Oliver Costier OM magazine

INTERVIEW
OM | ISSUE 001 | JAN-MAR 2021
Olivier
Costier
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Discover Olivier’s passion
for timelapse and how
he made the most of
lockdown in Paris
Photographer bio
(1) OM-D E-M1
Mark III | M.Zuiko
40-150mm F2.8 PRO
1/500s | F3.2 |
ISO 640
(2) OM-D E-M1 Mark
II | M.Zuiko 12100mm F4.0 IS PRO
1/1500s | F4 |
ISO 200
Country: France
Speciality: Cityscapes, street
photography and timelapses
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2

(3) OM-D E-M1 Mark
II | M.Zuiko 12100mm F4.0 IS PRO
10.0s | F6.3 |
ISO 200
photocostier.com
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How did you first get into
photography?
I like to expose time through different
mediums: short and long exposures,
animations and timelapses, but
photography was initially a way for
me to document my life and holidays.
It’s only when I moved to New York,
USA and acquired my OM-D E-M10
that I started getting deeper into
the art. New York was the perfect
playground for me to explore cityscape
and street photography.
Timelapse photography was a
style I came to really appreciate as it
allowed me to take the whole scene
in, especially during my last months in
the city before eventually returning to
Paris, France.
worrying.
If, on the other hand, I go for a trip
longer than a few days, I would take
my full kit and use the E-M5 Mark II
as my timelapse camera, enabling
me to keep on shooting unique or
animated shots with the E-M1 Mark II.
It’s teamwork!
What are your current main bodies
and lenses?
I mostly shoot with two bodies, the
OM-D E-M1 Mark II and OM-D E-M5
Mark II, and two lenses, the M.Zuiko
7-14mm F2.8 PRO and the M.Zuiko 12100mm F4.0 IS PRO. If I go for a small
hike, I would usually take the E-M1
Mark II and 12-100mm F4.0 IS PRO.
This kit offers a lot of flexibility and the
dual stabilisation is a wonder when I
don’t want to bring a tripod with me.
I can still easily go for a two- to threesecond exposure, handheld, without
Talk us through some of your
favourite photographs.
I was around Mount Fuji and couldn’t
get to sleep thanks to the jet lag, so as
the sky completely cleared, I decided
to hop in my rental car and go and
capture my first astrophotography
shot ever (1). The main challenge was
actually in finding a good spot as
many photographers were already in
place, even at 4am! Once the spot and
composition were secured, capturing
the scene was a breeze thanks to my
wide-angle zoom. The wide aperture
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helped a lot in this situation, and so I
didn’t have to raise the ISO too much.
There was a shot I had wanted to
take for years ever since I came back
to Paris: capturing the empty Louvre
plaza in the rain, with a shiny wet
reflection combined with menacing sky
(2). The composition is fairly simple.
Dead centre to capture the symmetry
of the scene. As it was pouring with
rain for this one, It was essential to
have weathersealed kit… I just wish I
had been as protected as my kit!
During a short photography road
trip with friends in between two
pandemic lockdowns, we decided to
go and shoot the Saint Michel Mount
while restrictions were lifted (3). We
took many different compositions
of the same subject but this photo
right here wins first place. I love the
clean contrast achieved by the long
exposure. Also, to capture every little
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This kit offers a lot of
flexibility and the dual
stabilisation is a wonder
when I don’t want to bring
a tripod with me

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