You must tell yourself that I have nothing more to show you to go dig through photos almost 5 years old to write a Blog. I wanted to rework these photos as I will do today. Besides, there are photos that I had not even deigned to post-process at the time and that I find interesting today. Tastes change over the years. I also decided to work them only in color and it’s true that it changes a lot of things.

What do I have left of this week in Liverpool ? An impression of not having taken advantage as I would have of this city. It’s easy to tell in hindsight, but there was a lot more to do than what I did. We do not have the same perspective on things with 6 months or 6 years of practice ! At the time I didn’t really know what interested me in the street. Today, I have a lot more certainties and of course I have a keener eye to see or anticipate certain things.

It’s not tomorrow the day before that I’m going back to Liverpool and revisiting these photos is a good way to travel during this complicated period. One of my big projects would be to revisit all the cities where I was able to do Street Photography. I want to see if my vision of the city has changed. See if these are the same things that will catch my eye. So I would have to remake myself, Aix-en-Provence, Bristol, Paris, Rome, Marseille, Toulouse and therefore also Liverpool! Strongly hope that vaccination progresses for a return to normality …

All the photographs were made with the Fuji XE2 | 18 mm f2. Here’s the slideshow.

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This photo dates from 2016 and was selected by Lauren Welles, a New York street photographer for a small contest. It was printed in a photobook : World Street Photography 4. I like this photo a lot, but not just for aesthetic reasons. I love it because I happened to walk past this scene. I parked a little further and I was heading on foot to another place that I had spotted. So I passed under this bridge on foot whereas I am usually on the road by car and the perspective is totally different. This place has also changed enormously since the pharaonic works that saw the roads remodeled to accommodate Aixpress, buses with dedicated 100% electric tracks. This photo is anchored in its time and we will never be able to redo this photo.

This photo serves as an intro for the subject I wanted to discuss for a while. The importance of triangles in photography and especially here in Street Photography. In this case, the triangles are obvious and visible as geometric structures. As I might have said, I’m not a huge fan of architectural photos, but I don’t disdain sometimes taking the time to compose with urban elements to do different things. This was the case for this photo below.

I had passed by this site and I liked to see these rough concrete blocks coming out of the ground. I stayed to observe the ballet of the crane which came to bring fresh concrete to pour the walls. I took the time to compose quite precisely, which I do quite rarely and I am quite happy with the result. I always have triangles in mind when I compose. Triangles make everything dynamic. This is still the case here with the tilted verticals and the many triangles that appear when you take the time to study the composition. I can confirm that all the elements are placed where I wanted them.

Very often, triangles are suggested and do not appear directly as in the previous example. We find these famous triangles with the anchor points of the composition. It could be people or just elements that I wanted to integrate into the frame. Very often in my case, it will be people. I still find it difficult to do it differently. These are some recent examples where I have worked with individuals or groups of people.

These compositions are quite simple but they work because the eye is attracted by the summits of the invisible triangle that I have put in red. Which leads us to have a dynamic reading of the photo. In any case, I work like that.

Lately I told John Harper, that I tried more and more to integrate cars, motorcycles or any other elements in my compositions. I am attracted to people and tend to focus only on them. But I tend to widen my field of view a bit when shooting to incorporate more context into my photos. Whether it’s traffic or buildings. It’s pretty funny because very early on, I started doing close-up when it’s one of the most intimidating things in Street Photography. People start with more general scenes taken from a distance and gradually move closer to be closer to people. I do the opposite! I am no longer attracted to close-ups. I want more complex scenes by integrating as many things as possible into my composition. In the photo below, there is also a suggested triangle in my composition: This red and white car coming out of the frame, the boy and the two ladies in the distance.

On this last example, I integrated these two static elements in the foreground into my composition. When I look at this photo, my eye is doing ping-pong between the different elements of the imaginary triangles that I drew for you in red. Subconsciously when I compose a photo, I am looking for elements that allow me to create these triangles. 3 is a magic number in photography. In fact it takes odd numbers, but I find it very complicated to work above 3 elements in a composition. Here in this case we have 5 elements in the composition but it is a static scene, quite far from the mess of the street.

