That’s it! I’ve sold my Fujifilm X100F! I was asking 750€ for it and I let it go for 700€ to a guy who wanted to start out in Street Photography in the south of Reunion Island. It was quite fun to talk to someone about the practice. I think the last time I did that was with a young girl who wanted to interview me because she was doing a book project to validate her Graphic Design studies and as she loved street photography, she had worked on it. That brings me back to 2017! Basically, it had been 7 years since I’d last spoken to someone about Street Photography. For the last few years, I’ve been living Street Photography. I don’t talk about it any more except when I’m ranting in my Blogs.

As you all know, I haven’t been on social media for a while. I think it must be 2018. Some time before we moved to Reunion Island. In retrospect, I would have spent very little time on it. Less than 3 years to get the hang of it and get bored of it! I’m sure some of you thought it was perhaps posturing to announce that I was leaving Facebook or Instagram. Others did it before me and came back… I don’t see it as a victory against social networks, nor as a thumbing of the nose at those who didn’t believe me. I see it as a liberation against the diktats of social networks.

I’ve made my own path all these years without letting myself be distracted or influenced by what was going on. My vision is unique. It’s not perfect, I haven’t become the best street photographer in the world, but I’m authentic and nobody does what I do. If I had to find a lineage, I’d say that my work and my vision would bring me closer to a guy like Alex Coghe. For those of you who follow my blogs, you’ll know that he’s a photographer I really like. One of the most genuine and authentic people I’ve ever met. Virtually of course. I don’t despair of going to Mexico one day to see him! I don’t agree with everything he says, but the man, the photographer, doesn’t cheat. He’s a whole person and that’s what makes him so unique and interesting.

I have to admit that from time to time I steal my wife’s smartphone to go and have a quick look on Instagram! I’m going to take a look at the work of photographers I know. They include Elizabeth Char, Vasco Trancoso and Cédric Roux. These photographers don’t blog and this is the only way I can get a glimpse of their most recent work. I don’t venture any further on Instagram. John Harper, Alex Coghe and Michael Kowalczyk have sites that regularly post content and I can see their photos. It’s my way of seeing the work of photographers I once knew on social networks.

I may be wrong, but there was a time when John and I were writing frantically. I was writing more than one Blog a week. Which was quite a lot. Today, it’s been almost two months since I posted anything and I literally have to kick myself to write something … John is writing less too, but his Blogs are always of a high quality, both in terms of the writing and the photos. I don’t know how to explain these things. I feel deep down that I don’t have much left to write about. And yet I’m well aware that for the few people who follow me, my Blog is practically the only place where I share my photos. Well, not really. I also have a YouTube account where I post slideshows from time to time.

I can tell you that I’ve been away for a long time because I’ve been ill for almost a week now and I can’t stand dragging myself from bed to sofa like a big worm with the shivers… It’s the start of the austral winter here and even though it’s 24°C during the day, that hasn’t stopped me from catching something nasty. Well, that’s a good excuse for not having written a blog for nearly two months! That’s true … I can also tell you that I’m devoting every spare minute I have to helping Joachim prepare for his Brevet National des Collèges exam. He had a lot of gaps (from my point of view) and we’ve ironed all that out.

No, no, deep down I know that these are just lame excuses. As was the case at the beginning of the year, I’m a bit lacking in motivation to get out on the streets. The holidays are coming up soon and I think I’ll have even less time to go out and do a bit of street work. It’s a bit of a vicious circle. I lack motivation when I’ve got time and when I don’t, I complain that I can’t do Street with the kids any more … In short, more lame excuses. So that’s where I’m at. I’m a bit disillusioned. I had the chance to go and document the Grand Boucan, a big carnival where I’d have had a blast, but I preferred to go and have lunch at my parents’ place instead. I’d said to myself that I’d also go and document the passage of the Olympic Flame, which was in Saint-Denis, but there too I missed the opportunity and preferred to stay at home.

I’m not worried. There are times like this and there will be others. So I’m fine, even though I’ve looked terrible for a few days now with dark circles under my eyes, and as Arnold said: I’ll be back!

All photos were taken with the Ricoh GR3 | 35 mm Crop.