Category Archives: BLOG en

BLOG en, Slideshow

Roman getaway

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This year 2019 is a key year with many things that have happened in recent months. A year of change symbolized by our move to Reunion Island. My children and my wife have taken a little advance on me because they have been there already for 1 month. Besides I will join them a few days because we had a little underestimated this separation of 2 months and a half. I will go see them 15 days before returning to the city of Toulouse to finish my training. Since this beginning of the year so, despite the time spent taking care of the move and the sale of the house, I was able to go on the side of Paris, Bristol and last week, I went for a small 3 days trip to Rome.

 

 

As for all my previous destinations, this little trip to Rome was done solo. You might find it surprising, but I like to go alone on a trip. It’s selfish enough as a choice, but I like having no constraints and doing what I want. Do not believe that I am someone asocial (may be …). It’s just that I like these moments spent with myself. Do not be fooled, I also love traveling with my wife and children ! You can imagine that behind all that, there was also the possibility of doing street photography freely. This was the case for Rome last week. The idea was to find a destination not far in Europe to spend a few days. I hesitated between Istanbul, London, Madrid and Rome. My choice as you can see it focused on the Italian capital. it was much later that I realized that my English friend John Harper was also in Rome two weeks before me (I invite you to read his Blog here). Holy coincidence ! After Bristol and Bath, it would have been fun to meet in the streets of the Roman city !

 

 

So here I am for a few days in Rome. Usually, I learn a little about the city that I will visit before going there. I read a few guides, I look at some pictures, I study the neighborhoods … But here I did nothing of all that. I went there without knowing anything about Rome. I had just booked on the advice of some friends, my visits to the Coliseum and also to the Vatican. I was also vaguely briefed on interesting places in Rome. I did not know much because my idea was to roam the streets without taking care of anything else. I went there for the purpose of doing street photography. So the place did not matter to me. By the way I did not use any public transport, preferring to walk.

 

 

The end of the day was a relief because I had to walk more than 10 kms per day ! I do not regret this choice because it allowed me to better visit the city. Nevertheless, I struggled a lot the first morning because I had a hard time finding my way around the city. I did not know it and I did not know where to go. I lost a lot of time trying to locate myself on my smartphone. I had also left the hotel very early and found myself in almost deserted streets at 9am. It was Saturday morning and the streets began to fill up much later. I then understood better how the different neighborhoods of the city were articulated and I was much more comfortable on the streets.

 

 

This element is crucial to allow me to focus on photography. I already explained it in several Blogs. I need to understand the city to do street photography. Understand where the flows of people are. Understand where the interests are. It will have taken me almost a day for that. When you spend only 3 days there, you do not have much time to make photos … But 3 days is not bad. The ideal would be to spend 4 to 5 days in Rome. In three days, you do not have time to capture the soul of the city. Moreover you can see in the photos that I share in this Blog, that I mainly photographed in touristic places : in the vicinity of the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Piazza di Spagna … It would be necessary to spend more time to succeed in making Street Photography out of these places. Clearly there I did not have time and I had to take shortcuts and do Street Photography in touristic places.

 

 

Anyway, it does not change me much of Aix-en-Provence which shares many similarities with Rome. I’m not talking about the size of the city, but the architecture and the fact that they are highly tourist destinations. The challenge was not to fall into the ease by photographing tourists who take themselves in pictures. I will admit that it is quite difficult and that it is necessary to focus not to reproduce these tasteless shots. For the record, I photographed interesting situations in the streets of Rome and I realized later that I had photographed French people ! Hey, I will not tell you which photos it is !

 

 

It’s quite simple to do Street Photography in Rome. Almost everyone has a camera in their hands. The areas are very dense and you go unnoticed when making your photos. I stayed in relatively touristic places, but I think in less crowded places, the presence of the camera draws more attention. This is particularly the case of the district of Termini (railway station) where I lodged. Tourists here are in transit and you will see very few people taking photos. It will require a little more discretion.

