Photography and fieldwork
Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy
Geographer at CNRS (Prodig)
“The most interesting part of the natural world are the edges, places where ocean meets land, meadow meets forest, timberline touches the heights. These geographical edges excite scientists in much the same way that edges of light fascinate me.”
Galen Rowell
These words from the American landscape photographer Galen Rowell (1940–2002) are as geographical as they are photographic. Photography and geography share an interest in the world, space, people and events, as well as a common engagement with fieldwork: observing, exploring, recording, representing and attempting to understand places and processes. Their affinity is perhaps most evident in their attention to landscapes and spatial relationships.
Looking and seeing are therefore central to both practices. The photographer and the geographer share an observational discipline and a trained eye, although each brings different methods and purposes to what is observed. Photography can consequently be more than an illustration of geographical research: it can form part of the process through which landscapes, practices and spatial relationships are perceived, documented and interpreted.
The photographic series below are directly related to my geographical research and fieldwork.
ENG: Cannabis cultivation in Morocco in 2019.
FR: Culture de cannabis au Maroc en 2019.
ENG: Photos of an aerial survey and a forced eradication of opium poppy fields, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
FR: Photos d'une reconnaissance aérienne et de l'éradication forcée de champs de pavot à opium, Chiang Maï, Thaïlande.
ENG: Photos of Papaver somniferum and opium samples held at the French national herbarium in Paris.
FR: Photos de Papaver somniferum et d'échantillons d'opium détenus dans la collection de l'Herbier national du Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, Paris, France.
ENG: Cultivation of hybrid cannabis varieties and products of hashish, extracts and concentrates, in the Rif, Morocco.
FR: Culture de variétés hybrides de cannabis et production de hachich, extraits et concentrés dans le Rif, Maroc.
ENG: Photos of freshly made bhang, an edible preparation of cannabis, traditionally used in food and drink in the Indian subcontinent, Varanasi, India.
FR: Photos dfe bhang frais (préparation à base de cannabis destinée à être mangée ou bue, traditionnellement consommée dans le sous-continent indien), Varanasi, Inde.
ENG: Photos of cannabis cultivation and charas (hashish) making at about 3,000 metres of altitude, Parvati Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India.
FR: Photos de champs de cannabis et de fabrication de charas (haschich) à près de 3000 mètres d’altitude, vallée de la Parvati, Himachal Pradesh, Inde.
ENG: Opium poppy cultivation and production of opium in Arunachal Pradesh, India.
FR: Culture du pavot à opium et production d'opium en Arunachal Pradesh, Inde.
ENG: Photos of cannabis cultivation (kif and hybrids) in the Rif, Morocco.
FR: Photos de la culture du cannabis (kif et hybrides) dans le Rif, Maroc.
ENG: Photos of opium poppy cultivation and opium production in Arunachal Pradesh, India.
FR: Photos de la culture du pavot à opium et de la production d'opium en Arunachal Pradesh, Inde.
ENG: Photos of opium poppies (including fields) in France.
FR: Photos de pavots à opium (dont en plein champ) en France.
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