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Valentin

@ivalt

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A Golden Journey.
Landscape Photographer based in Nice, France 🇫🇷
Salsa Dancer @ivaltsalsa
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I was crazy and I will never do that again. I was shooting around near the dune du Pilat. I just had my camera and no backpack to protect my gear. 😬 When I saw the golden light, I had no time to go back to the car to get my backpack and I took the decision to climb the highest dune in Europe with just my camera (Canon 6D+Sigma Art 12-24) in the right hand. 📷 If some of you don’t know why doing that is so risky, just think that sand is one of the main gear killers. ⚠️ I managed to do well, as I climbed it in about 10 min (not taking stairs!) and didn’t fall a single time. This is the kind of thing I will never repeat, otherwise I will stupidly break my gear… Fortunately there are many positive points. I was able to enjoy the wonderful view and there were very few people around. It was so calm and relaxing. That wasn’t my first time there but it was definitely a memorable moment. 🌅 Tonight I am adding this sandscape to my golden journey. • • • • • #dunedupilat #dunedupyla #france4dreams #hello_france #igersfrance #visitfrance #bassindarcachon #capferret #igersgironde #girondetourisme #sudouest #lecrakoi #igerscapferret #legecapferret #arcachon #goodmorningbassin #oh_my_france by @ivalt
Le Petit Minou, Brittany 🇫🇷 One of my favorite lighthouses I’ve ever photographed. This was one of the first photos from my trip to Brittany, and everything came together that evening. The light, the composition, and this incredible place made the editing surprisingly easy. A few hours later, I drove to another lighthouse nearby… and the weather was so bad that I almost left Brittany discouraged. Landscape photography is full of moments like that. Have you ever been to Brittany? #petitminou #finistere #breizh #bretagnetourisme #AGoldenJourney by @ivalt
Who would you enjoy this sunset with? 🌅 This is a classic sunset taken in Cap Ferret, France. Edited again lately to make the sky pop. Months passed since my last time there, and I am still in love with this warm light of the Atlantic coast. I am planning to go back to some locations by the end of the year. That would be the opportunity to have a good time and get fresh new captures. 📸 • • • • • #magichour #igersfrance #visitfrance #bassindarcachon #capferret #igersgironde #girondetourisme #sudouest #lecrakoi #igerscapferret #legecapferret #arcachon #goodmorningbassin #oh_my_france #france4dreams #hello_france #france_regards #super_france #ig_france by @ivalt
Cap Ferret, France 🇫🇷 Throwback to that day and that photowalk with my dad in Cap Ferret, at Le Grand Crohot beach. I was incredibly lucky to find these sand formations, completely untouched — no footprints, no human traces at all. They immediately inspired me. I stayed in that exact spot for about twenty minutes, waiting until I finally got the shot I had already visualized in my mind. This photo was taken years ago, and it was edited years ago as well, but I never posted it. The other day, while sharing some of my older work with friends, I realized this image had never really had its time to shine. The edit is a composite I created in Photoshop back then, blending a sky I had photographed in La Rochelle. The entire image was then homogenized in Lightroom to fit the A Golden Journey aesthetic. I wanted to recreate — and slightly enhance — the surreal, dreamy atmosphere I had felt on that day. Since I hadn’t posted in a while, I also discovered that Instagram now allows full-size vertical photos. It made me want to revisit and reshare many of my older images from A Golden Journey in a more immersive way. This past year, I’ve been very busy — building my company on one side, and becoming completely addicted to salsa dancing on the other. Salsa has turned into such a strong passion that, when I travel now, I sometimes look for salsa spots even before photography locations. But both are essential to me, and one can’t replace the other. Salsa is deeply social, while photography has always been an introspective practice for me. In the end, the balance feels just right. I also have many images from past trips still waiting to be edited and brought back to life — from Scandinavia, Sri Lanka, and even Brittany. • • • #capferret #bassindarcachon #igerscapferret #igersgironde #sudouest by @ivalt