 

 

I would have liked to spend more time in the Roman city, but I already feel lucky to have spent 3 days walking the streets of Rome with my Ricoh GR. I tried to capture at best a glimpse of what is happening on Roman streets. You must tell me that in view of the photos that I put forward in this Blog that I did only color in Rome ! That’s not the case. I shot a lot more in B&W. I made a selection of about fifty photos that I grouped in a slideshow that is quite long if you have 6 minutes to lose. The photos are presented in their order of shooting. No desire to order or reorganize all that … You can see through this slideshow my wanderings during these 3 days spent in Rome.

 

 

I remind you that all these slideshows are present on my YouTube channel and you can subscribe to be informed as soon as a new video or slideshow is put online. All photos were made with the Ricoh GR.

 

 

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Red Bull Bowl Rippers Skate 2019

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I have not told you about skateboarding on this blog. I reassure you right now, I do not skate. I already have trouble standing on a scooter I’m not ready to venture on a skateboard. I always admired the skaters and how cool they are on these little boards. I think that after the heroes of Marvel, the skaters are the coolest on earth ! In 2017, my children became passionate about skateboarding and started having fun on the terrace of the house. I quickly decided to bring them to dedicated areas for this sport to prevent them from dmaging the house by trying their tricks ! We have spent a lot of time on different skate parks in the area. You will find below photos collected during my Skate trips with the kids.

 

 

There are rarely a lot of people on the skate park. What is nice is that all levels coexist in the same place. Advanced skaters are very tolerant towards beginners and make room for them to have fun too. I have never seen a skater kick out a beginner. He is wisely waiting for his turn to ride. As for the photos, it’s quite simple to do because the photographers are well accepted. It is a discipline where style is important and I think it must flatter the ego to know that we are being watched. The best sesame anyway was the presence of my kids having fun on their skates.

 

 

What I like most of all is the atmosphere that prevails near the skate park. We have the impression that the adults who frequent them have not grown up and have remained great children. And that’s to say, but I find skaters very cool ! They have this idleness that only surfers have. After all it is also a sliding sport and to look more closely, they are quite similar. I had already spotted this skate competition last year, but I could not get there. This year, it’s not much better because I work the whole weekend and in the end I can just attend the session of Friday which sees the amateurs compete for 2 qualifying places to compete with the professionals.

 

 

So I’m back to Marseille for the Red Bull Bowl Rippers Skate 2019 ! The bowl of Prado is located by the sea. At the end of the afternoon at the Prado, there is a lot of people. Many people enjoy summer and holidays. For those who work, it’s the end of the week and it’s a break for the whole weekend. Quite quickly I meet young people who seem to all converge on the place of the demonstration.

 

 

You will find very few photos of the competition on this Blog. There was a security perimeter around the Bowl that kept me from being closer. Difficult to have something interesting with a 28 mm! But I did not care. The show was elsewhere on the rostrum with a very colorful population. It’s a very special atmosphere that reigns at the Bowl du Prado. The presence of the beach a few meters away is for something.

 

 

I regret not being able to attend professional sessions that were held on Saturday and Sunday because these guys are real virtuosos on their skates defying the laws of gravity. I put you in touch the video relating to the 2019 edition. It is very long but by zapping a little, you can see what I want to talk about.

 

 

All the photos were made with the Ricoh GR and the GRD 4.

 

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BLOG en, Street Photography Tips

Street Photography Tips : About composition.

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I recently shared a slideshow about my 3 days in Marseille on my YouTube channel. I had not yet had the time to write a Blog on it to share it with you. You will find the link just below. One of my followers wanted to know a little more about the composition. I work a lot on instinct. Which does not mean that it’s guess work and that with a little luck I have something suitable. It does not work that way … In most cases, there is thinking before pressing the shutter button. It happens very quickly. These are composition schemes that I have in mind. Nothing is fixed. I do not apply ready-made recipes, but with all these different schemes in mind, my brain knows how to recognize interesting situations and compositions.

 

 

I will try to detail in this Blog, which led me to take a picture. What are the important elements that I wanted to integrate into my composition and especially when I decided to press the trigger. This Blog will not be exhaustive. I just take the opportunity to explain some photos taken recently in Marseille. I do not pretend to give composition classes. These are just tips. I started the T.M.E (Through My Eyes) project to show you what my eyes were seeing in the street. Here, it will be more a question of explaining to you what led me to press the trigger.

