Aurélien Essaïdi

“I couldn’t be a photographer anywhere else. I just have to go a few kilometers to find all kinds of beauty.”

Intercru: Where are you from? Where do you live and work now?

Aurélien: I live in Digne-les-Bains in the heart of Provence, between the mountains and the sea. It’s the lavender capital of the world, or so they say! I do not work right now, I’ve been sick for a long time and I’m trying to find a cure full time. I’m having some fun with Instagram though.

When did you get started with photography?

I started 3 years ago when I finished my degree in Sociology. I wanted to link the two disciplines at first but my health didn't help me to find the motivation. So now I take my camera with me all the time and take pictures when I feel like it.

I hope to feel better some day so I would be able to take my photography more seriously and start making projects again.

What is the most beautiful thing about Provence for you?

It is the landscape diversity. There’s pretty much everything here, from the Alps to the Mediterranean sea, passing by the Verdon Gorge and the lavender fields. The weather is beautiful most of the time.

My situation being what it is, I couldn’t be a photographer anywhere else. I just have to go a few kilometers to find all kinds of beauty.

Where do you find inspiration for your photos?

I watch a lot of movies but don’t think the inspiration is always obvious. For now I am inspired by the vibrant colors of nature and the way they evolve during different seasons and under different lights. I’m not a creator yet, I just capture what nature gives me in the best way I can.

For anyone who has never been to Provence, where would you suggest they visit? What should they do there?

They should see everything, It depends what they like. The snowy mountains in winter; les Gorges du Verdon, the lavender fields of Valensole, Marseille and the Côte-d’Azur during the summer. Autumn is great too with the trees turning yellow and red, mushrooms everywhere. But I love the spring the most- when flowers are coming back with the heat and villages are still empty but beautiful.