Weathered

‘Weathered’ is a documentary series & a visual collection of the weathered coastal structures at the National Park Narbonnaise en Méditerranée on the south coast of France. 

Sometimes a project or a series of pictures just happens by accident with no real intention. This project was one like that. It would be an understatement to say I love when that happens – It just shows us the beauty of the unexpected. The beauty of the unseen.

Expecting the unexpected is a big part of my photographic workflow. Often times I don’t really know what the outcome of a series I am shooting will be. I try to be open for any outcome. Always curious & observant. I make an effort to immerse myself in the environment that I am seeking to understand. The environment I am trying to portray. Waiting, observing & processing. Until I understand what nature is telling me. 

Upon the weathered coastal structures of this series I stumbled by chance. After taking a wrong turn on a hike along the coastline of the National Park Narbonnaise en Mediteranée my girlfriend & me ended up on a hiking path that was totally overgrown with spiky bushes. We constantly had to take detours, which meant walking on the stones on the shore close to the water for hours. 

Taking the wrong turn at the beginning of the hike led to me discovering the beautiful & mesmerizing structures of a cliff found at the end of our improvised hiking route. Weathered rock formations & structures as far as the eye can see – forming an abstract painterly scenery. With the help of high focal lengths I wanted to highlight the abstract character of the coastal structures. I wanted to portray the worn out colors and shapes found on different parts of the cliff. 

Portraying those formations I could see the harsh conditions in front of my eyes. Everything these stones had to endure over the course of time.

Salt. Water. Wind. Sun. Humans.

Nationalpark Narbonnaise en Méditerranée, France / 2020

Photography by Roland Kraemer

Find this series on Behance