Le Conquet, Brittany ☁️ And finally, here it is. I’m continuing to share images from my past trips — this one is Phare de Kermorvan, that legendary lighthouse in Le Conquet, and without a doubt one of my favorite lighthouses I’ve ever photographed. I had two attempts to capture Kermorvan properly. The first time, the lighting conditions were so bad that I got discouraged. It was raining heavily, and I had to leave the spot barely twenty minutes after arriving. It was truly frustrating, especially since it was my second-to-last day in Brittany. In the end, I managed to come back the next day by rearranging my plans just to get this shot. And honestly, this place is simply epic. I fell in love with it instantly. I started editing the image months after the trip, and it quickly aligned with the A Golden Journey aesthetic — especially with those peacock blue tones. I then left it about 90% finished in Lightroom… for almost a year. Recently, while spending my holidays in London, I suddenly felt inspired one night to finally finish it. The only problem: I had forgotten my external drive with the Lightroom catalog on it. So I ended up finishing it à l’ancienne. Luckily, when a photo is nearly done, I usually export a version into a Drive folder so I can access it from my phone. I retrieved the 90% finished JPG and completed the final adjustments on Lightroom Mobile — and honestly, I’m really happy with how it turned out. This place is so powerful and inspiring that everything felt natural with this image. I named it “Le Conquérant”, and it now belongs to A Golden Journey. • • • #bretagne #leconquet #igersbretagne #lighthousephotography #ig_france by @ivalt
L’Élysée, Provence 🌾🇫🇷 I named this photograph taken in Valensole after the Elysian Fields — the mythical place of eternal peace and happiness reserved for greek heroes and gods. There was something about this light, these endless rows and that solitary tree in the distance that made the landscape feel almost unreal. This photograph actually dates back to 2016, making it one of the oldest images in A Golden Journey. Nearly ten years later, it remains one of my favorite memories from Valensole. Would you walk all the way to that tree? 🌅 #Valensole #PlateauDeValensole #Provence #ProvenceAlpesCotedAzur #visitprovence by @ivalt
Meneham, Brittany. 🌿 Throwback to my trip to Brittany a few months ago, where I explored some of its unique spots. Meneham was truly breathtaking, but capturing it in a visually appealing composition was quite challenging. This place has such an iconic vibe and a special atmosphere when experienced in person. ✨ Lately, I’ve been busy building my online business seven days a week, and I’ve also developed a bit of a salsa and social dancing addiction for my evenings and weekends, leaving me with less time for photography and editing. Returning to photography allows me to freely express my creativity without feeling pressured for performance, and it feels amazing. I’d suggest everyone carve out a space for purely artistic expression in their lives. It’s a great outlet for ideas that might not fit into your work life. This particular image was a struggle. I took dozens, if not hundreds, of shots at Meneham, but none felt quite right due to messy foregrounds and bad focus. Then, I looked through my iPhone shots, as I always start with the iPhone before using my camera. I found a great shot with a good foreground and decided to blend it with my best camera shot. A few days later, while going through my older photos of Étretat, Normandy, I found some shots with beautiful flower foregrounds, so I ended up blending those instead. 😂 So, this image is a blend of some of my favorite shots. I enjoy the editing process so much, and trying to match the final result with my initial vision when I took the photo is really satisfying. It took me months to edit and refine, but here’s the end result. What do you think? • • • • • #bretagne #bestofbretagne #breizh_vibes #bretagne_focus_on #bretagnefr #super_france #bretagnetourisme #tourisme_bretagne #toutestbeauenfinistere #region_bretagne #igersbretagne #igersfrance #oh_my_france #finistere_bretagne #france4dreams #labellebretagne #bretagnemylove #lovebretagne #voyageonsbreton #explorebretagne #explore_france #france_tourisme #france_focus_on #kerlouan #meneham #kerlouanmeneham by @ivalt
Île de Ré, France. ☀️ I have to admit that among all the destinations I have visited in recent years, Île de Ré held my attention and interest the most. I don’t really know why or how to explain it, but there is something otherworldly about this island off the French Atlantic coast, its villages, and its beaches. Beyond that, the people I’ve met there and the atmosphere inspire me a lot in every aspect of my life, including professional, artistic, social, and love. This feeling wasn’t as strong when I visited its competitor island, Oléron. This image is an old one I’ve revisited, making a few changes to improve the composition and bringing more coherence and visually leading lines to the image (sky and path leading lines along with foreground shadows). It also made me feel like reliving that moment. This particular spot is at Le-Bois-Plage-en-Ré, the village where I usually stay, and it’s perfect for sunset lovers. This is the path that leads straight to the golden light. The atmosphere is very romantic and inspiringly poetic, like in many places on the island that evoke a timeless reverie. I’m planning to discover other places that could feel similar in France or Europe, especially small islands. Would you have some to recommend? • • • • #sunset #magichour #landscapephotography #ilederé #charentemaritime #iledere #guidecharentemaritime #iledereapps #macharentemaritime #igersilederé #igerscharentemaritime #larochelle #igersfrance #visitfrance #destinationiledere #îlederé #igworldclub_sky #ig_france #oh_my_france #france4dreams #hello_france #france_regards by @ivalt
