic outlook for several years.

It is a contemplative form of expression, the fruit of a photographic intention that favors suggestion and the development of his creative vision rather than a more figurative approach.

"Evanescence" refers to the act of slowly disappearing, symbolism that is very present when one observes natural phenomena like snow showers that blur the tree lines, mist rising above a pond, the white of a wave breaking over a rock, water running under a frozen river, or an animal whose silhouette fades to blend in with the white…

These moments fuel a very oneiric vision of nature, which compels him to go beyond reality and reproduce it in a different light, bringing out emotion and poetry to let mystery take effect.

JEAN-MICHEL LENOIR

HORIZONS

The book horizons is the latest opus of a long-term photographic project on landscapes.The fourth installment of a minimalist and unique look at nature, this work takes us on a path of reflection. The path of questioning our relationship with nature and what we want it to become. Between reality and imagination...

After the ELEMENTS Opus in 2021, the desire arose to take the time again to delve even deeper into the profound meaning of wonder. To delve deeper into what it represents for me... as a counterbalance to the evolution of our society to reinvest in our intimate relationship with nature. The need to slow down one's gaze, as a vital necessity...

A reclamation of the essential where infinity and renewal take on their full meaning. The ambition for beauty in nature, simplicity as a path of vision, the song of the image as a means of expression.Between lines, colors, and textures, this book aims to share with you a unique and personal vision of the four dimensions of the horizon:

THE OCEAN

THE POETRY OF CLOUDS

PASTEL SHADES

THE CALM OF DUSK

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE

JEAN-MICHEL LENOIR

b. 1970, France

“A resolutely minimalist and suggestive approach to get to the essential. Not trying to show a subject for what it is, but for what it expresses. This is my way of telling stories, of translating my sensibility.”

-JM Lenoir

A passion for nature from an early age led Lenoir to photography as a means to capture magical moments of nature and wildlife. Starting with wildlife and wide spaces, he developed his own vision of photography. Landscape photography is an eternal quest for atmosphere where the light and the quest of beauty are key references, his aesthetic landmark. His photographic intention relies on his magnetic attraction for wide spaces combined with his quest of beautiful lights.

A way that inspires him and his instinct of freedom.

In photography, he is looking for simple pictures, which go straight to the subject core, with very few things in the frame. Lenoir follows a suggestive approach: he does not try to show a subject as it is, but to share what it expresses. It is his way of telling stories and conveying his sensibility, like his recent work “Evanescence”. Combining his passion for pictures with rugged landscapes, he organizes and guides photo tours with Photographes du Monde agency for seven years. From north of Europe (Scotland, Norway, Finland) to South america (Chile and Bolivia), his photographic world leads him into areas of wilderness from where he draws his main source of inspiration. Lenoir is an ambassador for Fujifilm cameras and Cokin filters.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My passion for photography arose from my relationship with nature, my love for her most beautiful and wild sides. Nature drives me to try to create striking atmospheres, marked by light and beauty, my aesthetic beacons. My photography resonates with my love of the great outdoors, my quest for extraordinary light. A pursuit that thrills my independent spirit. Over time, as I gained experience, I understood that it is always nature who decides; she chooses the elements and brings them together for compose a work of art. We do not create, we can only endeavor to understand and interpret what nature is felling us. I aspire to uncluttered images that go right to the heart of the matter, depicting only what is essential. Suggestion and minimalism fuel my photographic intention. I do not seek to show a subject for what it is, but what it expresses. This is how l tell a story and articulate what I’m feeling.

My photos have won awards at prestigious competitions such as BBC Wildlife photographer of the year, GDT European wildlife photographer of the year and the Asferico Infernational Nature Photography contest. My limited edition photos are shown in art galleries and available from the agency Naturagency for use in publications.

JEAN-MICHEL LENOIR

ARTIST STATEMENT

RESUME