The artist Eric Tourneret
Known as the great photographer of bees, Éric Tourneret is above all an admirer of nature. Originally from Annecy, he grew up between mountains and lakes. It was by being surrounded by magnificent landscapes that Éric very quickly became aware of the beauty of nature.
In an interview, the artist told us that it all started at the age of 13, during a school trip to Switzerland. He picked up the family camera that was “lying around in a cupboard”, since then this attraction to photography has never left him. It was 2 years later, at the age of 15, that the enthusiast decided to buy his first camera.
In 1982, during his military service, Éric discovered Djibouti, experienced the desert and used photography to keep a memory of this first trip.
7 years later, he became interested in studio photography, he worked with
advertising and fashion photographers. He meets lighting specialists, which allows him to touch on all facets of photography.
Passionate, Eric made a name for himself in this world and began working for the press as a photojournalist. This is how he produced reports and articles for Figaro Magazine, Point de vue, Sciences et Avenir, VSD, Géo and many others. He traveled the world for 15 consecutive years and devoted himself entirely to his passion.
The beginning of in-depth work
In 2004, Eric was affected by the disappearance of bees linked to systemic insecticides. For him, bees refer to his childhood, to spring, to the buzzing when mild temperatures arrived.
This is how he became interested in these small pollinating creatures and began in-depth work on them over a period of 3 years in France. His works were noticed and then exhibited at the Orangerie du Sénat in 2006. A first work was subsequently published in 2007 with the name Le peuple des abeilles.
Work that transcends borders
Involved, Éric Tourneret decided to expand his work internationally to experiment with the human-bee relationship. He studied beekeeping in all its forms, from the most modern and industrialized to the most traditional and atypical possible. He then traveled for 2 years to discover harvesting in the valleys of the Himalayas, in Nepal, harvests carried out at night, in Cameroon, the industrialization of pollination in the United States. He also explored Mexico, Russia, Argentina, New Zealand and Romania. This two-year journey is published in the book Honey Pickers.
The original approach of his photographic work has been recognized and exhibited
in many places.
We were able to see these magnificent works at the Senate again with the autumn exhibition entitled Les routes du miel, at the Festival Photo Peuple & Nature in La Gacilly near Rennes and at the natural history museum in Le Havre.
A photographer turned beekeeper-explorer
Wanting to further his research, Eric sets off to discover beekeeping traditions in Turkey, Germany and Slovenia, Ethiopia, the Omo Valley and many other places...
He discovers species very different from what he knows, such as the giant bees of India, the killer bees of Panama and the stingless bees of Brazil.
This magnificent journey was published in 2015 in one of his greatest books entitled Les Routes du miel.
These many discoveries have given rise to new ideas and new projects for the photographer. He is therefore inspired by the scientist Jürgen Tautz for his new project: The genius of bees. Here, he focuses on the bee itself and dives into the heart of the hive to explore the cognitive abilities and intelligence of the little workers.
To carry out this project, the photographer begins by returning to Argentina in December. The climatic conditions of this country allow him to observe the bees in the warm temperatures of South America. He stays there for 7 weeks and then returns to France, he buys about ten hives and begins the adventure of beekeeping.
This immersion in the hive allowed him to publish The Genius of Bees in 2017.
Interview with Eric Tourneret
We had the pleasure of meeting the artist to discover more in depth the details of his travels and experiences. Here you will discover the photographer's most beautiful memories but also his most atypical experiences.
Unusual and unforgettable journeys
The enthusiast chose the countries he would visit as he made contacts. Knowing a mountain guide in Nepal, he started by going there for the first time in May 2007. However, knowing very little about the harvest periods, the photographer left a little too early. This still allowed him to meet the inhabitants of the village and explore the surrounding area. He was then able to discover the harvests on the cliffs for 3 consecutive days. It was with more resources in his pocket and determined to discover more about this country and its honey harvests that the photographer returned to the same country 1 year later.
One of the most complex things noticed during his travels was to get the right information. Indeed, in most of the countries visited the telephone is not yet popularized, so it is very complicated to get information and to be understood when the spoken language is not the same.
He also had difficulty finding places that were easy to access. In Nepal, for example, he had to fly within the country and then walk for two days before reaching the harvesting area.
Logistical concerns came up very often, it was necessary to pay attention to all the details (frequency of plane flights, frequency of supply trucks passing through, etc.) to determine whether or not it was possible to work.
in this or that area.
Once these barriers are crossed, only incredible memories remain. Eric had the chance to discover the harvest of rhododendron honey, also called immortality honey. It is for this honey that the photographer decided to go to this country in May rather than in September when flowering is less certain (second harvest period).
Eager for new things, he doesn't stop there, he explores the great forest of Africa for 15 days alongside the Pygmies, a people living in the equatorial forest of Congo. He experiences nights in hammocks and meets very gentle bees looking for the salt present on the skin.
Here he discovers the harvests on the 50-metre-high mahogany trees, the self-sufficient life, the daily celebrations in the camps... Moments that the photographer is not likely to forget.
Dangerous situations that the photographer will remember
Bites, inevitable incidents!
“When you have 30 or even 40 injections and you are on a rope… Under adrenaline you don’t feel anything but when you put your foot on the ground, you fall and are practically in anaphylactic shock.” Éric Tourneret
Climbing the cliffs was not easy, it was essential to be well accompanied to be able to react quickly in the event of an accident.
Eric tells us about having experienced difficult times on the cliffs: no more blood in his legs, the harness cutting off blood circulation, the stings of the giant bees preventing the beekeeper from climbing and immobilizing him on the ground...
All these memories, from the best to the most anecdotal, will remain forever engraved in the memory of the amateur beekeeper.
Eric Tourneret, a committed and determined photographer, has transformed his passion into
a real mission, thus exploring the world of bees in all its forms.
Thanks to his experiences, his many travels and his works, he was able to highlight the importance and the difficulty of the beekeeper's profession but also and above all the importance of bees in our ecosystem.
Now it's your turn to taste the work of the bees hidden in our pots of honey .
