Glitches - A fine art photography series between landscape and abstraction
Each photograph in the Glitches series is composed using in-camera multiple exposures, creating slight visual shifts between frames. The subjects remain recognizable, but rhythm, repetition or density alter the way each scene is perceived. The final image feels both familiar and transformed, like a landscape seen from a new perspective.
Coastal lines and reliefs
The first photographs in this series were taken in August 2021 in the Bay of Nafplio, within the Argolic Gulf in Greece. At that time, major wildfires were affecting other regions of the country. Smoke spread over the hills and floated above the sea, softening detail and reducing contrast across the landscape.
This atmospheric haze provided favorable conditions for overlay work: diffused light, low contrast, and smoothed volumes. These visual elements, combined with carefully considered framing, allowed the coastal lines to be recomposed through gentle repetition and slight shifts in alignment.
The final rendering is in neutral grayscale. The images are not intended to be stylized, but to convey a visual mood made possible by specific weather conditions.
Click on any image below to view it in full screen.
Fine art prints of these photographs are available in a limited edition of 12 copies on the gallery Une image pour rêver.
Other layered landscapes
Alongside the regional series, several photographs in the Glitches collection explore more isolated landscapes, each captured in a different context. These stand-alone images are not part of a coherent geographic set but extend the experimental approach of overlay and compositional transformation.
Subjects include hills and rocky formations in Namibia’s Namib Naukluft Desert, their outlines sharpened by low-angle sunlight. Other images depict the Hattah dunes in Dubai, karst mountains in Ha Long Bay shrouded in mist, the Los Angeles skyline barely visible through summer haze, and the Al Ruman mountains in the Emirate of Fujairah, overlooking the Gulf of Oman.
Each location offers a unique visual interpretation shaped by light, contrast and topography. These are not documentary images, but fragmented visions of reality, recomposed through repetition and deliberate framing.
Trees, repetition and visual patterns
The tree photographs follow two complementary approaches. Some images feature one, two or three trees photographed in winter, with slight framing shifts between exposures. Each trunk remains clearly identifiable, and the overlay creates a subtle graphical drift, especially in the branches. The simplicity of the subject, isolated on a pale horizon, allows the viewer to read the composition’s internal rhythm directly.
Other compositions focus on groups of aligned leafy trees. Here, the repetition of trunks and the dense canopy create continuous dark masses, forming compact organic shapes. The result can evoke movement or tension, sometimes likened to a millipede, a caterpillar or a floating brow.
Framing, spacing and camera-based offset are used to define the visual cadence without adding or removing any elements.
Creation and processing
The Glitches photographs are created using in-camera multiple exposure, generally consisting of three successive shots. The camera allows previous exposures to be displayed in the viewfinder, helping to compose a precise yet subtly shifted overlay.
Post-processing is targeted. The images retain a realistic base, presented in neutral grayscale. Contrast is adjusted individually, from very soft tonal ranges to deep blacks, depending on the subject’s density and the visual structure sought. Clarity may be enhanced locally to emphasize texture or balance tonal masses.
The final rendering depends on the original lighting, the subject’s graphic properties, and the selective adjustments made throughout the workflow.
About the Author
Sebastien Desnoulez is a professional photographer specializing in architecture, landscape and travel photography. Trained in photography in the mid-1980s, he covered Formula 1 races and reported from around the globe before devoting himself to a more demanding fine art photography practice blending composition, light and emotion. He also shares his technical expertise through hands-on articles for passionate photographers, built on a solid background in both film and digital photography.
All the photos displayed on this website are copyright protected © Sebastien Desnoulez. No use allowed without written authorization.
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