People

Fred Tougas X ROWSE

Wandering through the spring fog

Words and Photography by Fred Tougas
Based in Montreal, photographer Fred Tougas has a penchant for nature that goes beyond aesthetic beauty. He can walk for hours, alone, waiting for something to speak to him. He seeks an intimate connection, the faint light emanating from the shadows.
Fred Tougas X ROWSE
People

Fred Tougas X ROWSE

Wandering through the spring fog

Words and Photography by Fred Tougas
Fred Tougas X ROWSE
Based in Montreal, photographer Fred Tougas has a penchant for nature that goes beyond aesthetic beauty. He can walk for hours, alone, waiting for something to speak to him. He seeks an intimate connection, the faint light emanating from the shadows.
A thick fog had set early that morning of an already rainy April. The atmosphere was almost too heavy to bear, but already I knew I was going to enjoy myself very, very much. I had been wandering on my own for a little more than a week then. Spending these moments alone was the only way I found to truly connect to my immediate environment, and it still is. It enables me to reach a certain level of mindfulness towards my surroundings, bringing with it a more receptive and sensible state of mind. With two film cameras that I knew would ensure a slow pace, I left for the day, knowing I’d spend aimless hours waiting for something to speak back to me, like I usually do.
I’ve come to a point where I find it most difficult to photograph landscapes just for the sake of it, no matter how impressive or beautiful they are. I need to find a connection that goes beyond purely aesthetic matters. I am looking to find myself in them. I look for subtle beauty. I look for the faint light emanating from the shadows, towards which I am inextricably drawn to, it seems. I seek the imperfect, the damaged, the not so easy to love. Something that you need to learn to love, maybe you love longer. Maybe it becomes a part of you.
Then, a photograph about nature becomes a photograph about emotions and your relation to it. It becomes a personal vision. Wandering in that forest, I had gone into an exploration of my inner self through a contemplation of my relation to nature. And I found precisely what I wanted. They were fleeting moments of beauty in what seemed timeless.
Seeing the images I came back with, this interpretation I made of the place and what caught my attention, what does it say about how I felt and what was going through my mind at the time? And if in some way you, the viewer, feel moved by these images, what does it say about you? A thick fog had set early that morning and it didn’t mean to dissipate any time soon, as I would eventually come to understand. But I could see clearly.
Image 1
Image 2
Image 1
Image 2
Image 1
Image 1
Image 1
Image 2
More Stories
Travel Guide: Mexico
Places
Travel Guide: Mexico

The charm of the megalopolis

Mexico City is definitely one of the most inspiring places in the world for art, architecture, markets and food-lovers. A vibrant megalopolis where past, present and future converge allowing for...

Natural Actives: Pre & Probiotics
Inside ROWSE
Natural Actives: Pre & Probiotics

Balance and calm

Kimbra Audrey x ROWSE
People
Kimbra Audrey x ROWSE

Women who make their mark

Constantly learning and exploring what femininity looks like and feels like to her, artist Kimbra Audrey uses self-portrait photography to explore her emotions and connect with her inner, honest self.

New store in Madrid
Inside ROWSE
New store in Madrid

Our new space is officially opened

Engage with your senses from the moment you walk in. Devised by interior designer Isern Serra, ROWSE first store stands out a Mediterranean-inspired wellness retreat in the heart of Madrid’s...