{"id":20970,"date":"2022-04-18T15:31:11","date_gmt":"2022-04-18T19:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/?post_type=dan_alert_diver&p=20970"},"modified":"2023-02-08T15:25:03","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T20:25:03","slug":"fred-buyle","status":"publish","type":"dan_alert_diver","link":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/fr\/alert-diver\/article\/fred-buyle\/","title":{"rendered":"Fred Buyle"},"content":{"rendered":"

A STATEMENT ON FRED BUYLE\u2019S WEBSITE<\/span><\/strong> briefly explains his approach to underwater photography: \u201cTo take his pictures and videos, Fred uses a simple formula: the water, available light, a camera, and\u00a0one breath of air, nothing more, nothing less.\u201d I would add to that list an extraordinary eye for composition and a passion for placing himself wherever the photo opportunities are. The images in his portfolio represent decades of travel to exotic destinations far from his home in the Azores. He has tolerated fewer overweight baggage fees than other photographers might, for his life and aesthetic are remarkably minimalistic for a man of such accomplishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fred Buyle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Buyle came to photography naturally \u2014 some might say genetically. His great-grandfather was an innovative and acclaimed photographer in Brussels and portraitist to the Belgian royal family. His grandfather was a fine art painter, and his father was an advertising and fashion photographer in the 1960s. Buyle missed the active era of his father\u2019s life in fashion photography, as he was retired from that career by the time Buyle was born. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For at least two months each summer the family sailed to Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Norway. Boating was a family passion, and while his parents weren\u2019t divers, Buyle was curious about all things related to the ocean. He began reading voraciously at 4 years old. By the age of 7 he was satisfying his curiosity about the underwater world by snorkeling, and he started spearfishing a few years later. As he had to go deeper for game, he learned to equalize. He spent more time observing than spearing fish, and freediving became a part of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adolescent, il a obtenu son brevet de plong\u00e9e en Belgique et est devenu divemaster PADI \u00e0 18 ans, puis instructeur un an plus tard. Cependant, le fait de d\u00e9pendre d'une bouteille et d'un d\u00e9tendeur ne l'a jamais autant int\u00e9ress\u00e9 que l'esth\u00e9tique de la respiration unique. L'apn\u00e9e est devenue un sport plus organis\u00e9 dans les ann\u00e9es 1990, et Buyle en a fait partie. En 1995, il \u00e9tablit son premier record du monde avec 167,3 pieds (51 m\u00e8tres) dans la cat\u00e9gorie des poids variables, suivi en 1997 par le record des poids constants avec 173,9 pieds (53 m\u00e8tres). Il a battu ce record plus tard, en 1997, avec 190,3 pieds (58 m\u00e8tres) et en 2001 avec 213,3 pieds (65 m\u00e8tres). En 1999, il a franchi la barri\u00e8re la plus difficile de l'apn\u00e9e, \u00e0 savoir 100 m\u00e8tres, devenant ainsi la huiti\u00e8me personne \u00e0 le faire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En 2000, vous \u00e9tiez clairement consid\u00e9r\u00e9 comme un roi de l'apn\u00e9e, mais quand avez-vous commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 faire de la photographie sous-marine ?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 2002 I had grown bored with freediving for records, but I wanted memories of what I saw underwater. About that time magazines became interested in freediving competitions, so photographing freedivers was a natural transition for me. The elite freedivers were a small community, and we had mutual trust. I had the skills to get deep enough to take a dramatic photo, yet I knew enough about the culture to stay out of the way and not interfere with the dive. You can\u2019t ask your model for one more take during an international competition, so I learned to get it right the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I took my first digital underwater photos in 2001, so if you began shooting in 2002, I\u2019m guessing you never shot film.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s true. I began my underwater photography using a Nikon Coolpix digital camera. The digital files weren\u2019t too bad, but the shutter lag was horrible. You had to press the shutter release and anticipate where your subject would be when the camera took the shot. I moved to Canon digital cameras for better-quality files, more lens options, and an improved shutter. Cameras continued to improve among all manufacturers, and by 2016 I had switched back to Nikon and eventually became one of their ambassadors. I had been shooting a Nikon D810 but have upgraded to a Nikon Z 7II in an effort to have a smaller and more streamlined in-water footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Le cachalot est l'animal des superlatifs : Il est le plus grand pr\u00e9dateur \u00e0 dents de la plan\u00e8te, il \u00e9met le son le plus fort du r\u00e8gne animal (environ 200 d\u00e9cibels sous l'eau) et il poss\u00e8de le plus grand cerveau de tous les \u00eatres vivants. Ils sont intelligents, s'expriment bien et sont sociables. Il est vraiment \u00e9poustouflant de plonger en apn\u00e9e avec eux et d'\u00eatre accept\u00e9 par le groupe pendant parfois plusieurs heures d'affil\u00e9e.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Vous semblez maintenant vous int\u00e9resser aux grands animaux, souvent avec des apn\u00e9istes, mais en mettant l'accent sur la m\u00e9gafaune marine charismatique.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always loved being with big animals, but freediving is very much a team sport. We all know the risks of shallow-water blackout, so we travel and dive together. It is important to be a good safety role model, and even today I might drop down to 200 feet for a photo opportunity, so we rely on the security that comes from watching each other\u2019s backs. Our safety protocols are always in place, even if it is a relatively shallow dive to photograph sleeping sperm whales. Since two or more of us are always in the water, I can place a freediver near the marine life. It provides scale and human interest, and my buddies want to be next to big critters anyway. I have the benefit of being there to get the shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The diversity of your subject matter \u2014 great whites, tiger sharks, mantas, whale sharks, sperm whales, and even belugas \u2014 gives a sense of how geographically committed you are. Since you can travel lightly without strobes and scuba gear, do you feel that contributes to a minimalistic approach?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is how I travel and how I live. I am very minimalistic. I live in the Azores so I can be near the sea. When conditions are right, I can grab my camera, quickly jump on a boat, and find myself in the water with blue sharks, mobula rays, or whatever else is out there. You never know what kind of encounter you might have, and interacting with it all is the great joy of my life. But my travel isn\u2019t random. I have an idea of what to shoot and where to go to succeed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

