I made this picture in the Opera district while I was going to meet Christophe Mousset near the metro station Aubert. I was for the weekend in the capital to attend the exhibition of Tokyo Sense from Elizabeth Char and I took the opportunity to do some Street Photography in Paris for two days. You will know more about it in an upcoming Blog.
The place was swarming with crowds of people who were taking pictures or selfies with the Opera behind them. It was a mess on the sidewalks but also on the road because it was Friday 4pm and it honked all the way. People were insulting each others while driving, cars were loose in the middle of the road, blocking other vehicles … In short there was animation. It was not to displease me. I like the tumult of the street. There is some energy and tension floating in the air. In the middle of all this, I saw a Japanese tourist appear in the distance in traditional clothes.
The crazy thing is that almost nobody paid attention to her. It is to wonder if the Parisians are not a little jaded and do not pay more attention to what is happening around them. Note, there must be mainly tourists around me … She was accompanied by a guide who also took pictures at her request. This lady was really very beautiful with her traditional dress. As you can see, I tried to make close-ups without being too intrusive not to bother her. The good thing about Paris is that there are so many people that you find yourself quite close to them in touristic areas. This was the case here in front of the Opera Garnier.
I tried to integrate this lady in a composition but it did not work. I did not see anything interesting. That’s when she opened her little Japanese umbrella. I had this vision of this pink circle that hid my Japanese. In the end my main character was no longer visible, but I found very beautiful this pink umbrella that attracts the first look.
This moment was fleeting because rather quickly, she put the umbrella over her head to ask for her guide to take a picture. I like this picture because it has a mysterious feel. Composition is not the most important thing here. I lingered a little beside them, but not much happened. I just got closer to make a close-up.
Since we returned from our vacation on Reunion Island last February, we are in an active phase for our move. Quasi military preparations to be ready in early July when all our stuff will leave in a container for the tropics. The house was on our minds and has generated a lot of stress. I had some work to finish for the sale of the house and the signing of the sales agreement was delayed because of a diagnosis that we lacked. It’s been a little over 10 days since we finally signed and we can finally focus on the cardboards …
We did not wait for the signature to start packing up eveything. It’s been a while since we sort our stuff to define what we’re going to keep and what we’re going to get rid of. And I can tell you that I have made trips back and forth to the dump … A lot of things have ended up in the dumpster and even more things have been recovered by an association that will surely recycle and sell what we do not need anymore. It feels good to empty. We tend to accumulate things, especially when we have a big house and room to store. We had already done a garage sale 3 years ago, but there was still a lot of useless things in the drawers and cupboards.
We have finally finished the sorting and it remains only to finish the boxes. We have the impression that there are still many things, but we still have 4 weeks to spend in the house. There is no point packing everything now. Especially children’s toys. The last weekends have been spent sorting in our business. Children do not really understand why we are so busy. We do not go out anymore because we have a lot to do. This weekend lasted 3 days with the Monday off. After working Saturday and Sunday on the move, we decided to take a break on Monday and take the kids out.
Direction Corbi Park which is 30 mins from us. This is not the first time we go there. There are some pens with birds (chickens, ducks, geese, peacocks …) but also rabbits, donkeys, goats. But what really interests children is the inflatable structures. and as the beautiful days are back, there are the water games. Unfortunately we had forgotten to take bathing suits. No worries, we sent them to have fun with their shorts while preserving their underpants and t-shirts for the return by car. They spent 4 hours having fun like crazy in the structures.
They spent most of their time in the structures ! It’s quite impressive thinking back because at no time there was weariness. It was non-stop slips for 3 hours. A good moment of release for them. We were happy to see them having fun. A little respite also for us because we had the head in the boxes for a while.
This Blog has a direct link with the previous one where I spoke to you about photographing children in the street. This is still the case here because I made many pictures of my children having fun, but also other children. Here, it was even more delicate than in the street because the little ones were in swimsuits, as at the beach. Some will say that I have no limit. I think it must be done respectfully. The thing is, it’s stronger than me. These are the situations that dictate my shot, not the fact that they are children or adults. There was action, laughter, color and tgehre were people ! When you do Street Photography, you do not wait to go out into town to do Street Photography. You do it anywhere ! This is the case for me. It’s a state of mind.
