Claire Droppert’s Gravity Sand Creatures Were Created In Camera

Last Updated on 08/20/2015 by Chris Gampat

All images by Claire Droppert. Used with permission.

Photographer Claire Droppert was born in 1977, in the Hook Of Holland, The Netherlands. She currently lives and works in Rotterdam as a freelance designer/photographer, making conceptual artwork for clients, as well as personal projects. “In my work, I’m inspired by the combination of simplicity, exceptional visions and new techniques, with a subtle minimalistic approach.” says Claire.

So when we stumbled upon her project “Gravity Sand Creatures” on Behance, we instantly fell in love with it.

What’s even more amazing about Gravity Sand Creatures is that the images were all created in camera after Claire developed a system that worked for her. The inspiration came from her daughter playing in the sand. Claire did the same and started to see creatures appear when she threw the sand in specific ways. So by using a remote control with her camera, she was able to create these awesome

We talked to Claire more about the project.

Phoblographer: Talk to us about how you got into photography.

Claire: After studying Graphic Design in Rotterdam, I worked for several communication agencies as a graphic designer. It is my passion for photography that took me to another stage in my career. Beside my regular activities as a graphic designer, I also became more specialised as a photographer. As a result of this I found that I love the challenge of merging these two disciplines together to create interesting images.

Phoblographer: What made you get into conceptual images like these?

Claire: Photography is a constant process, that evolves over time. I love to create images in a unique way. I like to compose an image, that we might not always see at first glance. Trying out new techniques and then combining those with subjects you might not always think of, have always been part an integral part of my process.

Phoblographer: How did you go about actually creating the photos? Was there off-camera lighting involved and how many trials were made to create the photos?

Claire: I went to the beach on different days to get various shots of the skies. I then shot the photo’s with a tripod and used a remote. I then shovelled the beach sand and threw it into the air, in order to create the sand creatures. I did have many attempts at this difficult process, since I didn’t always get the results I wanted. Especially at first. It was steep learning learning curve and involved a great deal of experimenting, but I eventually found a system that worked for me.

Phoblographer: What gave you the creative inspiration to create these images?

Claire: One summer’s day my daughter was playing in the sand at our local beach. I saw her kicking sand up in the air and as it caught the sunlight, the visual created was quite inspirational. Then in my shooting process, I began to see shapes of creatures, which eventually formed the basis of my work.

Phoblographer: Every artist creates art out of expression. What were you trying to express?

Claire: I want to simply create an appreciation of what we have all around us. Celebrate the moment and the natural world. It is important for us to look closely at the beauty of our surroundings.