Pontusval, Brittany. ☁️ Here’s a little story from my trip to Brittany, a place filled with incredible and otherworldly landscapes. Pontusval Lighthouse was one of the spots I was most excited to shoot. I had seen so many photos of it before and couldn’t wait to capture my own. I only had one chance to visit, and it happened to be high tide that afternoon, so I stayed closer to the beach. This made finding the right angle and composition a true challenge. I took my time, standing there and figuring out how to capture the lighthouse in a way that felt just right. The beach near it is full of rocks, and I wanted my shot to feel clean, not too messy. This lighthouse, like many in Brittany (except maybe Petit Minou 🫢), was harder to photograph than I expected. By that, I mean finding a composition that worked, something simple yet powerful, took a bit of effort. With only a few shots to work from, I focused on making the most of what I had. I simplified the composition and made everything that’s not the lighthouse or the nearby rocks less distracting. I’m really happy with how it turned out. Sometimes, working with what you have and keeping things simple is all it takes. • • • #bretagne #bretagnetourisme #bretagne_focus_on #igersbretagne #bestofbretagne #france3bretagne #toutestbeauenfinistere #explorebretagne #labellebretagne #brest_terres_oceanes #ouestfrance #hello_france #super_france #toutcommenceenfinistere #tourisme_bretagne #brest #cotedeslegendes #region_bretagne #finistere_bretagne #oh_my_france #explore_france #bretagnemylove #voyageonsbreton #portdattache #lighthouse #landscapephotography #amazingshots_lighthouse by @ivalt
Île de Ngor, Senegal. 🌞 Rocks and clouds embrace the fervent golden light on this small island, which holds a remarkable heritage and legacy. Throwback to my trip to Senegal a few months ago, and the evening I spent on this charming island off the coast of Dakar, renowned as the retreat place of the famous French singer France Gall. The island is merely 400 meters away from the mainland and can be explored within just one hour (or perhaps two or three hours if you're a photography enthusiast). 📷 This particular scene, which I would name "L'Étreinte" in French, truly evokes an embrace, an intimate hug filled with love and kindness, especially with the rocks encircling the penetrating golden light. At that moment, this was the exact sight that captivated me. 👀 I also appreciate how this image stands out from what I usually do, with a slightly more cluttered composition, yet it still showcases the intense golden light that nature generously gifts us during sunset. I am eagerly anticipating editing all the remaining pictures I have from my memorable trip to Senegal (and by the way, I just returned from Brittany 😎). • • • • • #senegalphotography #ngor #ngorisland #iledengor #dakar #senegal #teranga #paysdelateranga #travelsenegal #discoveringsenegal #exploreafrica #decouvrirsenegal #westafrica #visiterlafrique #sunset #magichour by @ivalt
Étretat, France. 🌸 A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend a day in Étretat when visiting family in Normandie. It was my first time here and I couldn’t expect better than what I’ve seen. Those cliffs are extremely impressive to observe in reality. 🌊 Despite the cloudy conditions that day (that surely helped prevent from a higher temperature) I am happy with how many of my shots are looking, and I am finally adding one to my collection. Initially, I was planning to share another shot from the same set that day. However, I felt that the composition was too cluttered and overly "fancy" with flowers strewn across the foreground. I found it too distracting, so I opted for this image instead, which is more minimalistic. It solely features the grass without any disruptive elements. 🌿 Do you think I made the right choice? Are you curious enough to see how the other shot looks? (Feel free to DM me, and I'll be happy to send it to you 🤭) • • • • • #etretat #falaises #etretatbeach #étretat #etretatcliffs #etretattourisme #normandie #normandy #oh_my_france #hello_france #igersfrance #visitfrance #france_regards #france4dreams #france_focus_on #explore_normandie #normandietourisme #europedestinations #falaisesdetretat #igersnormandie #normandiemylove #normandie_focus_on #seinemaritime#seinemaritimetourisme #explorelafrance by @ivalt
Cap Ferret, France 🇫🇷 I almost didn’t take this photo. The tide was low, and I had to walk through wet sand and puddles to reach this little boat. Not exactly the best idea with the shoes I was wearing. A few minutes later, the light broke through the clouds, and everything came together for just a moment. This is still one of my favorite photographs from A Golden Journey. Have you ever taken a small risk just to capture a photo? #bassindarcachon #arcachon #capferret #pinasse #AGoldenJourney by @ivalt

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