Anuar Patjane
Wildlife Photographer
"Intuition is the purest form of energy behind the photographic process."
"What I try to achieve is a connection between man and the sea, especially between man and sea creatures, by presenting the capacity of perception that the sea creatures have, and by showing the beauty of the sea in a way that often slips the attention."
About the photographer
Every time I take my camera I do my best to involve intuition. In my opinion this is the main force behind the origination process or at least the purest form of energy behind the photographic process. It is neither the rules of composition nor fancy golden ratio mumbo jumbo, just plain emotions and raw feelings that are shaped by the remnant structures from my dreams. The best we can do as photographers should be to get rid of all that monolithic baggage that has our imaginations trapped behind the belief that aesthetic rules make photography better.
We need to let go of the belief that copying past formulas will help us achieve better results. I’m very sorry, that won’t work. Enough of theory, let’s get to the motif and the core behind the image and that should concern us all, as we divers and sea lovers should be on the frontlines of the debate about global warming, plastic pollution in our seas and the uncontrolled fishing industry. If we, the people who are in constant contact with the sea and the underwater world, don’t care and speak up, no one will. If we don’t communicate that passion and love for the ocean using whatever means we have, then the battle will be lost soon and we all pay a very high price, provided that we even survive. Every underwater image I share and publish has that purpose. I don`t want to just achieve an aesthetic reaction provoked by beauty or mystery.
What I try to achieve is a connection between man and the sea, especially between man and sea creatures, by presenting the capacity of perception that the sea creatures have, and by showing the beauty of the sea in a way that often slips the attention. This is why I focus on black-and-white photography. Black-and-white has the particularity of getting rid of all things that distract. Color monopolizes the image and diminishes forms, geometry and fluidity. I also do believe that black-and-white speaks more effectively to our subconscious, affecting our dreams and emotions in ways color photography never will.