honorable mention
Olivier Robert france
title
Snow Fences
These snow fences are very typical elements of the Japanese landscapes in the snowy regions. I’ve always been attracted to their presence on the pristine snow and the way they organize the landscapes, playing elegantly with trees like notes on a musical score.
Although these snow fences seem to have been installed randomly, they are particularly efficient and help to prevent the huge quantity of snow from falling on houses or roads.
The series was shot in Hokkaido where I’ve spent 10 years photographing the minimalist landscape sceneries.
In 1994, he graduated from the Institute of Landscape Architecture in Belgium and left his native country for Switzerland. As he arrived in the Lake Geneva region in 1995, he started a photographic work about the lake. This project is still continuing 20 years after and has pushed him into visiting many other lakes in the world. Since 2004, he has devoted his work almost exclusively to landscapes and waterscapes using mainly long exposures.
For his continuous projects as well as family reasons, he often gets thoroughly across Japan.
This approach has led him to the most remote places of the archipelago, through mountains, temples and shrines about which he has also carried out a photographic project on Buddhist statuary and sacred art for years.
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entry description
This series of photographs is part of my ongoing project about the winter in Japan.These snow fences are very typical elements of the Japanese landscapes in the snowy regions. I’ve always been attracted to their presence on the pristine snow and the way they organize the landscapes, playing elegantly with trees like notes on a musical score.
Although these snow fences seem to have been installed randomly, they are particularly efficient and help to prevent the huge quantity of snow from falling on houses or roads.
The series was shot in Hokkaido where I’ve spent 10 years photographing the minimalist landscape sceneries.
about the photographer
Olivier Robert is a professional photographer and landscape architect sharing his life between Europe and Japan. His approach is based on a minimalist expression for more than 25 years. Initiated very early into the world of photography and dark room, he got his first camera at the age of 15.In 1994, he graduated from the Institute of Landscape Architecture in Belgium and left his native country for Switzerland. As he arrived in the Lake Geneva region in 1995, he started a photographic work about the lake. This project is still continuing 20 years after and has pushed him into visiting many other lakes in the world. Since 2004, he has devoted his work almost exclusively to landscapes and waterscapes using mainly long exposures.
For his continuous projects as well as family reasons, he often gets thoroughly across Japan.
This approach has led him to the most remote places of the archipelago, through mountains, temples and shrines about which he has also carried out a photographic project on Buddhist statuary and sacred art for years.
back to gallery