Frank Dautant: Views From The Land Down Under (Premium)
All images by . Used with permission.
Once an engineer and now working in the photography industry, Frank Dautant is a photographer based in New Jersey. Of all the things he photographs (and being a self-described film photography addict, that is a lot of things) he says that shooting landscapes is his favorite. For Mr. Dautant, the process of taking a photograph is incredibly meditative, and constitutes a real consideration of the moment, heightened from his everyday experience. Once an engineer and now working in the photography industry, Mr. Dautant is an avid traveler. These vast views come from the wild landscape of Australia, where Mr. Dautant lived and worked for several years.
What inspires you to create photographs?
Nature offers a world of amazing landscapes, but also cities offers evocative urban and industrials landscapes. For me the important part is the whole experience of taking a photograph. I just become more present, more aware of the landscape that is in front of me. And creating these photographs allows me to record how the elements on the landscape interact with each other.
Tell me about this series, or your work relating to landscape.
This is a small collection of images during my time in Australia. I had the chance to see and explore different places and cities. I was just in awe of such a different view and I could not stop myself. It was a great time, shooting film, medium format and digital, whatever I could get my hands on. The great thing about Landscape Photography is that allows you enjoy a scenic view but also to enjoy the smaller landscapes within it, from the real to the abstract.
What makes black and white important to you?
Monochrome gives me the possibility of focus on the landscape, the interaction between the elements, the light and the emotion, by shooting in black and white you are subtracting the any distraction caused by colors. And one thing that I enjoy the most is the ability to play more with the negative space.
What influences your choice of equipment?
In terms on equipment, the constrains are usually space and weight when you travel. So the gear of choice will be a compact point and shoot, Ricoh GR or Olympus Mju III, Canon AE1 with a 24mm or 35mm lens and for medium format I will rely on a Ciroflex, although not the lightest but for sure it could take a beating.
You can see more of Frank Dautant’s work on his or .