 

  • Exemple 1.

 

 

You can see that this picture is composed of three elements. I locked from the beginning the exposure on the highlights (on the sky here). I had to spend in all and for less than a minute to get to this picture. I spotted two people waiting for the bus and of course the gentleman with the hat caught my attention. A silhouette of a guy with a hat always works. I also had this billboard bathed in light. The interest was to now complicate this too simple composition by integrating another element. The bus arrived rather quickly counteracting my plans. I managed to have a picture with a cyclist. Then people started to get on the bus, that’s when a lady came with her stroller. I had to take a small step on the left so that her silhouette stands out against the sky. I had my three elements. That’s when I decided to start. You can see the other photos below.

 

 

  • Exemple 2.

 

 

I already knew that this photo would be in B&W. FYI, I shoot in RAW only and I do not use a filter on my Ricoh GR to have a preview in monochrome. But I know right now for some photos if I will work in color or monochrome. Here clearly for me it was B&W. Why ? The horizontal stripes of the gentleman’s shirt and the vertical bars. The gentleman’s attitude in the foreground had caught my attention, as well as the silhouette of the man leaning against the fence in the background. The road and the barrier allowed me to play with the leading lines that led me to the bus stop which gives me a little context in reading this image. We are near the Catalan Beach in Marseille. It certainly does not speak to you, but all the Marseillais know this beach. The girl on the billboard, it’s just a bonus. I did not pay attention, but it complements the overall composition. Note that I stalled the hand of the guy in the foreground at the bottom right of my image for more dynamism. This photo was made while walking. When I saw the scene, I paused to integrate all the elements I told you about, and then I just kept walking until I was able to trigger at the right moment. I do this to keep the candid moment of the scene. If I stopped to compose, the gentleman would surely have looked at me. Sometimes that’s what I’m looking for, but very often I do not prefer it.

 

  • Exemple 3.

 

 

I love this picture because there is movement and it represents the tumult of Marseille. This photo was made in the district of Chartreux close to the apartment where I lodged. My attention was of course drawn to this group of young people who were coming back from the gym presumably. The idea was to organize the chaos that reigned in this place to get something readable out of it. Again this photo was made while walking and waiting for the right moment to trigger. What is the right moment will you tell me ? I took into account several elements. Be careful that there are no overlapping characters (there is the little boy with the striped t-shirt, but I do not find it embarrassing). Have characters coming in and out of the frame. And to finish points of support in the background (the man with the helmet). All this thinking is taking place quickly in my mind. The small bonus of this photo is the small group of young people coming down the sidewalk. Why is this so important ? It gives life to the photo ! It’s like people coming in and out of the box. This photo is not static. There is movement, life and tension. You can see below, another exemple of this kind of picture.

 

 

  • Exemple 4.

 

 

Obviously this picture I only conceived in color ! I stayed close to this gentleman for 5 minutes with his yellow swim shorts. This is the kind of character that catches your eyes when you’re on the street. A few years ago I would have put myself in front of him shamelessly and I would have taken a photo with a low pov. Not anymore. It’s like when I was younger, I was doing daredevil stuff that I will not do it again now. It’s stupid to get old … Instead, I tried to compose differently by integrating another bather who was tanning with also a yellow swimsuit. I only had to wait for other people to finish my composition. These two ladies will do the trick. We have yellow on the outside and blue on the inside. This photo would have no meaning in monochrome. you can see that there is an eye contact. It was inevitable by staying so long on the spot, I am necessarily spotted.

 

  • Exemple 5.

 

 

This photo was made on the boat that took me to the island of Frioul which is off the coast of Marseille. I spotted these two Japanese who were dressed identically. These colorful shirts were a feast for the eyes and made the use of color mandatory. I made something like 10 photos to get to that one. As usual, I try to complicate the composition by adding elements. Here it was trying to integrate the lady with the hat in the frame. I think I kind od succeeded here and I even had bonus gestures. My only regret about this picture is to have been too close to them because I would have liked to see a little more their shirt. The reason I was so close was to eliminate other clutter elements from the composition. Half succeeded because we still distinguish the face of the guy with the FC Barcelona t-shirt left.

