Thibault Roland
Brooklyn Bridge
Born in France in 1981, Thibault Roland is a black and white fine art photographer.
He grew up with a love of science, eventually obtaining his PhD in Physics in 2009. His scientific research brought him to work in the United States at both Cornell and Harvard Universities where he investigated the mechanics of DNA.
A large portion of Thibault’s studies and subsequent work as a scientist focused on optics and microscopy. His art has always been tied to his scientific background. At the beginning of his photographic journey, he started much like the entomologist and botanist by capturing the vibrant colors of macrophotography.
Very soon he started integrating scientific notions in his imagery, such as the Theory of General Relativity, which predicts that time and distance are relative and depend on the location and point of view. It is why he has a special affinity for long exposure, which allows for the contraction or dilatation of time and moving objects. Another example of him marrying science and photography shows in his use of the tilt/shift technique. By introducing blur in a highly controlled way and keeping only his main subject sharp, he recreates the Heisenberg’s principle that predicts that location and speed cannot both be known precisely. Thibault is also a machinist and experimentalist who loves to tinker with equipment, modify and create cameras in order to obtain unique looks.
Using his scientific and highly technical background as a source for his inspiration and vision, he now creates very graphical work that relies on rigorous attention to the details, from the elaboration of the images all the way to the delivery of his archival limited-edition prints.
For the last few years, his work has been supported by Sony through their Artisans of Imagery Program. Thibault also teaches his craft for local photography groups as well as stores such as B&H, and leads workshops in the United States and France.
His fine art photographs have been shown, published and awarded internationally and are included in public and private collections such as at the Boston Athenaeum. He has been published internationally by Lenswork (USA), Chasseur d'Images (Fr), Landscape Photography Magazine (UK), Adore Noir Magazine (US), The Municipal Art Society of New York (US)...
Currently, Thibault lives in Portland, OR.