Interview with Joël Klinger, photographer.
Who can talk about a region better than an experienced photographer? Day and night they live the dream of capturing beauty at its best: the right light, the right distance, the right composition… Today, we would like to introduce you to Joël Klinger.
Joël Klinger, in a few words…
After living in quite a few different places in France, I arrived in Touraine in 2017. Before I arrived, I made a list of the many different places I wanted to photograph. And there were a lot of them! I’ve been travelling across the region for four years now, taking new photos.
Most of the time, I work alone since it gives me more flexibility. But sometimes I get together with other photographers – mostly for photos of the Milky Way in the middle of the night. I’ve been taking this kind of photograph for years now with pictures combining local heritage and the starry skies.
I’ve also photographed lots of sunrises and sunsets, lying in wait for the best possible weather conditions (a few clouds, but not too many for the best colours). More recently, I’ve been taking photos during the day, exploring other aspects of places I’ve already photographed. Most of all I try to get great results by working on the composition in terms of colours, reflections and the geometry (and even symmetry) of the subjects.
Château d'Azay-le-Rideau - Joël Klinger Photography
Château de Chenonceau - Joël Klinger Photography
What are your favourite places in Touraine?
It’s quite hard to choose between Amboise and Chenonceau. I really like both places for their beauty, the wide-ranging light you can photograph there and because they are easy to access at any time.
Royal Château of Amboise – Joël Klinger Photography
What is a photo you would like to take?
One of my goals for 2021 is to photograph the Milky Way above the Château de l’Islette!
If all goes well, it should be in a few weeks’ time.
Do you have a black and white photo to show us?
This is a style I haven’t yet used much (so there is a lot of room for improvement!).
During my first visit to the Château de Chenonceau, in 2016, I did take a black and white photo using a long exposure. I think that this style is sometimes very well suited, even to the landscape, because everyone can imagine the subject in the photo in their own way – without the colours being imposed on them.
Château de Chenonceau – Joël Klinger Photography
Do you have an unusual memory or funny story from a photo shoot?
After taking hundreds of photos during my photo shoots in the region since I moved here, I do have a few original memories! There is one that comes back on a regular basis during my sessions photographing the Milky Way in spring: it’s the sound of frogs croaking in the background for hours on end! A few days ago, I was sitting in front of the Château d’Ussé, in the middle of the night, and I was treated to a totally natural soundtrack for quite a long time. It’s a very pleasant experience to photograph Sleeping Beauty’s Castle with the sound of the River Indre flowing by and all the frogs croaking.
Château d’Ussé – Joël Klinger Photography
Find out more about Joël Klinger: https://joel-klinger.photography