 

 

  • Exemple 6.

 

 

Photo taken on arrival on the island of Frioul. I was immediately attracted by these supermarket shopping carts lying there on the platform. Surely to help vacationers carry their luggage. I put myself on the other side to take a picture and I noticed at that moment, the colors that match well. This photo was motivated by the oddness of the scene.

 

  • Exemple 7.

 

 

This photo above was made on the esplanade at the top of MuCEM. It is a very photogenic place. This photo is a failed one. I really like the shadows of people who come into the picture. They do not overlap and we clearly see 3 people walking. This photo was taken late afternoon with a sun that stretches the shadows. It’s not good because nothing is happening ! I highlighted in red the missing elements. Finally that’s what I had in mind when I imagined this picture in my head. Shadows that enter the frame, a character on the right side of the picture, another in the middle and finally characters in the upper right, a bit of gestures ans that’s all ! Just to have a balanced composition. All that would have happened if I was more patient, but it was a late afternoon and I had already tired … In the end I managed to have all these elements separated but not all together !

 

 

I still managed to have something interesting when I did not expect it. The low sun often offered me gestures where people protected themselves from the sun. It was the case on this last photo. I was also lucky to have a gesture from a character who was on different layer. This last picture was taken as I was heading for the exit. I did not expect it. I had not managed to get what I had imagined in my head, but another scene came to me. It’s the street. Very often, nothing happens as expected. You have to be responsive and always be ready to press the shutter button.

 

 

  • Exemple 8.

 

 

I introduce you Mario, the plunger of le Vieux Port ! If I only had to show this picture, you’d say, “Thumbs up Jeff, you have an eye and caught a great moment! “. In fact the reality is quite different. I had to take about twenty photos of Mario before I managed to get what I wanted. I went down to the Vieux Port to take pictures of the fish stalls with everyone who is pressing on this place in the morning. I heard a huge splash on my back. That’s when I realized that someone had just plunged into the harbor ! I saw him reappear and climb on the platform. I knew well that he was going to start again. So I stayed there at the edge waiting for him to jump again to try to capture this time his jump. I did not know how to compose. Like an idiot, I tried to take a low pov to have him detached on the blue sky. Missed test. It was later that I realized that I had my background so that he stands out in the composition. It was the sea ! I like this picture because the attitude is perfect with the palms of the hand turned towards me and his pink swim suit that contrasts well with the blue of the sea. Of course this picture works better in color. I worked the other photos in B&W, but clearly the photo is better in color.

 

 

  • Exemple 9.

 

 

Photo still taken at MuCEM. I was going out when I saw this place that was just beautiful with the shadows on the ground. Little detail, there was no one in front of me … I peeked behind me and saw 3 people arriving including a woman wearing a long dress. So I waited for them to go past me to make this picture. The image can be divided into 3 parts. I stalled the woman’s head against the back wall that was clear for the photo to be successful. There the monochrome or the color did not matter much. I retouched it in B&W because I like the B&W …

 

  • Exemple 10.

 

 

I was on the Esplanade de la Major (famous cathedral in Marseille), when I saw a crowd of people with blue helmets screwed on their heads. The street often rhymes for me with routine but it is also know how to spot the unusual. And there clearly, there were pictures to do. It was a group of tourists who were preparing to go and visit the city on these species of all-terrain gyropods. They had just finished taking the instructions and were on the way out. I immortalized their departure. It was like a small army going into battle. The most complicated thing was to trigger at the right moment to prevent the photo from being unreadable with overlapping gyropods. I still succeeded there even if a person is overlapping behind my foreground silhouette.

 

 

Here I am done with these few dissected photos. These explanations are to be taken for what they are. In no case a lecture on composition. I’ve just unraveled some of the photos in this slideshow to explain what happened in my head when I pressed the shutter button. I can do the same for each photo of the slideshow but it’s quite long …

All photos in these examples were made with the Ricoh GR.

