Welcome
for lovers of pictures, beauty, emotions, and meaning!
For the twelfth edition, 50 exhibitors and more than 600 images brought together in one place: the ILE de RE, a land of sharing and emotions!
La Scala - G. Uféras
Bolshoi - G.Uféras
The ILE DE RE PHOTO 2026 Festival, an international island festival, is dedicated to the medium of photography.
It will present its twelfth edition from June 27 to July 9, 2026, featuring a major exhibition in the Bois-Plage village hall , in the center of the island.
A unavoidable event for enthusiasts, professionals, artists, and lovers of photographic art, the ILE DE RE PHOTO Festival emphasizes diversity and the quality of the artists and works presented. It offers the public an ambitious program with free admission.
Featuring some fifty photographers, the Festival will be held at Bois-plage across 850 square meters, presenting a comprehensive overview of large- and medium-format photographs, books by both recent and established artists, and contemporary works.
The ILE DE RE PHOTO Festival invites a wide audience to discover artistic photography or deepen their knowledge through exhibitions, book signings, events, lectures, workshops led by the artists, and discussions moderated by the photographers, who will be present throughout the Festival.
Born out of the enthusiastic energy of a small group of photographers from Île de Ré, the program for the ILE DE RE PHOTO Festival has been enriched thanks to the support and participation of our public and private partners on the island, to whom we extend our heartfelt thanks.
More than ever, this 2026 edition highlights the artists and builds a bridge with the great names of French photography, pillars of our visual culture.
Our guest of honor: Gérard UFERAS
https://www.facebook.com/gerard.uferas.5
https://www.instagram.com/gerarduferas/
Gérard Uféras is renowned for his photographs of human moments, grace, and beauty.
He is honoring us by participating this year in our fledgling ILE DE RE PHOTO 2026 Festival.
Richard Merlet
President of the Ile de Ré Photo Club
Organizer of the ILE DE RE PHOTO 2026 Festival
Biography of Gérard UFERAS, our guest of honor for 2026
Born in Paris in 1954, Gérard Uféras is a French photographer. Photography was a calling he discovered at an early age: as soon as he was eight years old, the young boy began using the cameras his father collected. At age eleven, accompanied by his two best friends, he decided to explore Paris through its museums. This two-year journey marked the beginning of a passion for art that would never leave him and would inform all his work. Beginning in 1984, he began a regular collaboration with the newspaper Libération, for which he produced numerous photo-reportage and which organized his first exhibition. He subsequently published regularly in the French and international press. In 1986, he helped found the VU’ agency, an agency for independent photographers, and then joined the Rapho agency in 1993, where he met Willy Ronis, one of his earliest influences alongside Henri Cartier-Bresson and André Kertész. He formed a deep friendship with the great humanist photographer. A music lover and a fan of theater and opera, he devotes himself to his passions through long-term projects that result in books and exhibitions, such as *A Phantom at the Opera* on Europe’s greatest opera houses, or *A Step Toward the Stars* on the Paris Opera Ballet.
In 2011, this work earned him an invitation to Moscow from the legendary Bolshoi Theatre, which gave him carte blanche—as it did to his peers Sarah Moon and Peter Lindbergh—to celebrate its reopening after six years of renovations. The previous year, his exhibition *Paris d’Amour*, held at the City Hall in the capital, had welcomed more than 60,000 visitors. Having won numerous awards and been regularly exhibited at prestigious venues in France and abroad, such as the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, Gérard Uféras’s works are featured in many private and public collections. In 2023, he was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, and his entire body of work was added to the collections of the Médiathèque du Patrimoine et de la Photographie (MPP), which preserves the French government’s photographic heritage. Imbued with culture, always sensitive, and characterized by rigorous formal composition, his photos possess a knowing generosity that avoids mockery or cynicism. Uféras never cheats, much like his friend Willy Ronis, who wrote of his work: “We’d like to use a very strong word, but we don’t dare, so we say that we are in the presence of the great mystery called Grace.”