It is true that it is quite difficult to think of everything in the street. Everything is going fast, there are a lot of unforeseen events and clutters elements. Sometimes succeeding in having a clean scene with just two elements is a challenge, but little by little you learn to spot the scenes with potential and personally I always try to make my life easier by trying to integrate static people in my compositions. I also use triangles a lot to sort my photos. To determine the potential of certain photos. Sometimes these famous invisible triangles appear during editing. This is what will make one photo more interesting than another.

All the photos were made with the Ricoh GRD4 except the opening one (Fuji XE2|18 mmf2)

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So I recovered all of my RAW files from when I was using the Fuji XE2. These photos are all from 2016. The year I started doing Street Photography. My photos are deeply rooted in this not so distant time and yet I no longer recognize myself in these photos. I don’t deny the work I have done, but I don’t see myself in this aggressive processing. I had discovered Street Photography with Eric Kim who is a big Blogger who popularized this photographic style. Besides, I must admit that I copied his style because I liked what he did. I loved those dirty, grainy, high contrast photos. Since then my photographic style has evolved and I regretted not being able to retouch my old photos from 2016 … so I’m happy to have got my hands back on these RAW files to update photos that will surely be part of my book on Aix en Provence. I will present you some photos of 2016 re-processed in 2020. The difference is quite noticeable. I used reVision program which compiles the two photos to have a “before” “after”. You just need to move the vertical white bar.

• #1

This photo is not part of my Aix-en-Provence selection, but I wanted to re-process it because even if it has a certain charm with its burnt whites, its deep shadows, its dirty side, I wanted to work this photo as I will in 2020. It was a shock to me to see the newly edited photo. All these details of the face which were drowned in a contrast too pushed to the extreme.

• #2

This photo is one of the photos selected for my book. There are several things here. I didn't like this processing taken to the extreme and the 2020 retouch is much more balanced with less clarity and with better controlled contrast. The 2016 photo is also cropped. I had things to prove in 2016 and I mistakenly thought that you have to be very close to people to make a successful photo. In the end, this photo is much more interesting not cropped.

• #3

Here again, the ultra aggressive post-processing harms the photo and cropping to have the straight horizon is unnecessary. I much prefer the 2020 version which offers much more detail in whites and blacks. This photo is not part of my initial selection on Aix-en-Provence, but this 2020 version could find a place in a future book.

• #4

This photo was also slightly cropped at the time because I wanted to eliminate an unwanted element on the right of the image. The crazy thing is that today in 2020 these imperfections are no longer important and I prefer to keep them and not crop the photos. I stopped looking for perfection in the streets. The street is messy and my photos reflect what I see on the street. Of course I try to organize all of this within the frame of my photo, but if there must be any imperfection, I live with it and I no longer eliminate it.

• #5

At the time when I gave names to my photos, I called this one: Strike a pose! I really like this photo because it is very "Aixoise". Japanese tourists, the little snack "Aux Délices du Palais" that will appeal to Aixois. This photo also has a documentary character because since this place has changed with the works in the city center of Aix-en-Provence. Here too the less contrasting processing does honor to this moment captured near the Palais de justice.

• #6

This is the first photo where people contacted me because they recognized each other in the small restaurant where my photos were displayed. For the record, you might think it was a gang of 4 individuals: 3 girls and a boy sitting on the doorstep of a building. But actually the girl on the right is not in the band but was just sitting next to the other young people. It is the girl who waves me a little hello who contacted me to have a print of the photo for her and her friends. I really like the attitude of the 4 protagonists with the boy staring at me. Again this photo was too contrasted and I'm happy to find details.

• #7

This last photo is also documentary. The property has changed owners and has been completely renovated and these wooden shutters have been removed. Having photographed the streets of Aix-en-Provence a lot, I have witnessed many changes that have taken place in this city. You quickly get used to the new storefronts, the new stores ... My photos are there to show what Aix-en-Provence looked like during this period. This is also why I love doing Street Photography so much. It is a work of memory.

I haven't had time to go through all the RAW files I have recovered yet. This work will take time, but I am very happy to have invested these 800 €!

All photos were taken in 2016 with the Fuji XE2 | 18mm f2.