 

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BLOG en, PROJECTS

EGO

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This photo was made along the cornice between the Vallon des Auffes and the beach of Catalans in Marseille. I have just returned from 3 days in the Phocean city. Friends lent me their apartment and I was able to walk during these few days the streets of Marseilles. When I started Street Photography and I was bored in Aix, I went to Marseille to satisfy my need for exoticism. Convinced that if my photos were not good it was because of Aix-en-Provence which was too small … For those who follow my work, you know that 99% of my work is now done in the streets Aix. For more than two years, I do not go to Marseille to take pictures. The grass is not greener elsewhere.

 

 

I started a project called EGO some time ago. You can have a look in the SERIES section. You’ll tell me it’s just a selfie project ! For me it’s more than that. I did not start this project because I had a massive ego and I wanted to shout aloud : me Me ME ! I have always had a problem with my image and I enjoy myself only rarely on a photo. Maybe that’s why I like being on the other side of the viewfinder. It’s also hard for me to feel comfortable when I’m in the center of attention. Just for the anecdote; at our farewell party, I had to give a speech in front of nearly 80 people. Even if they were friends, I was pretty uncomfortable. People told me that it did not show. It’s normal, I put up the front but deep in me I just wanted to go hide myself !

 

 

This EGO project is therefore a challenge for me. Succeed to accept myself in photo. I brought back two pictures of my recent stay in Marseille. The entrance to my friends’ apartment was right in front of the elevator. An elevator they do not use elsewhere because they stay on the ground floor. The light is always on in the cabin and a mirror is inside. I suppose we often put mirrors in the elevators so claustrophobic people do not feel oppressed by the cramped space. Anyway, this mirror allowed me to play with my reflection. It was the day of my departure that I had the idea to use masks hanging around my friend’s apartment. You can see on the photos below, the evolution of my work during these 3 days. The last picture is the one I selected. I tilted my head a little, which gives a little creepy side or toxic aspect to the photo.

 

 

EGO Series

 

The opening photo is a classic with a small difference. I had spotted this window with this huge impact. Many people would have tried to align the impact on a passer-by. Not me. From the beginning, I knew it was my head that had to be covered by the impact. No need to sit on a sofa to analyze this approach. I just thought it was very aesthetic and it worked well with my EGO project. I had on my back the blue sky which offered me a beautiful uniform reflection. The focus was made on the glass in macro mode. I waited for people to complete my composition to click. Even though there was no crowd passing on this sidewalk, I still could get what I wanted. Including two people including one of them who looks at me asking what I was doing.

 

EGO Series

 

It’s very egocentric as a procedure. So don’t we say that in street photography, even if we photograph others, in the end, it is ourselves that we reveal in our photos ? My photos tell a lot about who I am and how I feel when I take pictures.

All photos were made with the Ricoh GR and the Ricoh GRD 4.

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BLOG en, Slideshow, What You Haven't Seen

What you haven’t seen #5.

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When I knew that I had my transfer to Reunion Island, I told myself that I would have another year to document the streets of Aix-en-Provence. But in the end I am less than 3 months from my final departure for the tropics and I have the impression not to have spent much time in the streets of Aix … I must say that since early 2019, I travelled a lot. We went for 3 weeks to Reunion island, I went 1 week in Bristol and spent a few days in Paris (family and solo). And next to that, we had the sale of our house and also the move to manage. So many things that occupied my mind.

 

 

I wrote a lot of Blogs about Reunion, Bristol and Paris. In the end, I shared many photos of these trips and very few photos of Aix-en-Provence. This is quite normal, since almost all my spare time in Aix-en-Provence has been used for the sale of the house and also the move. But I also know that I was very lucky to have been able to go to Bristol and Paris alone to do Street Photography. Me who always said that the grass was not greener elsewhere, I must say that it feels good to go elsewhere because we leave our comfort zone and it’s refreshing !

