Rangefinder Magazine
December 2001/Features

Profile: Robert Gernot by Linda L. May
Photographing His Passions

Robert Gernot, Master Photographic Craftsman, Brest, France, is a successful industrial photographer. His clientele is varied, ranging from shipbuilders to official appraisers, including such companies as: SDMO, a European leader in generating sets; Germicopa, a leader in creating new strains of potatoes; Transocean Sedco Forex, a company specializing in oil rigs; and many others. However, his personal passion right now is photographing sprouting potatoes. Gernot’s potato interest began ten years ago after he shot a commercial job for a food client and left potatoes sitting around the studio so long that they began to sprout. This phenomenon of nature fascinated Gernot, so he decided to photograph the potatoes.

“This form of vegetal self-expression, which probably goes unnoticed by most agricultural professionals, inspired me to express this phenomenon visually, in photographs,” Robert Gernot says. “The life force contained in each tuber is considerable, and moreover, it is expressed in an elegant, graphic, surprising fashion. The energy hidden in a potato speaks to us about the life in plants, as if the tuber had an imperative need, by whatever means necessary, to procreate so as to survive.

Working all by itself—no water; no nutrients; and no light, it pulses within itself to proliferate, to manifest its exuberance, and finally to empty itself of vital substance to produce new tubers. What a lesson in life! I let my imagination run free, and the potatoes transform themselves into strange creatures. I have always marveled at the plant kingdom, and the extreme conditions under which my potatoes expressed themselves reinforced my grand curiosity about life.”

Gernot’s interest in sprouting potatoes comes from “an aesthetic, graphic, and philosophical point of view,” he says. Thirty-three potato sprouting images are currently being exhibited in several galleries in France, including Dumont, Brittany, and Montdidier, the town where Parmentier, who introduced potatoes to the world in 1780, was born. It took Gernot almost a year to capture 100 photographs because his progress depended upon the biological rhythm of the potatoes. From these 100 images, he chose the best 33 to exhibit. All the images were shot on Kodak Ektachrome 100 transparency film, scanned, and digitally enhanced.

“Lighting was of primal importance, to enhance the beauty of the sprouts. Because they are symbols of life, these sprouts had to be luminous. Backlighting was important, especially for the aerial parts of the sprouts. A Broncolor Megalite kept the sprouts from becoming dark shadows. Broncolor Pulso 1600J or 3200J flash heads, with reflectors and honeycomb grids, were strategically placed around the potato tubers. Broncolor Pulso A4 and Opus A4 power packs were used to control the intensity of each light.”

Mordancages, a chemical process used for etching black and white prints, is another of Gernot’s personal passions. J. P. Sudre taught him mordanting, which, under certain conditions, eats away the gelatin on the negatives, resulting in artistic, graphic creations. “Traditions of the Pig,”a large-format, exhibit was done in this process and very well-received by the public.

“I photographed the tradition of the pig—or the tradition of family. Today most pigs are raised in large breeding farms. Before 1980, many people in rural areas raised one pig per year for personal consumption. As with many rites and traditions, that knowledge was going to disappear forever. I wanted to bequeath this ethological wealth in photographs. “The Traditions of the Pig” exhibit was very popular in Brittany, because it explains the important developments in pig breeding industry in Brittany since 1960,” Gernot says.

In 1963, Gernot became interested in photography while on active duty in the French Navy, stationed in Tahiti. Because of the exotic beauty of the landscape and the inhabitants, he just had to photograph it. In 1972, he established his industrial photography studio, and has been successful ever since. Being an industrial photographer in no way limits his eclecticism, nor stifles his creativity.

His spacious studio is operated by his wife, Monique, who attends to the archives and keeps in touch with clients; a secretary, Francoise, who also does digital imaging work; and Gernot, who is the only photographer. He shoots as much outdoors on location as he does in the studio.

Gernot uses Sinar p 4X5 view cameras, often with a 6x7 film back. His favorite lens is a 240–360mm telephoto zoom, which he used exclusively for his potato sprouting images.

He uses Broncolor lighting equipment exclusively, and owns several Pulso A4 and Opus 4 power packs, with matching flash heads. A Broncolor Megalite on a traveling crane, operated by a Broncolor remote control system; several hazylights; and many accessories, round-out his lighting gear collection. The studio also has a 6x6x6-meter cyclo space.

A Foba camera stand, equipped with a column, facilitates studio shots because it moves both vertically and horizontally.

As for film, Gernot mainly shoots Kodak, in either Ektachrome E100S, E100SW and E100VS; for color negative film, it’s Kodak Portra 160NC, Portra 400NC and Portra 400VC. Black-and-white film is not used these days. However, in the future, Gernot says he has every intention of going back to shooting black-and-white work.

He also plans to start teaching training courses in lighting, black and white print toning, and mordance techniques. He says he will “never stop shooting!”

“My business goals are clearly defined. My personal and professional work are closely linked. Maybe we change less rapidly than in the advertising world, but we are well-aware that shooting good commercial work is essential. My commercial photography career has perhaps helped me develop my private work and find a kind of personal balance. Photographers must convey emotion with whatever techniques are at their disposal. Commercial work is somewhat different. Clients demand a rigorous technical approach, complete with the mastery of lighting,” Gernot concludes.

Readers may contact Robert Gernot via e-mail at: robert.gernot@wanadoo.fr; or view his website at: www.studio29.fr.

Linda L. May is a freelance writer based in the Midwest.