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It was in March 2016 that I started doing Street Photography. Just 4 years ago. I did not expect to blow out these four candles confined to my home. Things are what they are. I don’t know how long it will last. Our Minister of Education, JM Blanquer has already announced that he did not see the students returning to classes before the beginning of May … As I no longer have the opportunity to go out, I had the idea of reviewing all the photos (yes in their entirety!) that I had taken in 2016. It was quite fast because I lost all the RAW files of my photos from this year because of a hard drive that didn’t like hitting the ground … So I had only jpegs. The raw files were therefore lost.

Revisiting ones work is interesting because you realize how far you have come in these years. My photos are very anchored in this year. In 2016, I discovered Street Photography and my work had been greatly influenced by that of Eric Kim. Very contrasting and quite dirty photos. I have the impression that what distinguishes what I do today from what I did in 2016 is mainly due to processing. I shared a lot of photos in my blogs and other slideshows (What you haven’t seen). Do not think I have lots of pearls not yet shown. No none of that.

A lot of people have discovered my work with the portrait of this old man I had met on the Prado beach in Marseille. In 2016, I was still looking for myself and I thought that doing street portraits was Street Photography. I had seen this man coming back from the beach. I found a phony excuse to speak to him. I asked him why he had a bracelet written on it: “Ville de Marseille”. After chatting with him a bit, I asked him if it bothered me if I took a picture of him. I made a series of 5 to 6 photos using the flash. The result you know with this portrait where we could mistake him for Picasso.

Frankly, I would be unable to take this kind of photos today. Not technically because it’s just close up with flash. No, it’s just the process. When I started Street Photography, I did a lot of street portraiture, but that doesn’t interest me anymore. I prefer to witness what is happening in front of me on the street. I try to interfere as little as possible with the course of things.

2017 was more difficult to revisit. I discovered light/shadows this year and I can tell you that I took advantage of it … Almost 90% of my work this year carries the bucket of this photographic style which I hate now. There are a number of tasteless photos on my HDD that I took this year. Photos empty of content with just this light/shadows gimmick (Shade at -100 and contrast). I have lived for many years in an area where the sun shines almost every day. I have already discussed this with John Harper. Believe it or not, but now I much prefer to take pictures in overcast situations. I no longer like these strong contrasts that the sun imposes on us. We must position ourselves in relation to the sun, whereas very often it is the scene that dictates our positioning in the street. The sun only complicates my work. It’s like Black & White. By removing the color, some find it easier because we no longer have the color to manage. In cloudy weather, I remove the sun setting. In the end, I find it easier to take photos with a flat light than with the sun which imposes strong contrasts on me.

There too on 2017, I did not discover treasures by revisiting all my work of this year. I nevertheless found it quite amusing to immerse myself in these old photos. Through all this work, I saw myself again in the streets of Aix-en-Provence. I also realized that my style has changed a lot since I started in 2016. I am no longer attracted to the same things. I intend in my next blog to revisit 2017 & 2018. In the meantime I leave you with a short slideshow of photos that I have not shown so far.

All the photographs were made with the Fuji XE2 and the Ricoh GRD4.

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A little more than 3 years ago when I started to document the streets of Aix-en-Provence, I thought to finish my days in my little village of Jouques and I thought that I would spend the next half century to walk the same streets of Aix. In the beginning, I experienced some frustration with the small size of my city, but later realized that what was important in Street Photography was to photograph people, not places. The possibilities are endless and I have never felt any tiredness during my wanderings in Aix-en-Provence. And yet I always went to the same places. I do not know exactly how many photos I took, but it must be in tens of thousands …

I did not prepare for a departure from Aix. As I told you, I was thinking of ending my old days there. Now that I’m gone, it seems important to me to summarize these three years spent there. In fact I do not know what to say about Aix. It is a city where I have lived for so many years that I prefer to let my pictures speak instead of describing it. This is a place I loved and I will miss it for sure. I was at home in the streets. It was my playground. I had not prepared to write a blog. Maybe unconsciously, I told myself that if I wrote it, it would mean that the Aix page would definitely be turned. And I did not want that.

A lot has happened since I started Street Photography. Many things that I already mentioned in the Blogs that I wrote since 2016. I do not intend to repeat here and if you are interested, I invite you to read all my old Blogs (Good luck) .. As you can imagine, I have prepared an umpteenth slide show with what I consider the most interesting of my years in Aix. I have drawn in this selection some photos that have a little history. I will tell you about Aix through these photos.

