Jérôme Aoustin Photography

“Two Lives”

La Cigale, Nantes

I was born and raised in France amongst a particularly artistic family, exposed to sculpting, painting and music from a very young age. Always encouraged to pursue my dreams, I grew up as an inquisitive and dedicated child with a deep affinity for nature and its beauty. Living my childhood in the greenest city of France has probably something to do with it – Nantes was voted “the most livable city in all of Europe” by Time Magazine.

I was fortunate to have parents who loved traveling, especially off the beaten path. From the Alps to the Carpathians, islands and volcanoes, I have seen many wonders, now cherished memories. However, it is not until 2002 – when I picked up a digital camera – that I started recording these memories on a medium other than my visual cortex. It probably won’t come as a surprise that my subjects of predilections are natural landscapes. Simply enjoying the calm and serenity of my surroundings, I will gladly sit in the same spot for hours… sometimes just to get the right shot.

An inspiration, my grandfather

2002 is also the year that I first visited New York City. I was doing an internship there in order to complete my Masters degree in technology and management. I met my wife during my stay and one year later, I was moving back to New York to be with her. I’ve been living in this urban mecca for almost eight years now. Similar to most megalopolises, life in the big apple is rushed and hectic… how paradoxical it may seem to be, a big organized chaos.

While this is not usually the type of environment I seek for my daily inspiration, a very positive creative energy emerged from my being exposed to it: I have re-learned to find beauty in the mundane details that usually escape our field of vision. I also found and nurtured a love for street photography by documenting not only fleeting moments, but also cultural and generational testimonies of our society. I do have many projects in mind to kick start, so I expect my body of work to evolve often.

 
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