En 2007, par exemple, je voulais prendre des photos de grands requins blancs en eau claire. Mark Addison a eu la chance de plonger en apn\u00e9e avec des requins dans l'oc\u00e9an Indien, au large de la c\u00f4te est de l'Afrique du Sud. Il avait d\u00e9couvert que si l'on attendait que l'eau chaude et claire arrive par les pinacles, on pouvait rencontrer des grands requins blancs. Nager sans cage \u00e9tait rare \u00e0 l'\u00e9poque, mais Mark l'avait souvent fait et m'a fait comprendre que c'\u00e9tait possible. Cette exp\u00e9rience magique m'a permis de mieux comprendre le comportement des requins. Cette ann\u00e9e-l\u00e0, mes photos d'apn\u00e9istes nageant paisiblement aux c\u00f4t\u00e9s d'\u00e9normes requins tigres en Afrique du Sud ont \u00e9t\u00e9 largement diffus\u00e9es et sont devenues mes premi\u00e8res images virales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of my other work in conservation circles happened because freedivers can do things that are impossible on scuba or rebreathers because they are too cumbersome and intimidating to the animals. We attached acoustic tags for tracking migration to scalloped hammerhead sharks in Rangiroa, Tahiti, along the Eastern Pacific Corridor (the Gal\u00e1pagos, Cocos, and Malpelo), and to great whites off Guadalupe Island in Mexico. Our unobtrusive presence made us valuable underwater assistants to the shark researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Votre appareil photo principal est le Nikon Z 7II sans miroir, qui est moins r\u00e9sistant \u00e0 l'eau. Trouvez-vous cette caract\u00e9ristique importante ?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My equipment evolution is always for size and efficiency. When I travel I have one checked bag with my clothes, fins, mask, snorkel, and wetsuit. My carry-on backpack contains one camera and housing, a spare camera body, and two or three lenses. I don\u2019t need strobes or macro lenses. For me, it is all wide-angle, available light, and one breath of air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En parlant d'une seule respiration, devez-vous vous entra\u00eener en permanence pour rester au top de votre efficacit\u00e9 en apn\u00e9e ?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I haven\u2019t trained for freediving since 2004, when I quit competing. It is about having a healthy lifestyle. I swim quite often, ride my bike, and pay attention to what I eat. Stretching helps me quite a bit, and I have a rowing machine for when the weather is bad. Honestly, I\u2019d rather work in my garden or take a nice walk every day. I\u2019m fortunate that I can still accomplish the work I want to do, and I look forward to the next grand adventure!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See more of Buyle\u2019s work at<\/em> nektos.net<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En savoir plus<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

See more of Fred Buyle\u2019s work in a bonus photo gallery and in the videos below.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a9 FRED BUYLE<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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