It’s the end of the school year for the children, and I’m taking the opportunity to take a breather too, just like them. Joachim, my eldest, sat his French A-level oral exam yesterday and is now all done. Ronan, too, finished secondary school a week ago, so they’re both officially on holiday!
Me too! Well, I’m still working, but I’m very involved in my two children’s education and I spend a great deal of time with them on their homework and helping them catch up on their weaknesses – mainly in science. I studied science myself, and even though it’s been many years since my own secondary school days, a quick refresher is all it takes for me to guide them through maths and physics. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been very busy with Joachim, who, as well as his French A-level, had a new early maths exam. Since mid-June, I’ve finally been able to take a breather and let the children do the same. I’m very demanding and I’m probably not the easiest person to get on with.
Both children go to private schools, and it’s fair to say that their secondary schools put quite a lot of pressure on them, as they have a reputation to uphold and strive for excellence. Weekends are therefore very busy too, with all the homework to be done for the coming week. All this to say that I haven’t taken many photos over the last few months, what with being so busy tormenting my children by making them work… Last weekend, I went, with a light heart, to the Grand Boucan, the carnival held every year near Saint-Paul, a coastal town in the west of the island. St Paul has been hosting the Grand Boucan for three years now. It used to take place in St Gilles, but it was moved to a larger town because its growing popularity meant it was becoming difficult to accommodate in the small seaside town of St Gilles.
This is the second year I’ve been to the Grand Boucan in St-Paul. In fact, I’d forgotten to note the date in my diary, and it wasn’t until the day before the carnival that I realised the event was taking place this Sunday! I persuaded a photographer friend to come along with me. I love this sort of event because it brings lots of people together, all in fancy costumes. But it’s also a bit of a challenge because it’s very easy to end up with photos that aren’t particularly interesting. If I had to compare it to what goes on in the streets of St-Denis, I’d say they’re worlds apart. There’s just too much going on at a carnival, and the trick is to manage to extract something interesting from all that chaos. The most important thing for me was to arrive before the parade set off, as that’s my favourite part. In fact, we left shortly after the parade had sarted, my SD card full of hundreds of unremarkable photos – though, of course, with a few keepers.
This break gave me the chance to make up my mind about which camera I’m going to use in Malaysia. We’re leaving in a week’s time and I was still wondering which camera I was going to use. I came across some photos I’d taken in Thailand with my Fujifilm X-E2 and the 23mm f/1.4 (35mm equivalent, as it’s an APS-C sensor) and was blown away by the image quality produced by this camera, which is over 10 years old! I remember having a right good time with the X-E2 and I was really torn between it and the GRIII. Every now and then, I still use the Fujifilm, mainly with my 35mm f/0.95 lens. But this trip to Le Grand Boucan has definitely settled the matter. I’ll be taking the Ricoh GRIII to Malaysia!
This camera is so light that I can’t imagine choosing any other. Come to think of it, back in 2024 when I went to Thailand, I’d taken the Fujifilm X-E2 with me because I wanted to try out the 35mm lens, and I didn’t think I could use the GRIII with the 35mm crop. The only problem I’m likely to face is the GRIII’s rubbish battery life and the fact that the camera overheats. But then again, I’ve already done this in Vietnam in the middle of January when it was much hotter, and I’ve got 8 batteries (!!!) for my GRIII! Though it seems quite a few of the batteries are quite old and don’t hold their charge very well anymore… We’ll see. At worst, whilst we’re in Kuala Lumpur, I might pop out and buy a few extra batteries. Honestly, I hope Ricoh has sorted that out on the GR IV!
This week, I went for a wander in Saint-Denis three times and took the opportunity to take some photos. After the big fuss over the Grand Boucan, Saint-Denis seemed rather dull to me, but there’s still plenty going on there. I went for a wander round Vauban, a neighbourhood I know quite well, as I went to nursery and primary school there. The area has always been working-class, but it’s changed a lot since the 1980s. It’s even poorer than it was back then and has become a bit of a ghetto. Women who are no longer in their prime, offering their services, loiter on certain street corners. Some dodgy-looking blokes astanding guard in front of certain blocks of flats. During the day, I’m not particularly afraid to wander around the neighbourhood. But there are some street scenes I find hard to photograph, and God knows I’m quite daring.
It’s like a sixth sense that tells me it’s not worth it. I know people often say, shoot first, talk later. But I don’t want to get myself into a pickle. I think I behave differently depending on where I am in Saint-Denis. When I’m in the city centre, I’m quite carefree. Here in Vauban, my senses are on high alert. It’s a neighbourhood I’m not used to visiting, so I keep a fairly close eye on where the people around me are, and I’m a bit more careful with my belongings – for example, checking my bag to make sure it’s properly zipped up after changing the battery. I scan the street to spot interesting things to photograph, but also to anticipate any potential trouble. Some might say I’m worrying for nothing, but I’m what you’d call streetwise.
So, in a few days’ time, I’ll be off to Malaysia. Its big cities, its jungle, its idyllic beaches! I don’t think I’ll have a chance to hang out in Saint-Denis before I leave. I don’t know if I’ll have time to write a blog post from there, with the billions of photos I’ll have to edit!
All the photos were taken with the Ricoh GRIII | 35mm crop. Only two of them were taken with the Fujifilm X-E2 using the 35mm f/0.95 lens.
