Jean-Louis Wertz is a freelance photographer based in Belgium.

He produces reports and portraits for the climbing scene, the magazine press and for private companies and individuals.

Presentation by Nicolas Vergara (A travelling companion).

When he asked me to write a short piece about him, the first idea that came to mind was the following: “Jean-Louis Wertz is a name that, when uttered at the foot of any Belgian cliff, awakens a real burst of enthusiasm!” Who couldn’t dream of such a compliment? I should rather say a statement of fact, because I sincerely believe that this enthusiasm that he engenders is a product of his communicative faith in life. In a way, this is a call to share life that he projects unconsciously, like a vital rejection of indifference. Allow me to present this endearing person whose site you have just perused. Jean-Louis comes from the Verviers region of Belgium, the youngest in a family of three children. He lost his father at the age of 9. This ordeal, of which he speaks very little, deeply affected his life. Being of a sensitive nature, beauty touches him. Not merely aesthetic beauty, but above all the beauty of the heart. This quality, deeply anchored as it is in Jean-Louis, manifests itself through a jovial smile and sincere joy in fully sharing all these moments of life with those people who cross his path. Therefore, should you meet him while ‘in the field’ on a farm of his native region, in the middle of the forest, in the midst of the Blancs Moussis during the festivities of the Carnival of Stavelot, hanging over 1000 metres of emptiness in Yosemite or during one of his spiritual journeys, you will always see in his eyes that spark of happiness that he has simply by making your acquaintance.

This is not a saint whose portrait I am presenting, but that of a friend who I find happier and happier the more he follows his passion. His photos have the beauty of that which is simple and touches the heart. Photography was a bit of a coincidental choice for him. He was aiming to be a cameraman, and to prepare for the entrance exam he went to a photography school (Saint-Luc in Liege, Belgium). He enjoyed studying there and ultimately became a photographer. He has always had a privileged relationship with nature, finding there a source of happiness and beauty, something that surpasses us but that he feels from the bottom of his heart and which fills him with wonder. Through his photos, he captures the essence of Mother Earth, not so as to freeze her in the past but rather to make us experience the intense manner in which he perceives her.