• #1

This photo was made on the Place Albertas well known to Aix. It is a very touristy place but is not easy to photograph because it is quite rare that the place is fully lit. There are always big differences in brightness here. That day there were not many people and the only tourists were huddled on this side of the pavement to take pictures of the fountain that was on the square. I had faced people to try to deal with all those small groups of people who were on the sidewalk. My attention was drawn to this girl who was walking up the street. She had a huge white headband in her hair. I had placed myself judiciously in the street so that she passes on my left. This technique of forcing people to go where you want to go does not work all the time. Sometimes people spot you and take the big turn to avoid you … This girl passed by the lady with the hat and had to hear something that she did not like because she kept walking in my direction looking back at her grumbling I do not know what. She turned around just when she was at my level on my left and we were close. I just heard at this moment “bitch” ! Presumably it was not addressed to me otherwise she would have said “asshole” ! This photo alone sums up the magic of the Ricoh GRD 4 which is just exceptional at the depth of field.

• #2

Certainly one of my favorite photos that I brought back from Aix-en-Provence. It was taken in a small courtyard where is located the municipal health service of the city hall of Aix. This photo is the essence of Street Photography as I see it. A fragment of life taken on the spot. This place is quite little frequented even if from time to time, there are some tourists to take pictures of the Joseph Sec Mausoleum (former carpenter and wood merchant from Aix). These two people work in the offices and gave each other a cigarette break. This is not the first time I saw them smoking outside. But that day, I decided to enter the courtyard. In the end I attended this scene where these two people came back to work after their break in their respective offices. That’s when the lady had this gesture that made me click. I love this picture because it is mysterious and taken on the spot. Here too this photo was made with the Ricoh GRD 4.

• #3

This photo, you figure that I forgot to put it in the slideshow ! It was taken not far from the Pasteur car park where I used to park when I went to Aix. I took a lot of pictures at the red light waiting to cross the street. As you can see, it is not always nice on Aix (eh John !) Here too I love this picture because it is a rather ordinary scene. What I like about pedestrian crossings is that people are often waiting to cross. It gives rise to small scenes like this one. It’s pretty rare that all the elements line up perfectly in the street and this was the case here. The gestures of the girl with the cigarette, the woman who yawns and the motorcycle in the background.

• #4

This photo was taken on the esplanade of the Darius Milhau conservatory. This part of the city is more modern because more recent. The spaces are larger and we have in the same place, the Grand Theater of Provence, the Black Pavilion (for dance) and therefore the Conservatory. I like this place because it is very geometric. This morning, the light was beautiful. What is complicated here is the size of the places. They are just huge and not particularly crowded. The difficulty was to place oneself properly so as not to be too far away from people. It was a clever placement game to get them where I wanted. This place is huge and a static person in the middle necessarily attracts attention. Here, this gentleman saw from very far away that I was taking pictures. Passing in front of me, he deliberately hid his face. I was not asking so much of you. My attitude influenced the scene. What gave this picture pretty funny. A few minutes later, the man came back to me to ask me what I was doing. I talked a little with him about the work I did on the street. He found it weird. I showed him the picture and he found me even more weird to have taken this picture …

• #5.

I also forgot to include this one in my slideshow about Aix-en-Provence. Here too, there was interaction. This morning, as often in Aix, it was a little mess in the traffic. The streets were jammed and it was honking everywhere. I saw this lady making big gestures in front of the cars blocking her way. I exchanged a few words with her on the traffic situation and I took the opportunity to take pictures on the fly as I often do. This photo was made with the Ricoh GRD 4 from the hip. I only work at 28 mm and I know this focal pretty well not to have to look on the screen to see if the framing is good. Here it was pretty tricky because I was pretty close to this lady. The Ricoh GRD 4 with its small sensor and its depth of field of madness is perfect for from the hip shots because we do not have to worry about the focus. This is the ultimate point & shoot.

• #6

This photo was made with the Ricoh GRD 4. The focus is not perfect, but it has something that I like. I was walking in the middle of the street when I saw this woman come out of a building and come in my direction with her dangling cigarette. I did not do anything to let her go. I think we got a little close. In almost all the city center of Aix-en-Provence, the streets are narrow and allowed me to be close to people to make close-ups. Besides, I think that influenced my photographic style at first. I did a lot and I still do a lot of pictures of this style. For some time I’m moving away a bit, preferring capturing scenes. There is a lot of energy coming out of this picture. Only GRD 4 offers the same rendering. It’s organic.

