Honorable Mention / 2022 / Architecture / Historic

• Photographer
  Patrick Ems, Switzerland
• Studio
  Visual Decadence
• Website
  http://www.visual-decadence.com/
• Instagram
  https://www.instagram.com/patrickemsphotography/

At the very edge of Finistère (France), in the Iroise Sea, a handful of lighthouses brave the Atlantic winter storms. For over a century, wind and waves have burst and whipped against the ancient walls in a constant battle between nature and the man-made. The life of a lighthouse keeper in such a remote place, in the middle of the sea, full of deafening noise and perpetual dampness is put to such a test, that these lighthouses are called "Les enfers" (The hells). "Les enfers" shall be more than a series, it is a tribute to all those, who have dedicated their lives to these lighthouses.

When the world of photography captured my heart, it changed the way I perceived the world. I realised that experiences in life and the emotions we feel can be captured in a moment to live on forever in a photograph. Chased by emotions and haste, I felt like a child exploring an unknown world; there was no plan of where this journey would take me.

“Photography, a love affair transforming moments into eternal journeys” [Patrick Ems]