I'm Hélène, a French photographer and a graduate of EFET in Paris. After living in Canada, England and France, I eventually settled in French Polynesia, where I now spend most of the year. My work explores the relationship I build with the places I photograph. Every series begins with an encounter rather than a destination. An iconic landscape, a quiet street or a familiar environment can all become the starting point of a project. What interests me is not the place itself, but the way it resonates with me. I never arrive with a story already written. I let each place reveal itself at its own pace and respond to what it inspires in me. Rather than documenting a location, I seek to offer a personal interpretation of it. My images are shaped by the encounter between a place and my own perception, where reality, memory and imagination naturally come together. I'm interested in revealing the atmosphere that emerges through my relationship with a place.

Alongside my artistic practice, I pioneered the use of drones in destination wedding photography. My aerial imagery helped redefine the visual language of the genre and led DJI to travel to French Polynesia to produce a film about my work and artistic vision. Painting is another part of my artistic practice, and some of my photographs have been published as book covers. Whether I use a camera or a brush, I'm always trying to give form to the same inner vision.

www.heleneharvard.com