SOME PHOTOGRAPHS OF OUR GUESTS
 Jean ABALLEAThis video game enthusiast blends reality and imagination, creating scenes where fantasy emerges from an imagined otherworld. This series takes us into his dreams and invites us on a journey through characters born from The Legend of Zelda. |  Sylvain BABAUDThis photographer specializes in traditional processes. He combines the technical skill and expertise of photographic alchemists and can spend up to a week creating a single image using very long exposures. He is one of those artisan-artists for whom the process matters as much as the result—a stance that is completely at odds with the spirit of the times. |  Gladys BARREGladys loves people. In the grand humanist tradition, she presents scenes from the street, where everyday life serves as the backdrop for the characters, captured in poses full of humor and poetry! |  Dominique BEAUFREREWith a highly stylized, formal aesthetic, this photographer transforms mechanical parts into works of art, using graphics and color to surprise and delight us! |  Christian BEUVARDWith its icy mists and vast white expanses, Christian transports us into the world of London and Curwood, where the climate shapes people and animals in a constant struggle against the wild… |
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 Hubert BONINThis series transforms a simple glass into a veritable totem of light and time. The glass becomes a presence, a character; the hand, transmission, shadows and light, doubt and revelation; the glass sometimes full, sometimes empty, abundance and lack, desire and renunciation. Hubert, in his silent meditation, turns the glass into a solitary, almost human figure—transparent and vulnerable—seeking its place in the light. |  Michel BOUCHERETMichel has chosen to celebrate feminine beauty and grace, while adding a touch of eroticism and provocation, all under the guise of virtue… |  Marie Françoise BOUFFLETMen need toys; they need to show off their skills and impress their friends. In a confined space like a boat, games and acrobatics are more difficult. The photographer still managed to capture this playful moment, creating a sense of visual appeal and movement! |  Françoise CAILLAULTWhether it’s a fantasy or a waking dream, this passionate and highly active photographer leads us astray and makes us question things. It’s up to us to decipher her message—or to make one up! |  Bernard COLLINLike Matisse, this landscape photographer has focused on the intense blue he captured in Morocco. This color is often associated with a blend of tradition, aesthetics, and symbolism. As a visual hallmark of certain places, it is frequently linked to water, serenity, and spirituality. In some traditions, it can represent the divine presence. |
 Justine DARMONTChildhood memories shape who we are and fade over the years, magnifying the joys and softening the sorrows. Justine shares a few of these fragments with us through the magic of photography, the only medium capable of immortalizing our entire lives. |  Régis DENELLEThis report from Vietnam conveys deep admiration for the work of women. Regis shows that, a quarter of the way into the 21st century, in many countries around the world, in addition to motherhood and raising children, these women must demonstrate courage, self-sacrifice, and resilience on a daily basis, and keep their heads down, as they often lack the right to vote. This reminder from Regis Denelle should inspire the utmost respect in all those who travel through these regions! |  Jean-Jacques FLASHMemory markers: In a single image, Jean-Jacques Flash brings together a place, an object, and an emotion that come together to form a meaningful whole, evoking an entire adventure—whether imagined or lived… |  Danielle FOURCHAUDWith a subtle blend of colors and graphics, Daniel oscillates between reality and his interpretation of it. He reimagines it in a highly contemporary, geometric style, without losing sight of the human element that has ceased to notice it. |  GILBERT-MIGUET BarryGilbert navigates his everyday surroundings through his own photographic lens, capturing only what moves him or makes him wonder, so that he can share these moments with us and elicit a response. |
 Sylvie GOULLEY BONNINSylvie, herself a musician, mother of musicians, and photographer, moves us with one of the most comprehensive and profound forms of artistic expression. Orchestral music has the power to tell stories without words, to paint inner landscapes, and to evoke the inexpressible. It lifts the spirit by stimulating the imagination and transports us to the pinnacle of human creativity. |  Emma GUIGNARDA young professional photographer, Emma blends visual artistry with inquiry in this work, alternating between closed doors and minimalism. It is up to us to connect the images and the connections within the proposed concept, and to preserve the charm of this delightful interplay. |  Gilbert HEURTELHumanity needs lighthouses… Here, the photographer captures lighthouses in the literal sense, in their beauty where the sea meets the sky, in swirling clouds and deep colors that captivate everyone’s gaze. |  Marc LAMEYThe Joker is the laughter that arises when everything else has lost its meaning. A clown without a circus, shaped by the absurd and fueled by chaos. Every smile is a scar, every joke a threat, morality a farce. Deep down, what makes him terrifying is that he isn’t crazy… just painfully lucid. |  Christian LATREILLEAre we the concrete, temporary manifestation of an eternal spiritual world, or has humanity simply imagined it since the dawn of time? Looking at these images by Christian, the question arises once again! |