 

 

For several months, I had neglected my playground Aix-en-Provence. I, who love so much roaming in the crowded streets of Aix during summer, put all that aside to enjoy my children and my wife before they leave early August. We will be separated for 2 months and a half because I have to finish some training here before leaving for Reunion. As the school year starts in mid-August, my wife and children have to leave earlier. My wife tells me that I will have time only for myself ! Shes’ right. Although I will miss them, I see the good side of things. I will be able to make photo without constraints (week-end with the children, to pick them up at the school …).

 

 

I intend to take advantage of these moments by continuing to document the streets of Aix-en-Provence, but not only ! I will also spend a few days in Marseille, Roma, Corsica and also in Toulouse where I will spend 3 weeks of training. Beautiful holidays in perspective ! Since last May, I have not had the opportunity to share many photos of Aix-En-Provence. Even if my outings in the city were scarce, I took advantage of every moment available to use my Ricoh GR.

 

 

I compiled in a slideshow about fifty unshared photos. All these photos were made in Aix-en-Provence except for some that were taken in La Ciotat by the sea. I realize that I shared many photos of my recent stays and very few photos of Aix. Most of the photos are in B&W while I basically brought back color photos of my recent trips. As if Aix-en-Provence rhymed with the B&W for me. For more than 2 years, I only documented the streets of Aix in B&W. I have trouble seeing this city with colors while it is a place bathed in light. I’m happy to put Aix in the spotlight with this slideshow.

 

 

All the photos were made with the Ricoh GR.

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BLOG en, T.M.E Project

Finally the Bristol T.M.E !

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It’s been three months since these videos were made in Bristol and I finally edited them! Yes, if you have not realized it yet, I procrastinate a lot … I took advantage of this week to do a lot of Street Photography and I also met John Harper who made him on his side a lot of pictures in the city of Bath. I invite you to reread my previous Blogs relating to Bristol and Bath.

 

 

These videos have already been posted on my YouTube Channel for several weeks but I did not have time to write a Blog to keep you informed. I take advantage of this blogpost to share a video made not too long ago in the streets of Aix. Moreover for the record, I decided to change my equipment because my cheap action cam that I bought a while ago has no stabilizer and I feel nausea when I look at these videos … So I bought myself a GoPro and I’m waiting to receive my new toy before going on the streets of Aix-en-Provence !

 

 

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I shoot for myself !

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It’s been a while since I wrote anything. I did not have much to say and I am in a state of transition right now. Significant changes are happening right now in my life and I have very little time to devote to my blog. Photo is also a little complicated because I had a lot to manage and I had no time to spend on the street. But you know what ? We touch the goal ! This month of June was very busy. We had to deal with the preparations for the move, the children’s farewell parties, our farewell party and of course the move itself. We are happy to have this behind us … We had to clean the house for future owners. We cleaned it from floor to ceiling. It was our way of saying goodbye to this house where our children were born and where we spent 10 wonderful years. Besides Ronan, our youngest son was very moved when leaving his house.

 

 

As I told you, I did not have much time to hang out in the streets of Aix-en-Provence. There is a time for everything … I tried to enjoy all the tiny moments that were within my reach to keep clicking. I even made some T.M.E videos again that I did not have time to edit yet. A series of 3 videos of the same street at 3 times of the day (9am, noon and 5pm). Just to see how the city changed according to the time. This series was made during a single day where I took advantage of my breaks to quickly make some photos (and videos!) In Aix. I had less than 30 mins for each session and I had to work in a hurry, but as often for these videos, the result does not matter. The interest is simply to show you the street through my eyes.

 

 

Recently, a friend asked me how many photos I had of the streets of Aix-en-Provence. I did not know what to answer … I told myself that if I had answered “thousands”, I would go for a freak and yet I think we are more in “tens of thousands” … I just evaded saying that I had “a lot”. I preferred to engage in saying that I had quite a few photos of which I was particularly proud. I leaned a few months ago on my work by doing a sort of introspection. Since then, the photos are piling up on my computer and I do not have the time but also the strength to sort all these photos. Moreover, I should update my portfolio and also the slideshow on the front page of my site.

