Claude
Riou

Originally from Brittany, a Celtic country of legends, I grew up in this wonderful setting where art, the sea and picturesque landscapes have always been combined.

From an early age, I began to get involved in photography, from the moment I saw myself in the photo in an unusual pose, being in full motion. My first camera accompanied me on many of my trips around the world. I traveled to all continents and met many cultures and different kinds of people. From Asia to America, from Canada to Cape Horn or Australia, there have been many opportunities to experience this passion for photography.

Accompanied by an excellent film camera for more than 30 years, I recently switched to digital SLRs. For more than 15 years, my unique 50mm lens allowed me to look for the best angles, and to be very demanding on lights and positioning. Respectful of the world around me, I Try to convey in my photographs the emotions that I experience when shooting.

My artistic approach

I want to share what I see and what I perceive, so that your eyes find in my photos the same perception, these same emotions.

I have always used photography to share and to show the world as my eyes had seen it, as I had felt it. My favorite themes were first the landscapes, then the encounters during my many travels.

Then my Breton origins led me to the sea and related themes (boats, water), then Black & White.

Photography is a means of transmitting: of transmitting emotions (portraits, colours, encounters), know-how (craftsmen, musicians, used objects), an attitude (freezing movement).

All my photos have this thing in common, whether they are in color or in Black & White:  What is important to me is to show the details, with tight shots, to eliminate the superfluous, the useless, to focus only on the desired subject, and by bringing to it that dose of humanity that is dear to me.

My greatest reward is when you sit there and look at one of these pictures, without saying anything, and dive into it for a while... I can then be satisfied, because I know that I have achieved my goal: to make you feel an emotion, even to make you travel.