Traveling distances to arrive at beauty: brutalism architecture and plane surfaces inspire Romain Laprade’s new photography collection, Distances Vol. II
Distances Vol. II by Romain Laprade
«An imaginary brutalist city on Mars at sunset». This is what French photographer Romain Laprade has in mind when thinking of an imaginary space he would like to portray. Between soft tones and heated colors, his image collection somewhat perfectly recalls an extraterrestrial intertwinement with our world with a meeting point in the ordinary of everyday surfaces.
California, Lanzarote, Italy: recollecting traveling fragments
After Palm Springs, No Water, Distances, and Royan, Laprade regroups his latest frames in a new book, Distances Vol II. He continues the recollection of traveling fragments from California, Lanzarote, or Italy through harmonious shapes and urban layers. Laprade decentralizes the concept of surroundings, his images inhabiting the same relaxed aura. Details from the dining table match dreamy window views as much as contrasting colors align with hues from nature.
«Distances represent many unrelated locations, far from home, far from each other but working harmoniously in my book. I wanted a title that reflects the concept behind traveling, the immensity of the world, variety of the world, and also a title that could be understandable in French and English. It has the same word and the same meaning in each language».
The universality is a key element in Laprade’s visual language as well. He slowly decomposes what he sees, only to compose a personal space, a private city we get glimpses of in his photographs.
Romain Laprade – A dialogue with surfaces
Photography is the art of telling you where to look. From where you should look at things and see them. In that sense, it choreographs our perception and directs the information. With the french photographer, images become a documentation of objects, shadows, and textures subtracted from the urban tissue of the city.
In reality, Laprade’s practice acts as a witness to the underdog of human attention, where concrete meets nature, and practicality meets aesthetics. On the threshold of fascination lies his most authentic pieces that transform halls and janitor equipment into compelling images.
Romain Laprade’s gaze: observation and an unusual visual sensibility
After his experience at Vogue France and the Holiday Magazine, Romain Laprade developed a recognizable technique continuing through every shooting he takes. He immortalizes landscapes, objects, and people with the same naturality and spontaneity.
A dialogue with surfaces, a space portrait, photographs of concrete buildings and room decor suggest careful observation and an unusual visual sensibility. «I’ve always followed my instincts seeking pictures that can truly reflect who I am and what I see».
Romain Laprade developed his style in syntony with his practice. By shooting as often as he felt inspired by walking in the cities he visited, Laprade transforms photography into a stabilizing system. «My images are the true mirror of what my eyes see and stop on. Being recognizable is one of the most valuable compliments».
Distances Vol. II and Orange Sheets, Distances vol.I
Surfaces are one of the protagonists in the second Distances volume, where the photographer collects glimpses of windows, doors, lamps, or columns interplaying with the sky and water. Nature comes to rescue any visual tale, enriching the bidimensional frame with textures. He sees technology as a high factor in image quality, especially when focusing on print and large frames, «but an expensive camera doesn’t capture better the beauty».
For example, Laprade shot one of his most famous pictures (Orange Sheets in Barcelona, in Distances vol.I) years ago with an elementary camera. It still is one of his most shared images on Instagram. «I always say that the most meaningful part is the eye. The eye sees the picture first, then the camera comes in front of the eye and captures it».
Romain Laprade: where the gaze alerts beauty
Making a place become a destination comes with an innate understanding of beauty. Proportions, symmetry, texture, and light alignments all contribute to architecting an appealing image. Ordinary assemblies and unoccupied spaces like halls and corners from Maison Unesco or Villa Noailles, the french photographer approaches an innocently political curve in the buildings he chooses to portray. The historical imprint and cultural meaning of his frames deliver information while remaining eye pleasing.
«When you take a picture, you decide to show only a piece of your subject. The picture frame isolates it. It can be a building, a location, or a street corner, at the best moment of the day. Sometimes because the light is appealing, a shadow because something unusual is happening, many reasons that turn an ordinary view into something memorable». Romain worked for home campaigns for Zara. He collaborated with COS, Aesop, and Kinfolk. In the Fashion industry, he created images for Isabel Marant’s 20, 21, and 22 collections. Immortalizing accessories and bags from Hermes, Louis Vuitton, or Paco Rabanne, the french photographer has beauty deeply rooted in his visual communication system.
«My language is visually pleasing. My goal is to capture beauty, or at least turn something common into something beautiful. I like discovering new locations and architecture while capturing them to inform their existence». The ambivalence between beautification and observation shapes the photographer’s role. He becomes someone editing reality with equity.
The ‘tourist traps’ – Recognizing unknown places
Distances Volume II has a warm and cozy sensation, sharing an aura of familiarity. Unknown places become recognizable. Romain Laprade refuses mainstream representations or ‘tourist traps’ made images. His favorite story behind one photograph from the book was in California on the tennis court (first page).
«I’m always inspired there and I’m always shooting a lot. It was during the first evening of my latest trip there (last spring). The first day is always tiring because of jetlag. I was feeling sleepy at 7 PM but the attraction of walking and shooting at sunset was stronger. I walked by myself in a quiet neighborhood and saw the door open for the tennis court. When entering it, it was empty, but I felt a magical atmosphere in a commonplace».
A community of architecture and urban design entities
We interact with street corners and natural sceneries as much as we do with people. Romain Laprade creates a community made of architecture and urban design entities. Maybe this is why he feels his work hasn’t changed since the first book collection. «It is still an ideal world in my eyes».
He photographs things that exist, buildings, and spaces, somehow making them look too good to be true. Laprade’s practice shows how photography can help people romanticize their life and surroundings. «We are living in a highly complicated world, always more violent and ugly, but there are still beauties to capture and peaceful images to make, to escape».
Roamin Laprade
Romain Laprade is a french photographer working for many publications all around the world. His image collection, Distances Vol II is one of the five books he has published throughout his practice: Palm Springs, No Water, Distances, and Royan