• #8

I had to present you this picture that I do not think I shared. This is Elizabeth Char a Parisian friend who also does street photography. This photo was made 2 years ago when we went to the vernissage of a Chinese photographer whose name I do not remember. It was on the occasion of PhotAix. I will miss our little walks in Aix … Dear Eli, I leave you the task of continuing to document the streets of Aix-en-Provence after my departure. You’ll do it as well as I did, I’m sure ! And it will allow me to see photos of Aix-en-Provence through your eyes and your sensitivity. You are one of the few street photographers I met during these few years of practice. It’s like photography, I’ve always favored quality over quantity.

What remains of my stay in Aix ? Thousands of photos that pile up on my hard drive. More than 60 years ago, an American photographer was working on Aix-en-Provence. This is Harry Callahan. He did not only photos of the streets of the city, but also photos of the Aix countryside. This year, there was a retrospective on his work at the Musée Granet. I blame myself for having missed … I was pretty busy with my move. Why am I talking to you about all this ? I like to think that in about fifty years, my photos will have a more documentary dimension.

More than 50 years ago, the first street photographers were visionaries. How many street photographers today in New York, Hong Kong, London, San Francisco, Tokyo, Paris or other major cities ? Street Photography has become fashionable and thousands of people are practicing it. Very few people do street photography in small towns because it’s ungrateful. You can spend whole days without having anything interesting to capture. Let’s be realistic, most of the time in the street nothing happens unless you live in big cities. But do you need something special to do Street Photography ? For me, street photography rhymes with banality, ordinary, routine. I am happy to have done this work in Aix-en-Provence.

You will find below, a very long slide show containing a hundred photos of my visit to Aix-en-Provence. After visualizing it, I realized that I forgot to include some photos. It does not matter. The essential is nevertheless there. This is my tribute to the city of Cézanne.

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(English version at the bottom of the page)

J’ai publié ces derniers temps, pas mal d’articles polémiques qui ont fait réagir beaucoup de gens. C’est en tout cas le sentiment que j’ai eu car j’en ai beaucoup parlé avec des photographes de la communauté. Je suis conscient de passer pour le gars haineux qui dézingue à tout va et qui ne fait que critiquer. Je vais être clair là dessus. Ce que j’ai exprimé dans ces Blogs, je le pense réellement. Je ne les ai pas écrit de manière opportuniste comme certains le pensent pour faire parler de moi. Ça fait presque 3 ans que j’ai découvert la Street Photography et aussi tout ce qui gravite autour. La Street Photography c’est ce qui me plaît. Tout le reste (Réseaux sociaux, recherche de reconnaissance , copinage …) n’offre que de la confusion et de la distraction. Beaucoup se focalisent sur “le reste”, moi c’est la rue avant tout. Je n’arrive pas à fermer ma gueule quand je vois certains comportements sur les réseaux sociaux, mais il est inutile aussi de passer pour l’énervé de service …

Je vais revenir à quelque chose de plus léger. J’ai été interviewé il y a quelque temps par Tim Huynh, un ami photographe hawaïen. Je le connais depuis quelques temps maintenant, on échange un peu (surtout des conneries…) sur messenger. Dans l’interview (vous pouvez la lire ici), Tim aimerait me voir faire de la street plus souvent à la plage. C’est vrai que j’en ai fait un peu à mes débuts. Lors de mes sorties sur Marseille, j’aimais aller traîner du côté du Prado à la plage.

J’avais ce besoin d’exotisme pour sortir de ma routine car j’avais l’impression de tourner en rond à Aix-en-Provence. Marseille n’est qu’à 20 kms d’Aix, mais c’est déjà très dépaysant. Pourquoi aller du côté des plages ? Ce sont des endroits très intéressants à photographier. Les gens sont détendus, ils sont là pour profiter du soleil, pour se détendre. Les opportunités pour les photos ne manquent pas. Et pourtant, ce ne sont pas forcément les endroits les plus faciles pour faire de la Street Photography. Même si ils les gens sont plutôt détendus, ils sont quand même sacrément vulnérables car presque nus. Difficile de savoir comment ils vont réagir avec quelqu’un qui se ballade avec son appareil photo.

