W
hen grown children fly the nest, it’s time to reap the rewards of a well-run professional life and reconnect with one’s passions. That’s exactly what this nature- and photography-loving native of Haute-Marne is doing, making the most of a busy semi-retirement! Africa, Spitsbergen, and more recently Chile… In just a few years, Philippe Houpert has already fulfilled many dreams, and has no intention of stopping there!
At 25, Philippe Houpert discovered scuba diving and, with it, the wonders hidden beneath the surface of the water. Lace-like gorgonian fans swaying with the currents, clouds of multishaped, multicolored fish, and that deep blue that seems as infinite and unfathomable as the sky above… “Faced with so much beauty, I very quickly wanted to share my discoveries, and that’s how I got into photography,” Philippe recalls. At the time, the young man equipped himself with film cameras to travel the world’s seas and capture their magic. One life chapter later — the time it took to raise his daughters with his wife and build a small empire dedicated to appliance repair — Philippe is back on the trails of the world!
Digital has replaced the good old rolls of film, but the passion remains intact.
And when the time came to ease off professionally, Philippe rediscovered his contemplative wanderer’s instincts and equipped himself with new digital cameras, which he learned to master under the guidance of photographer Christophe Courteau, who soon began accompanying some of Etendues Sauvages‘s journeys. Liking nothing better than finding himself alone, or nearly so, in nature — a face-to-face encounter with the wild world that he considers “essential to the (proper) functioning of the mind” — Philippe values how the agency organizes its safaris and journeys: “always in small groups of 5 to 7 people at most, and itineraries designed by and for nature lovers,” he explains, adding, “the guarantee of sharing rare moments with people who share the same passion as you.”
Over the course of about ten years, Philippe returned to one of his favorite destinations, South Africa, and discovered many other horizons: Botswana and the magic of the Okavango Delta, Spitsbergen and its polar bears, Namibia and its intoxicating landscapes, Zimbabwe and its largely fulfilled promises… “I have an epic memory of this little-known gem of southern Africa, where we tracked a group of elephants on foot and then photographed them, lying on the ground while the pachyderms went about their business less than 3 meters away from us!”
More recently, again alongside Christophe Courteau, Philippe tracked puma in Torres del Paine National Park, in Chile: “we were lucky enough to spot it on many occasions,” he says, still enthusiastic. Rare, memorable moments punctuated a 3-week itinerary that, from the lunar illusions of the Atacama Desert to the icy beauty of Patagonia, left out none of Chile’s treasures. Still immersed in these striking images, Philippe has just published the photographs from this latest adventure on his website. In the introduction, he explains his reasons for sharing them: “to help preserve a future under threat, through images that provoke doubt, that provoke reflection, that provoke hope.” A philosophy that aligns with that of Etendues Sauvages and sustains the lasting bond between the agency and its clients.
His next escape? “It will be Africa again, in October, with my wife and daughters — I want them to discover Kenya, the birthplace of the safari.”
Philippe also mentions a fine adventure planned for 2017, booked two years in advance (“spots are so rare and expensive!”) in Hudson Bay, the Canadian realm of the last polar bears.
See more of Philippe Houpert’s images on his website:
http://www.photo-philippe-houpert.com/
