Christian Février
The Sea Eye

A film by Nicolas Raynaud | 2014

France
fr
en
51'

Christian Février｜The Sea Eye

Trailer

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Synopsis

This documentary by Nicolas Raynaud brings to light a rarely highlighted yet compelling subject: nautical photography. It explores the prolific career of French photographer Christian Février, who spent nearly fifty years navigating international waters, capturing images of the sea, sailors, and boats. He developed a particular fascination for multihulls — boats with multiple hulls like catamarans and trimarans — and documented some of the most iconic among them in now-legendary races. He also followed the great names of sailing throughout their journeys, becoming, in a way, a historian of yachting. With his white beard, twinkling eyes, and warm, mellow voice, Christian Février speaks to us from inside his home in Vannes, Brittany, sharing the story and secrets of a little-known yet fascinating profession.

What you will find in this film

A sailor photographer or a photographer sailor • a yachting chronicler • fifty years of sailing history through the lens • an important editorial work • the technical subtleties of photographing the sea

Keywords

Photography Careers Nature & Landscape Analogue Photography History of Photography

The framing makes all the difference. You have to eliminate everything that isn’t important in the picture. A photograph gains its strength when there is nothing left to remove.

Christian Février Photographer & sailing historian

You need the light. Without good light, nothing works. The photographer’s technique comes last.

Christian Février Photographer & sailing historian

I truly respect what I photograph. I have no desire whatsoever to tamper with a picture, to boost the contrast or add a special grain. I have enormous respect for photography, which must convey the photographer’s emotion in front of what they saw.

Christian Février Photographer & sailing historian

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The authors/artists

Christian Février

Nicolas Raynaud

Further exploration

Collectif ; CENT ANS DE VOILES ; Gallimard ; 1981

Christian Février ; LA ROUTE DU RHUM 82 ; Gallimard ; 1983

Fuji Velvia film, Canon F1, lenses: 17mm, 24mm, 20-35 zoom, a 50mm macro for close-ups of fittings, 80mm, an 80-200 zoom, my precious 300mm, coupled with a 1.4x multiplier, then a 100-400 zoom and finally the incomparable 600mm

The website of Voiles and Voiliers