 Marc MANGINTo capture the intimacy of human life, Marc believes that purity and a minimalist approach are essential! He captures scenes and people using only a 50mm lens, never crops his shots, and has remained faithful to film photography! Here, he presents a collection taken during his many trips to the Philippines, offering a glimpse into how this small archipelago at the edge of the world has changed over the past 30 years! |  Alain MARLIERIn Ireland, memory permeates the landscape and is woven into the daily lives of the Irish people. This photographic series explores the deep attachment of the Irish to their past—not as a static burden, but as a living presence that connects individuals to their land and anchors the present within a continuum of history. Each image bears witness to a constant dialogue between history and daily life and reminds us that memory in Ireland is a collective, intimate, and political affair all at once. |  Françoise MARTINEZThe Photographer takes us on a stroll through Père Lachaise, the famous Parisian cemetery. Rather than photographing the cemetery’s unique and distinctive statues, she seeks here to visually capture the interiors of the vaults and mausoleums. In the tradition of 19th-century spiritualism, she is interested in the sciences and the invisible, and perhaps poses the universal question: are the deceased still present in spirit, and can we communicate with them? |  Marelia MARTINEZ RIVASThis series could be titled “Superimpositions.” A superimposition of artistic sensibilities between the exhibited works, between reality and the imagination, and between the photographer herself—the creator—and the exhibited images, resulting in a complementary and original body of work… |  Albert MONTANIERA photographer of birds and insects, Albert has turned his entomologist’s eye to sports, particularly to soccer players in action. The result is a tight frame that highlights the action and commitment, amplified by passion and the will to win! |
 Pierre NADLERIn this series, the earth seems to paint itself, as if the colors were springing from a mineral dream in the style of Ernst Haas. Color becomes a language—vibrant, almost musical—revealing the invisible at the heart of matter. These images do not describe Yellowstone; they interpret it, hovering between abstraction and reality, between fire and silence. The textures unfold like imaginary maps, the hues blaze or subside, inviting the gaze to lose itself. |  Pascale PAPEEThis journey to the Far East takes us back to the era of Orientalism (the early 18th and 19th centuries) and reminds us that, far from colonization and war, beauty, the good life, and poetry have endured beyond the clichés and the tourist crowds of today. |  André PASCUALThis artist has focused on recreating the third dimension and using trompe-l'œil techniques in photography (chronophotography). Here, he manages to create the illusion of depth and movement without AI, but through imagination and talent. |  Loïc PETITEAUThis report on the fishermen of the villages of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka reminds us that even today, coordination, skill, courage, and tenacity are essential for survival… Loïc Petiteau won first place in the 2026 French Color Print Cup, organized by the French Photographic Federation, with his photograph “Incendie” |  Guy PIZYThis series explores the idea of a framed gaze, almost constrained by circular forms that evoke the eye or a viewfinder. A dialogue between interior and exterior, between constraints and freedoms, the series is a reflection on perception and questions the way we view the world, caught between limitation and revelation. Each image acts as an isolated window onto the outside world, fragmenting reality into selected moments, with the architecture evoking passages or even symbolic thresholds. |
 Jean PORCHERON“Tear in a teepee” Taken at the Saint Césaire paleosite, this series documents this spacious shelter that protects against both cold and heat, made of poles and bison hides, likely the dwelling of our distant ancestors. Possessing spiritual symbolism, the teepee is always oriented toward the east, the first of the sacred directions, “connection to the great mystery and the beginning of all things.” |  Patrick POTIERThese portraits possess a visual intensity that evokes emotion and prompts reflection on these unsmiling figures, raising questions about their present and past lives. |  Philippe RAOULColors, saturation, density—this photographer captures these elements to create a true delight that he wants to share with us. Through a highly modern approach that blends dual or triple representations, he transports us into his imagination, where beauty gives rise to dreams, a dreamlike