 

 

My friend asked me another interesting question: “What am I going to do with all these pictures? “. I found myself a little stupid, because this innocuous question sent me back a few months back where I tried to answer the question “Why Street Photography”. Almost all of my work is confidential. I spent some time on Facebook, Instagram or other sharing platforms, but for several months I’ve been away from social networks. So, why do all these photos if they will not be seen or shared ?

 

 

I deleted my Facebook account last November and it’s been 3 months since I did the same with Instagram. These few months away from social networks have appeased me. Just look at my Blogs. I found many topics in the practices that I saw through social networks. Since I am “disconnected”, I do not see these behaviors that bristled me so much the hair. More Blogs so I spent my time bitching to denounce certain practices. These few months away from Social Networks also confirmed that I was doing Street Photography for me and no one else. I do not do this to be known, for glory. The confidentiality in which I indulge is one of the proofs.

 

 

Another friend of mine told me that for him the goal was to show his pictures at exhibitions. It is true that it flatters the ego to see his pictures hung in a showroom, but precisely for what reason does one really exhibit ? Is there a message that we want to pass or is especially a question of vanity. Personally I do not really want for the moment and anyway no one offered me to expose. Well it is not quite true … I was offered to exhibit in the library of my village in Jouques, but I did not really want.

 

 

I never liked being in the light so much as to say that it is not today the day before that you will see me launching into an exhibition. I still do not feel like I haven’t gone back to the first base. There is a time for everything as I said and it is not the moment. There is something that tempts me nevertheless, it is the self-production of a book devoted to these almost four years spent walking the streets of Aix-en-Provence. This is a chapter that will end in a few months and it will be time to take stock of this period. It’s just an idea that has crossed my mind, but I do not know yet if I’ll finish this project.

 

 

For the rest, I almost want to say that it’s like the Blogs that I write. It is primarily for me that I do it. All these reflections I have in my articles are just a way to organize my thoughts about photography and about life in general. For photos, I find satisfaction in the process: walk around the streets. In an increasingly dehumanized and individualistic society, being attentive to what is happening around me, allows me to feel alive and to be part of this world. For a moment, I looked for the extraordinary on the street as if I needed that to prove to everyone that I was doing Street Photography. A little in search of a kind of legitimacy, I wanted to show that I knew how to observe the little details of the street that nobody pays attention to. Bullshit! Street Photography is mundane. Sometimes there is something unusual happening, but 95% of the time, I only photograph mundane things and that’s what I like. I do not photograph to please others, I don’t follow trendy things. It’s stupid to say but I only shoot for myself !

 

 

All the photographs were made with the ricoh GR.

 

 

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BLOG en, Slideshow

YouTube Channel

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Some time ago, I decided to create my YouTube channel. A way to host my T.M.E videos but also my slideshows on the platform of Google. The main reason was to free up bandwidth on my hosting site, may also be able to post bigger videos because WordPress only allows videos up to 100 MB. Videos are also smoother because hosted by YouTube.

This channel is unpretentious and besides, as you can see, I only have 12 subscribers and most of them are friends ! At the moment I have very little time to write blogs with the move. Besides, I have almost no opportunity to go take pictures. There is a time for everything and at the moment, it is mainly the move that takes up all my time. I was planning to write more Blogs on my Parisian weekend which was very rich, but I do not have the time and make a slideshow to share the photos seems more appropriate.

I am aware that some photos deserve a little more attention than 3 seconds drowned in a slideshow, but I miss the time and at least I would have shared even if they are not highlighted. You can find the related slideshow from Paris below.

 

 

Some weeks ago, I also compiled a slideshow What you have not seen # 4 and I did not have time to share it. You’ll find it on my YouTube channel or else below. The photos are not immemorial, even rather forgettable, but as I have often said, these imperfect photos are useful to understand what has not worked and what remains to improve.

 

 

You can subscribe to my YouTube Channel here.