J’ai commencé à faire quelques sorties du côté du Prado à Marseille. C’est la plus grande plage de Marseille qui attire une population assez hétéroclite. J’avais volontairement ciblé les jours de semaine pour éviter que la plage soit trop bondée. C’est assez intimidant de se balader au milieu des personnes venues profiter de la mer, tout habillé avec son appareil autour du cou. Je ne sais pas si les gens avaient le même sentiment que moi, mais j’avais l’impression de porter un nez rouge et que tout le monde me regardait. Je ne sais pas comment ça se passe sur les autres grandes plages du monde. Je suppose que pour certains endroits très touristiques, la présence de photographes passe inaperçue, tellement il y en a ! Ici à Marseille, peu ou pas de personnes avec un appareil photo. Je pense que le fait que je sois asiatique, m’a fait passé pour un de ces touristes perdus ici sur la plage et qui photographie tout et n’importe quoi. 

Mes premières photos datent de l’époque à laquelle j’utilisais encore mon Fuji XE2 qui n’est pas très discret aussi bien en taille que par le bruit du déclencheur. Il y a beaucoup de photos que je n’ai jamais montré de cette époque. J’ai réalisé quelques portraits de rue de belles gueules. Cette approche m’a permis aussi d’en connaître un peu plus sur les habitudes de certaines personnes qui fréquentaient régulièrement la plage. Les retraités, les pêcheurs … C’est très important pour moi de connaître un peu les lieux avant de pouvoir me libérer et faire des photos de cet endroit. Contrairement à Aix-en-Provence, je respectais une certaine distance avec les personnes photographiées car je ne voulais pas qu’ils se sentent agressés eux qui étaient déjà juste en maillots de bain. J’ai aussi dû avoir une approche moins frontale pour qu’ils ne voient pas arriver avec mon appareil photo.

J’ai beaucoup apprécié mes sorties à la plage à Marseille, mais j’ai arrêté assez rapidement car j’en avais marre de perdre 2 heures de ma journée en voiture. Si j’habitais Marseille, je traînerai plus souvent à la plage … J’ai néanmoins trouver une autre solution pour faire de temps en temps des photos à la plage sans que ce soit une corvée. Comment me direz vous ? Tout simplement en profitant des virées plage avec les enfants durant l’été ! 

Figurez vous que c’est beaucoup plus simple de faire de la Street avec ses enfants ! Primo, je viens aussi profiter de la plage donc je suis en short de bain et je ne dénote pas au milieu de tout ce monde. Et secundo, quoi de plus normal, un papa avec un appareil photo qui prend des photos de ses enfants ? Très souvent, je suis assis au bord de l’eau et je patiente comme à la pêche qu’une scène intéressante se passe devant moi. Ou sinon, j’arpente la plage en essayant de faire des photos discrètement. Oh bien sûr on me voit, mais j’ai l’air bien inoffensif avec ma nudité et mon petit appareil photo. Et puis comme je l’ai dit, à la plage, les gens sont plus détendus. Très souvent aussi, je profite de la proximité de mes enfants pour  me faire oublier. Je continue néanmoins à faire beaucoup de photos de mes deux petits gars, mais je suis aussi attentif à ce qui se passe autour de moi. Les photos ne se limitent pas à la plage elle même. De nombreuses opportunités s’offrent aussi à nous sans inclure la mer elle même. Les gens qui déambulent dans les ruelles. Ici la plage est suggérée et non pas visible sur les clichés.

Ça m’a fait bizarre de dépoussiérer certaines de ces photos faites il y a plus de deux ans. Toutes ces photos ont été réalisées avec mon Fuji XE2 avec le 18 mm f2 (equivalent 28 mm).  Ces photos sont très ancrées dans leur époque. Depuis que je shoote au Ricoh GRD IV, j’ai fait d’autres sorties à la plage avec les enfants et mes photos sont très différentes que celles que j’ai faites avec le Fuji. Je pense même que je ne pourrai pas faire le même travail avec le Ricoh. Ces photos sont liées à un moment de ma vie, à un appareil photo. Même si elles n’ont que 2 ans, j’ai l’impression qu’elles sont beaucoup plus anciennes que ça. Je me rends compte qu’à l’époque je forçais volontairement le post-processing pour donner de l’intérêt à mes photos. Tiens ce serait intéressant de développer ça dans un Blog ! Si vous aussi vous voulez essayer de faire de la Street Photography à la plage, je ne saurais vous conseiller ce Blog que Tim Huynh a rédigé à ce sujet.

