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Home › X Stories › GFX100S II:Landscape × Jean-Michel Lenoir

GFX100S II:Landscape × Jean-Michel Lenoir

06.06.2024
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The origin of my passion for photography is born from the bond that unites me to nature, in its most beautiful and wildest aspects. Time spent in nature can be compared to a quest for strong atmospheres where light and the search for beauty are benchmarks, my aesthetic markers. 

Combining my passion for images and wild landscapes, I became a professional photographer a dozen years ago. My activity is organized around photo trips organized with the Photographes du Monde agency, the publishing of books as well as the sale of prints in art galleries in France and abroad. 

What I look for in landscape photography are simple and strong images, those that relate to the very essence of the subject. A quest for the essential. My approach is suggestive, I do not seek to show a subject by what it is, but by what it expresses. It’s my way of telling stories, of translating my sensitivity. The more I advance, the more my approach tends towards minimalism. 

At the beginning I started by simplifying the subject, now I simplify the colors to work on monochrome lights, like the books Evanescence and Elements. Two collections on refined atmospheres from my doorstep to the Nordic countries. I concentrate 15 years of photographs there. 

For this series of images taken with the new GFX100S II camera, I naturally went to the Atlantic coast of Portugal, to meet the giant waves of Nazaré. The underwater geology of the place presents a natural canyon which favors the appearance of extraordinary waves. Since 1995, it has become one of the hotspots for international surfing, with the record for the highest wave surfed in the world (26 meters). Reserved for champions looking for thrills and adrenaline shots, these waves attract a wide audience, both for aesthetics and for sporting performance. 

Many sea lovers including myself come to discover the elements which express themselves in a spectacular way and make us humble in the face of raw nature. I took advantage of favorable weather conditions with strong winds and waves of more than 6 meters to try to take up the challenge of taking, in extreme conditions, a series of images with the very latest GFX. The most portable in its category, combining the power of the 100 megapixel sensor, latest generation autofocus, high-level stabilization and a burst mode climbing to 7 frames per second. 

Making a series of coherent and diverse images on the theme of waves was a real challenge for me. I tend to work with zoom lenses that cover a wide range of focal lengths to meet the requirements of the field and a subject that cannot be approached at will. I therefore chose the GF250 mm lens supplemented with the x1.4 converter, as well as the GF100-200mm, the GF32-64mm and the GF20- 35mm lenses for the ambient views. 

As a user of the GFX system since 2017, I had the opportunity to have in hand the GFX 50S, 50 R, 100, 100S and 100 II cameras. The GFX100S II has exactly the same ergonomics as GFX100S and its weight drops below 900 grams, an asset for all nomadic photographers who, like me, worry about the weight of their bag which can become a barrier to mobility on the field. A fan of minimalist photography, we can say that the English expression “less is more” takes on its full meaning with this camera. Once the eye is in the viewfinder, we are struck by the finesse of the image thanks to a significantly improved resolution and refresh rate, the characteristics of which it adopts here. In the field, the GFX100S II produces images incredibly rich in detail and nuance. Such resolution impresses me every time I look at my photos. 

Stabilization increases to 8.0 stops and offers unparalleled shooting comfort with the GF250mm lens + teleconverter. It becomes possible to take sharp images below the 1/100s mark and to overcome the effects of the wind while being freehand. 

My style of images requires a very high definition camera with a large dynamic range to restore the finesse of colors and light. Mission thus far fulfilled with the first generation GFX, but to capture the movement of the waves and solve the problem of projection of water droplets, it was necessary to have an autofocus that was sufficiently responsive and capable of remaining on the main subject. 

Once again, I was able to see the progress of this very successful version where the AF is boosted with artificial intelligence. This is ultra fast, precise and silent to provide great flexibility of use on a particularly difficult subject which combines movement, interfering elements, rapid changes of light and strong contrasts. 

The advances of this GFX100S II do not stop there, because on dynamic subjects, it is imperative to capture the “decisive moment” so dear to the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. When a wave breaks, it is extremely difficult to anticipate the final rendering of the scene. A single shot is too often insufficient. Many moving elements are imperceptible to the eye and only a quick burst can increase the chances of capturing the right moment. Once again, the GFX system pushes the limits of image quality while being adapted to the images I like to take. A choice that reassures me in what I expect from my photographic equipment. 

I am now looking forward to being able to print these images in very large format to take full advantage of the exceptional rendering of this camera which was able to overcome the difficulties of shooting. A companion that will have a special place in my camera bag for my next trips and for my next exhibitions. 

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