Work of passion
Trend come and go but wood seems to be one of those constant where it will always be fashionable. There is a warmth emanating from it and when used to make an instrument, there is even a coziness in the sound.
If metal represent cold, wood is definitely warmth and calm.
I never really thought about it before but a luthier is quite the job. You get to make art, play with woods all day long and the culmination of your hard work inspire other artists to compose music. It’s one of those jobs where good is not enough. You have to aim for the perfect that will never happen and if you are not doing it from passion, it won't make sense.
This is where Julien comes in, we are climbing in the same gym and since climbers always end up talking to each other, it was a question of time before we got to know each other. I didn’t know, but it happens that there is a school program to be luthier in my city and Julien was about to finish his class. With all the amount of works he puts in, he needed some photos for his portfolio and hopefully sell them.
I must say that it is quite an exciting subject to capture!
So he came at the studio his guitars in hand. I did a simple black background so the only thing that would get in the frame would be the guitars itself. I did the first shot and suddenly I was really impressed even shocked when I saw the result. Even tho I don’t have any knowledge in the craft (or in the actual instrument for that matter) I could still appreciate the amount of work and the details that Julien puts in it. It is truly a work of art.
Let’s use a simple background with a big soft light so we can appreciate all the details and all the subtility.
We can even feel a kind of sexiness coming out from the curvatures of the shape.
I was so impressed by the level of his work, I needed to see him working. I’m always fascinated by the fascination of other people, so I couldn’t miss that chance. Having said that, he was about to finish his school program, I wanted to see his setup. It was just like you could imagine, a student in a basement doing it’s thing while nothing else could distract him.
There is a thing that keeps coming back to me… we always end up craving for new things, better conditions or anything that could improve our life. BUT… when I see someone working out of passion, it seems like nothing in life could reach him. It is a refreshing experience everytime.
