Jean Paul Nacivet

French Photographer 

Pictured here while crossing Papua New Guinea on foot from coast to coast in 1976 as part of his two and a half years trip around the world from
1975 to 1978. Jean-Paul Nacivet has carried a camera ever since. Numerous expeditions on every continent and kilometers of film took make this self-taught photographer at the heart of visual emotions. Later influenced by several years living in Japan and traveling over 70,000 kilometers by motorbike in that country, his artworks became more minimalistic and emotionally very strong.

Early on Jean-Paul decided to work only with natural light and at the end of the 1980's pioneered the art of water abstracts, vortex, and water drops in suspension. Creating astonishing abstractions with inter sidereal aspects. All of this using crystal clear water, light games, and his film camera. Later his fine art nude photographs became famous and more characteristic of his work.

But Jean-Paul don't want to be secluded or limited, he just love to try everything. And when questioned by younger generation about what his advice would be to be creative in a life of photography his answer is quite astonishing for many.

“As a self taught photographer, I just have one single advice to tell you :

"TRY everything school, teacher, books, influences tell you not to do" a camera is just another tool, over expose if you want, underexpose, put totally out of focus if you want etc, only the result count and you can make good pictures with any camera, from pinhole camera to the most sophisticated camera”.

 “As a self taught photographer, I just have one single advice to tell you : Bali was on his route and fascinated and in love of Bali and Balinese people this was in 1976. In 1997 he decide to settle in this island with his family.

Now the unbelievable, on his 2,5 years travel, Jean-Paul regularly went to the local post office to send his film (4 or 5 rolls at a time) to be process in a specific professional lab in Paris. He had to wait 2,5 years to actually see the
result. He continue shooting for 2,5 years without being able to see any of the pictures he was taking, with same determination. When he met fellow travelers, he could describe several of the best expected shots, because as he explains "The picture is in photographer's brain before it's recorded on film or memory card today”.

And as Jean-Paul love to say. : "If you realize your dream, it's because it was not big enough, so keep chasing for your best shot, your best shot is yet to come”.