quality, and poetry… |  Claude ROUSSILLONMorocco Trophy, 2016. In this photo essay, the photographer celebrates youth, enthusiasm, resourcefulness, and challenge—in a word, adventure… These off-road challenges—on trails filled with sand, dunes, and rocks—are marked by constant surprises, with no control over the weather, the terrain, or the mechanics, making them a personal challenge and an opportunity to push one’s limits. Immersed in extraordinary landscapes, participants experience a unique human adventure that will stay with them f |  Olivier TOURILLONThe grandson of Poseidon, he has been surfing for many years and continues to live out his passion, with his camera never far away, ready to capture a ray of light, a wave, or a reflection. He loves large-format photography, which allows him to fully immerse the viewer in this magical, fluid world—the subject of countless myths. |
 Philippe VAMOURA worthy descendant of the inhabitants of Lascaux or Chauvet, Philippe is fascinated by graffiti and hunts down examples from 2026. He leaves us to imagine a possible connection with our distant ancestors, who are still present somewhere… |  Katherine WIENLANDIn the pale light, their necks trace curved silences, like questions posed to the horizon. A flash of pink hovers between sky and water, and their golden gazes seem to pierce the slumbering dawn. They move forward slowly, in a choreography where each step brushes against the world without ever disturbing it… |  Jean Wolfgang WIESELRusty, sometimes broken, they lie scattered throughout old orchards and vacant lots. Some, a bit frightening, seem ready to pounce at any moment. Others, already overgrown with weeds and brambles, await some unknown fate. As a city dweller, I look at them and wonder what on earth they could have been used for... Once used to tame and subdue nature, nature seems to be taking its revenge today, devouring them, swallowing them up little by little... (JW. Wiesel) |
SPIRIT OF THE FESTIVAL
In homage to the art of photography, this 12th Festival showcases meaningful humanistic photography that brings together talent and bridges the perspectives of fine art photography and photojournalism.
With the ambition of showing the world in all its diversity, the open editorial approach excludes no theme. Thus, photographic expression finds its distinctiveness here, in a spirit of freedom, through the diversity of subject choices and photographic approaches, constantly turned toward others and the world beyond.
In this spirit, the Festival explores different photographic styles through the works of some fifty invited artists. Here, the photographer becomes a chronicler of the enduring and a portraitist of the ephemeral, inviting us on a journey where photography is experienced as a testimony, a work of memory.
More than ever, this 2026 edition highlights the artists and builds a bridge with the great names of French photography, pillars of our visual culture.
ÎLE DE RÉ PHOTO will kick off on Saturday, June 27, 2026, with a major inaugural exhibition spanning 850 square meters in the spacious Bois Plage village hall —a venue designed to be a place of travel and personal stories, a respite where the walls freeze time in images and where the eye is drawn to the photographers’ dedication.
A selection of national photographers will exhibit rare images, award-winning collections of humanist photography, nature photography, and artistic works that highlight the creativity of the photographic art form.
With logistical and financial support from the Town Hall of Le Bois Plage, the municipalities of the Île de Ré, the Community of Municipalities, the Charente-Maritime Departmental Council, the French Photographic Federation, local sponsors, and a large number of volunteers, ÎLE DE RÉ PHOTO 2026 brings together local, institutional, educational, community, and private stakeholders, uniting them around a high-profile cultural event.
This ambitious and unifying community project contributes to shaping the image of Île de Ré, blending nature and beauty with the cultural richness of the region, in the spirit of
“The island of artists”
Gérard Uféras, the Festival’s guest of honor, and numerous exhibitors will be present in the main exhibition hall for engaging discussions on photography with the public.
Finally, a photography studio will be set up on site, and “portrait” photo sessions will be open to the public.
As has been the case since the Festival’s inception, the exhibition space is provided free of charge by the town hall of Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, to whom we extend our warmest thanks.
Le Bois-Plage en Ré
July 27 to July 9, 2026
10:00 AM–1:00 PM / 4:00 PM–7:30 PM
Main exhibition in the village hall
900 m² with 50 exhibitors
Festival ends July 9 at 1:00 PM
Free admission to all exhibition venues.
WHERE BEAUTIFUL IMAGES GATHER
Where Nice Pictures Reunite
50 photographers, more than 600 images on display
7 Conferences and presentations.
50
7
+600
10K
50 PRESTIGIOUS PHOTOGRAPHERS
GUESTS
7 exciting conferences and activities
MORE THAN 600 PHOTOGRAPHS on display
10,000 Photographers
Federation
Photographic
of France
REPRESENTED
@2026 Richard Merlet - Proudly created with wix.com