Max Lévine

I am totally self-taught, I started with a first camera, then a second one, some lenses. With each new acquisition, I think and try to push my limits further.

Yes, I must have been 7 or 8 years old and I enjoyed my summer holidays and my first camera (a beautiful disposable camera with about 20 exposures) to immortalize my Leonberg dog who was enjoying himself during a mountain trek. The framing was more than approximate but the photo virus was caught!

I have trusted Canon for years, and in the field, I can have absolute confidence in my equipment.

What do I want to achieve? Trying to make sure that each photo tells its own story and conveys as closely as possible the unique moment and atmosphere that characterized it.

I often don't know if a photo affects me for what it is or for the moment it reminds me of. I am particularly satisfied when a person who has not lived that moment can feel on the photo what I had in mind when I took it. When this happens, I am comforted in my decisions and I stay on the way I have made!

The beauty and delicacy of nature, the things that compose it, the natural scenery that I discover during my travels. I am a lover of great lonely spaces...

Realistic, adaptive, poetic.

Thank you for giving me such an honor! This award gives me the opportunity to showcase my work on an international level and confirms me in the path to follow in my career. It is extremely gratifying to see our work appreciated by recognized photographers.

During this contest I was lucky enough to have 2 of my submissions awarded in platinum. The Andean Storm series puts into perspective the austerity of life – both animal and human – in the Andean Altiplano. With this photographic series I wanted to highlight the daily life of the inhabitants of these deserted and inhospitable immensities that seem to belong to the vestiges of the past in a world tending to become uniform in its search for modernity and comfort. Regarding the photograph Fragrance of History it was taken on the shore of the Seine in Paris at the level of La Conciergerie. I was struck that evening by the colors of the twilight that draped the monument in purple and echoed the history of Paris and the role of La Conciergerie during the French Revolution. I took advantage of a flight of birds that passed to enhance the feeling of dark omen that seemed to hang over the scene.

Three photographers I have in mind come up often: Paul Nicklen with his polar series, Daisy Gilardini's animal scenes as tender as they are realistic, and Craig Bill's long exposure nightscapes for their technicality and uniqueness.

One day, someone said to me: Never get discouraged, and follow your own inspiration!

I think I'm still a little young in the business to share my wisdom! But for my own experience: persevere and try to surprise yourself by trying to exceed the limits of your own style.

I try to follow my path and stay consistent with my inspirations.

I have only one word to say to you: thank you!