History tells us that Manuel would be a modern-day Jacques Cartier.
About Manuel:
I was born on the beaches of French Normandy into a family of lighthouse keepers, sailors and fishermen from father to son. From a very young age, I learned to snorkel and explore the depths of the Channel, despite the difficult conditions to tame. At the age of 7, I started to manage well enough to catch my first crossbow fish myself and hold it for more than 3 minutes with a single breath. Throughout my childhood and adolescence I continued to perfect my aquatic skills.
In 2012, then aged 19, I had the opportunity to continue my exploration by crossing the Atlantic and coming to settle in Quebec. I jumped on the plane without hesitation, because I didn’t want to miss anything of this opportunity. I studied in a multimedia integration technique and on my free time I started to develop professionally my visual capture skills. At that time, being a semi-professional acrobatic sportsman, I was constantly surrounded by cameramen and photographers which opened my eyes to the importance of the image and the technicality necessary in order to achieve the best shots of views. This is how the creative and artistic facets of taking pictures won me over.
At the end of my DEC, I left for 1 year to travel to Europe and North America. It was at this moment that I created my production company specializing in taking aquatic visuals and in difficult conditions. When I returned to Quebec, I settled in Montreal where I was able to further develop my expertise and training in this area.
Today, 4 years after the creation of ProdAqua , my activities are all related to the aquatic environment. My diplomas as a freediver and diver allow me to exercise safely in varied and sometimes very difficult conditions.
I carry out the majority of my projects from A to Z: from planning to publication. I like to rework my images myself, in order to make them the most faithful to what I experienced underwater during the capture. I make and participate in many shootings for the water sports industry, for the artistic community, for tourism and for the cinema occasionally. The rest of the time, I like to offer my services to the general public and bring them to the swimming pool to take unique photos of family, couple or even work team.
What fascinates me above all with this job is that I can never predict what I will discover before a dive. Will I have the chance to spend 1 hour in contact with a large mammal? Will I be amazed by the bioluminescence during a night dive?
My mission
With my work, my mission is to discover aquatic environments little known to the general public (lake, ocean, arctic environment, puddle!). Environments to which few people have access, even if they are sometimes part of the everyday environment. By showing their beauty and fragility, as well as the issues that surround them, I want to raise awareness so that we can better protect them.
I also aim to show the seasonal transformations of Quebec’s underwater environments.
The means I use to ensure this mission are audiovisual documentaries, conferences, scientific publications, contribution to research and support for people in aquatic environments.
I explore, discover and use new techniques and equipment to be able to go even further.
In short, the preservation of these spaces is close to my heart, which is why I bet on awareness and education through images!
ProdAqua
The ProdAqua company works in the audiovisual production field, specializing in taking aquatic images and taking images in difficult conditions (extreme sports, high and low temperatures, aerial images, etc.). Our passion for technology and artistic expression, as well as our ability to film anywhere, allow us to tell your most beautiful stories. Finally, we are also keen to introduce you to the underwater world and make the general public aware of its fragility.
Manuel founded the company in 2015, at the end of his multimedia training in Quebec. The choice of La Hague Lighthouse as an emblem is linked to the family history of the young manager. Her great-grandfather was the owner for many years. Exploration and the marine environment are anchored in the soul of society. ProdAqua is then characterized by its multiculturalism and by its specializations in natural environments. Its status as an individual company became official in 2017.
I also aim to show the seasonal transformations of Quebec’s underwater environments.
The means I use to ensure this mission are audiovisual documentaries, conferences, scientific publications, contribution to research and support for people in aquatic environments.
I explore, discover and use new techniques and equipment to be able to go even further.
In short, the preservation of these spaces is close to my heart, which is why I bet on awareness and education through images!