Christophe Gilbert
Bio: You might say I'm a self-made photographer, but the truth is I studied by working as an assistant for a well-known car photographer in the early 80s. Cars reflect everything that surrounds them, as I found out in many incidences how light can bring a piece of metal to life. Not the worst school. But I soon realized that photography had not that much to do with techniques. It looked to me quite simple: all you really needed was an eye, preferably related to a brain. Once framed, anything could make an interesting picture.
你可以说我是自学成才，80年代初开始，我为一位知名的汽车摄影师作助理，在工作中接触和学习摄影。因为汽车本身会反光，于是我发现在很多情况下，不同入射角的光线可以给汽车带来新的生命。在工作中学习摄影不是一件坏事，但是很快我就意识到摄影并不仅仅是技巧或技术。对我来说，摄影是关于联结大脑的一双眼睛，有了眼睛，一旦被定格，任何事物都能转变成有趣的照片。
于是我转向广告摄影领域，这个转变让我对摄影有了全新的思考方式。你看见什么或你怎么看任何事物都与摄影无关，有关的是作品本身被怎样看待。因此有目的的摄影成了我的座右铭。一味地执行别人的概念是没有价值的，尝试抓住核心概念，为其找到一条最佳的途径，将概念图像化。如果把概念比作我的日常饮食，我的胃用来逐一消化他们。
当你像艺术指导那样思考的时，你就知道你的概念能发展到怎样的程度了。如果概念很弱，那就常常要用很强的画面来弥补。如果概念非常好，形成的画面也当然不会差。其中的关键就是在你着手工作前，在脑海里已经有了一个完整的画面。如果你觉得将零碎的想法拼凑成一幅画面这样就大功告成了，那就大错特错了。你要不断地思考其他的可能性，不断尝试新的方法，永远在工作中创作，这才是为什么有人愿意花钱请你做事的原因。这样做，能让你从中获得很多乐趣，不致于厌倦。如果你也和我一样，不幸地成为了一个对细节有洁癖的人，相信细节决定成败的话，那么你真的需要靠想象才会对自己的作品说满意了。
I turned to advertising photography nearly from the start, leading me to understand something else. It wasn't about what you see, or even how you see things anymore, but about how you wanted things to be seen. Pictures with a goal. There I signed! But I rarely translate a concept strictly as it has been drafted. I would feel useless. I try to capture the idea, then look for the best way to improve it into an image. Concepts are my food. And I've got quite a fragile stomach!
When you think alike together with an art director, you realize how much further it can go. With a weak idea, the best you can do is a very nice picture. It happens. On the other hand, a truly good idea can always be transcended by its formalization. What you have to do is get the whole picture in your head before starting to work. From there it's easy. You just have to put the pieces together to get it the way you've seen it. Wrong. Here is where it really starts; you perceive other opportunities. And you can't resist to experiment new ways. You'll often opt for a totally different one. You're an eternal beginner. Stupid? That's what you're paid for! To re-invent your job every time. That's probably why you can spend an entire life doing it without being bored. If you're unlucky, like me, being a detail-maniac freak, as you're one of those who truly believe that small details can make a huge difference, you'll probably need a few more lives to imagine reaching pretense of satisfaction!