 

 

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BLOG en

Little Hong-Kong

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Two weeks ago, I went to Paris to attend the Tokyo Sense exhibition by Elizabeth Char. I allowed myself this little trip in the capital before attacking the last preparations for the move. I was hosted at Eli for the occasion. She lives in the 14th arrondissement of Paris a few streets from the 13th. When I was a student, I used to spend my holidays at my uncle’s house who lived in Athis-Mons. I remember a few trips to Tang Frères, the great specialist in Asian imports that is in the middle of in Paris Chinatown. Moreover it is rather an Asian district with mainly Vietnamese because the Chinese are rather on the side of Belleville and Le Sentier.

 

 

I vaguely remembered the neigborhood. I decided to spend some time in this area to try to discover it and for the occasion to do some Street Photography. It was Saturday and it was swarming with people. What captivated me was these huge building blocks. I spotted an escalator that seemed to lead to a rather shabby mall. Besides, most shops had the curtain lowered. I continued to wander through these dirty and empty hallways and I ended up on a large esplanade in the middle of these famous towers. I learned later that this place was called Les Olympiades. In relation of course to the Olympic Games. There was a flea market that day and there were people everywhere. What interested me most of all was these gigantic towers. I had a hard time making photos by integrating people as well as towers.

 

 

I took a little height by taking a small staircase that led to the roof of the small mall. It was another esplanade that allowed me to have a much better view of this set of towers and bars that date back to 1960. The show was striking and it’s like a little Hong Kong. I stayed a moment to contemplate this urban landscape. Some children had fun playing football on the esplanade, but I did not want to be too intrusive to take pictures of them. The neighborhood is relatively popular and poor and it seemed to me that there was a red line not to cross. I just made pictures of this place by incorporating them into my compositions.

 

 

I continued my wanderings in the middle of the esplanade Les Olympiades gleaning here and there some pictures. While looking for a place to have a snack, I came across a large parking lot where crowded with a lot of people. I stayed there for a moment because the place was ideal for  photos. I was inspired by a photographer that I like very much (@YiannisYiasaris) by positioning myself very low to take low-angle shots. I wanted to show the verticality of the place.

 

 

I enjoyed walking in this area because it breathed life and it was authentic. People come here to do their shopping. It does not seem to me to have crossed many tourists. It is also a very exotic place. We even feel from time to time not to be in France because the people around me spoke languages that flourished Asia.

 

 

All the photographs were made with the Ricoh GR in Paris.

 

 

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Behind this shot, BLOG en

Behind this shot : Jeu de mains.

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Since I started in this new section Behind this shot, I am aware that I remove all the mystery that can surround some photos. It’s a bit like a magician who would show how his tricks are done. It’s like giving titles to my photos., I do not like it. I wrote a long time ago a blog on it UNTITLED. I prefer to let the reader interpret the picture. With this new section, I reveal what is behind some photos. We can say that it has an educational side.

 

 

In the street, I am very sensitive to gestures. They bring life to a photo and make it less static. This is not enough to make a good photo but it’s already a good start. In the streets of Paris, I was perfectly aware of unusual gestures. I had already done a series on hands called Hands Tale some time ago. You can read it here.

 

 

Let’s go back to the opening photo of this Blog. I will first tell you why I like this picture so much. A good photo for me is a photo that questions the reader. If we manage to capture the attention is that the photo is successful. Here it is difficult to understand what is happening. The two protagonists are not recognizable. The old lady seems to have her hands in front of her face to protect herself and the other person in the foreground with her green and yellow shirt seems a little threatening. We are also likely to have two individuals of different ages. That’s the beauty of Street Photography. This photo is a snapshot of what happened in the street. Without context and without explanation, the reader is obliged to make his own interpretation of the story. Or else take the picture as it is with its mysterious feel.

 

 

So what exactly is this photo ? It’s actually a pretty simple scene that happened in front of me. You can see on the picture that the place was crowded and that there were a lot of people. This young man in the shirt just accidentally ran into the lady and he apologized. All in all, I would have taken 3 pictures of this scene. This is one of the benefits of using now the Ricoh GR. The buffer of the camera is much better than that of the Ricoh GRD 4 that I used before. If I was with my Ricoh GRD 4, I couldn’t capture this scene because I need no less than 2 seconds between two shutters click.

 

 

All the photographs were made with the Ricoh GR.

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