This photo above is my favorite of this day. Would you like to know if I was splashed ? Well, a little … As usual, I like to be very close to my subjects especially when there is water (I refer you to a previous blog about a Ricoh GRD 4 that would have taken a little the water …). I love this picture because there is energy and action. This photo sums up pretty well the atmosphere present around the structures during this day. My Ricoh GR works normally, finally for now …
I made this photo last week. I spotted this little girl with her windmill on the Place de la Mairie. My attention was attracted by laughter from children. The streets of Aix-en-Provence are more and more frequented by tourists enjoying the pre-season. Given the current temperatures, we quickly believe that it’s summer ! The two little girls were dressed identically and had fun with their windmills. At the time of tablets, video games or other addictive screens, it was refreshing to see that a simple windmill could give them as much pleasure. Do you have the right to take pictures of children in public places ?
Legal point of view
Children have a different image right compare to adults in the sense that their parents are the custodians of this right. As for adults, nothing legally forbids us to take their photos, but what is problematic, of course, is to make these photos public. For adults, case law has been handed down in disputes between street photographers and people who complained that their image right was violated (because they appeared in photographs). Freedom of artistic expression takes precedence over individual freedom (in public places) insofar as the photo does not undermine the dignity of the person photographed or causes them harm. The same goes for children.
Ethical point of view
Like many people, I am a father of two young children. How would I react if someone took a picture of them ? I will be honest with you, it would surprise me. The problem is that we are now living in a society that has lost its innocence. Blame it on all these sordid stories where children have been abused. Our society has become very suspicious and generally we are wary of any unusual behavior with children. Me first, I am very attentive to what is happening around my children in public places. Taking pictures of children in street photography is pretty tricky. You do not know how the photographic act will be interpreted.
Some prefer to stay away from children because they are too sensitive subjecs. I do not think that’s the case. I just think that the reaction (if there is a reaction) may be more epidermal because we deal with offsprings of people. Personally, I am naturally attracted to children on the street. I like their candor and their joie de vivre. They are unpredictable and always offer us interesting situations to photograph. Children see life as a game and are constantly having fun. Quite often I try to photograph them in a discreet way without arousing the suspicions of the parents or otherwise I show the parents that the situation seems to me amusing and that is the reason why I make a picture. The smile often allows to tacitly validate the photographic act. This is the case for this photo below made in Bath during my recent visit to UK. I saw this mom playing with her three daughters in the street. When I saw this scene, I rushed on it and took the picture smiling because I was really amused by this scene. The mother gave me back that smile because she knew I was not a threat.
Let’s go back to the opening photo of this Blog. Here, I operated in a discreet way without the parents suspecting that I was taking the little girl in photo. My little Ricoh GR makes me very discreet and especially harmless. I avoid being intrusive with children, preferring to keep a little distance. I tried to take a photo while trying to capture an interesting attitude, but I had a lot of trouble. I followed them a bit because the dad took his little girl on his shoulders and I was waiting for something to happen. Like very often in the street, nothing happened. We went up the street Gaston de Saporta, then we passed in front of the cathedral. I thought at that moment that there was nothing to wait. That I would not have my picture. It was at this moment that the father and the little girl turned around, finally offering me this interesting picture. I love this picture because there is a lot of simplicity in this one. It is a photo that breathes the joy of life and the little girl stands out perfectly on the sky with its windmill.
All the pictures were made with the Ricoh GR and the Ricoh GRD 4.
Recently I had a comment on a YouTube video of someone telling me that my Blogs on the Ricoh GRD 4 made him want to buy one. It surprised me a bit because as I said before, I basically write for myself. This Blog is a personal diary of my photographic journey. I almost started it at the same time that I discovered Street Photography in 2016. I’m always amazed by the reach that some of my articles can have.
I spent 3 weeks on vacation in Reunion Island to shoot exclusively with the Ricoh GR. But as soon as we got back to Jouques, I had put the GR away and had pulled out my old GRD 4 for my work in the street. It took big problems with my GRD 4 for me to dust off my GR. Basically, the GR was a backup camera in case of glitch with my GRD 4. It must be said that the GRD 4 was my only camera for 2 years. I only bought a second hand GR just recently. While in Bristol, I had recovered a brand new GRD 4, but I still wanted to use the GR there. Why ? It was the opportunity for me to actually test this camera in the street. I had used it 3 weeks in Reunion, but it was for the holidays. It was in Bristol that I began to realize the potential of the Ricoh GR.
