Underground Symphony

Philippe has been practising photography since he was a child. He has had a career as a hydrogeologist, which has made him aware of the need to protect nature and groundwater in particular. Annie, his wife, is a teacher of English by profession. She shares the same passion for the world of caves and takes part in all the photographic sessions as a model and assistant. They have been exploring the most beautiful caves in France and around the world for years, some of which – highly protected and with limited access – offer a rare spectacle that very few people have the chance to see. Their goal is to reveal the hidden beauties of this obscure world thanks to images that make people dream.

This book brings together in eight thematic chapters a large number of photographs supplemented by explanatory texts. It is the result of an ongoing collaboration between the two authors who give us here their personal interpretation of the natural symphony offered by the immense diversity of the underground world.

Sommaire

Préfaces / Prefaces
Avant-propos / Foreword

Introduction / Introduction

La formation des cavités / How caves form
Photographie souterraine / Underground photography
Quitter le jour / Leaving daylight behind
Retour à la matrice / Back to the rock womb
Sur les traces de l’eau / Chasing the water
Décorations d’intérieur / Interior decorations
Belles de nuit / Night beauties
Plongées dans l’insolite / A trip into the unusual
Infidélités au calcaire / Far away from limestone
Rencontres et clins d’œil / Fauna and fun