Let’s talk about annoying things right away. Some will say that I drool, but the GR is really lame in low light. The auto focus is really bad when the light is lacking. It changes me from the GRD 4 which excels with its hybrid AF. Beyond ISO 6400, the files are really awfull in color but still remain exploitable in B&W. In general, the rise in ISO is not great on the Ricoh GR … Beside that, the GRD 4 is much better with its small sensor. In narrow streets with little light, keeping the same depth of field and the same speed, I am at ISO 400 max while the GR easily climbs to ISO 1600 or 3200. It is 2 to 3 Diaph difference.
Since my return from Bristol, my opinion on the GR has changed. I know his weaknesses, but I also know his strengths. Compared to GRD 4, the buffer is incredible. No need to wait 2 seconds between two shots. But what changes especially is the APS-C sensor. I’m losing depth of field, but I’m gaining dynamic ! Normal tell me, I go from a small sensor 1 /1.7 “to an APS-C sensor. Why does that change the game ? With the GRD 4, I have to pay close attention to light conditions because the dynamics of the camera is not great. It’s hard to recover things in the highlights and save information in the dark … The GR on its side has a better dynamic range and allows me to pay less attention to the light conditions in the street. I do not change my settings when I go from shadow to light. What I was doing constantly with my GRD 4. Casually, getting rid of it allows me to focus more on what is happening in the street.
It’s been over a month now that I only use the GR in the street. I learned to cope with its lower depth of field. When we get used to not worry about this element, it’s quite disturbing to see that some elements in the photo are not in focus. I have to be careful about the focus. Which I absolutely did not do with the GRD 4 which was for me a Point & Shoot ! The GR demands more discipline on that side. To get rid of it, I would have to shoot at f16, but in this case the ISO would go up inexorably … My settings on the GR are quite basic: f8 | 1/500s. If the ISOs rise too much, depending on the situation, I degrade the aperture, the speed or both !
The GR has become over the weeks my only one camera for my work in the street. I was scalded by my misadventures with my GRD 4. The pinnacle was reached when I had problems on my two GRD 4 in Paris. Like an idiot, I did not want to take my Fuji XE2 with me during this trip. The GRD 4 was released in 2011. Even though Pentax still provides the Ricoh GRD 4’s service, the parts are starting to run out and it’s not at Leica’s level. These cameras are not made to last. I’m at my 4th Ricoh GRD 4 in not even three years. I know that the GR is not free of defects too (dust on the sensor …). But the small difference is that there are plenty on the market opportunity in case of problems.
I know that my work is very much related to the Ricoh GRD 4. I think that many people have discovered my Blog through my articles on this device. Michael Ernest Sweet told me at the time that this Ricoh GRD 4 was a Street Legend. Just that. I totally agree with him. No other camera will allow me to photograph so close people in the street, no other camera will offer me this crazy depth of field … But there is also the rendering of photos with this CCD sensor ! It’s organic and really beautiful. Besides, the GR has a very digital renderfing. Even by working on the RAW files, I can not get the quality of Ricoh GRD 4.
By switching to the Ricoh GR, I know that some will not understand. I am one of the apostles of the Ricoh GRD 4 … I have always boasted the superiority of the GRD 4 ! So what, I return my jacket ? I’ll be honest on that. The GRD 4 is really good, but the GR allows me to worry less about my settings in the street. I also wanted to stop this Ricoh GRD 4 addiction. These cameras even if we continue to find them on eBay, are increasingly rare. And buying them secondhand carries risks. My last two GRD 4 had besides had problems shortly after their purchase … I know that the GR can also have problems, but by switching, I have the embarrassment of the choice with the GR, the GR 2 and even the brand new GR 3 (all APS-C Sensors) !
That’s why I stop using GRD 4 for my work on the street. Well not completely, but it’s not my main camera anymore. During the last two weeks, I still wanted to shoot with the GRD 4. After several weeks spent with the GR, I found myself clumsy in the street, spending a lot of time modifying my aperture or my ISO according to the available light. There are also situations where I regretted the GR. These outputs have confirmed my choice to move on the APS-C sensor. I have always considered the camera as a tool that serves my vision. The GR is the device I need on the street today.
I have grouped you in a slideshow, a collection of photos taken in the last two weeks with the Ricoh GRD 4. Kind of Tribute to this camera that had accompanied me this last two years in the streets of Aix-en-Provence. All photos were taken with the Ricoh GRD 4.