Toutes ces photos ont été réalisées avec le Fuji XE2 | 18 mm f2 durant l’été 2016 sur les plages du Prado à Marseille et à Mimizan sur la côte Atlantique.

~o~

Looking back : Shooting the beach with the Fuji XE2.

I published lately, a lot of polemical blogs that made many people react. In any case, the feeling that I had because I talked a lot with photographers of the community. I am aware of going for the hateful guy who is ranting and just criticizes. I’ll be clear on that. What I have said in these Blogs, I really think so. I did not write them opportunistically as some people think to show my face anywhere. It’s been almost 3 years since I discovered Street Photography and everything around it. Street Photography is what I like. The rest (social media, looking for recognition, cronyism …) offers only confusion and distraction. Many focus on “the rest”, me is the street first and foremost. I can not shut my mouth when I see some behavior on social media, but it is also useless to pass for the angry guy …

I’m going back to something lighter. I was interviewed some time ago by Tim Huynh, a Hawaiian photographer friend. I know him for some time now, we exchange a little (especially bullshit …) on messenger. In the interview (you can read it here), Tim would like to see me doing street more often at the beach. It is true that I did a little when I started. During my street sessions to Marseille, I loved to hang out on the beaches of the Prado.

I had this need of exoticism to get out of my routine because I had the impression of going in circles in Aix-en-Provence. Marseille is only 20 kms from Aix, but it’s already very exotic. Why go to the beaches ? These are very interesting places to photograph. People are relaxed, they are there to enjoy the sun, to relax. The opportunities for photos are not lacking. And yet, these are not necessarily the easiest places to do Street Photography. Even if they are rather relaxed, they are still pretty damn vulnerable because almost naked. Hard to know how they will react with someone who is walking with his camera.

I started doing some sessions on the Prado beaches in Marseille. It is the largest beach of Marseille which attracts a rather heterogeneous population. I had deliberately targeted the week days to avoid the beach being too crowded. It’s quite intimidating to walk among the people who came to enjoy the sea, all dressed with his camera around his neck. I do not know if people had the same feeling as me, but I felt like I was wearing a red nose and everyone was looking at me. I do not know how it goes on the other big beaches of the world. I guess for some very touristy places, the presence of photographers goes unnoticed, so there is ! Here in Marseille, few or no people with a camera. I think that the fact that I’m Asian made me look like one of those tourists lost here on the beach who is photographing anything and everything.

My first photos date back to the time when I was still using my Fuji XE2 which is not very discreet both in size and the sound of the shutter. There are many pictures that I have never shown from this time. I made some street portraits of beautiful people. This approach also allowed me to know a little more about the habits of some people who frequented the beach regularly. Retirees, fishermen … It is very important for me to know a little places before I can free myself and take pictures of this place. Unlike Aix-en-Provence, I respected a certain distance with people photographed because I did not want them to feel assaulted them who were already just in swimsuits. I also had to have a less frontal approach so that they do not see arriving with my camera.

I enjoyed my street sessions to the beach in Marseille, but I stopped quite quickly because I was tired of losing 2 hours of my day by car. If I lived in Marseille, I would hang out more often at the beach … However, I find another solution to make photos at the beach from time to time without it being a chore. How will you tell me ? Simply enjoying the beach  with the kids during the summer !

Imagine it’s much easier to go street with your kids ! First, I also enjoy the beach so I’m in swim short and I do not denote in the middle of all this world. And second, what’s more normal, a dad with a camera that takes pictures of his children ? Very often, I sit at the shore and I wait like fishing that an interesting scene is happening in front of me. Or else, I walk the beach trying to take pictures discreetly. Oh of course they see me, but I look harmless with my nakedness and my camera. And then, as I said, at the beach, people are more relaxed. Very often too, I take advantage of the proximity of my children to make me forget. I still take many pictures of my two little boys, but I am also attentive to what is happening around me. The photos are not limited to the beach itself. Many opportunities are also available to us without including the sea itself. People walking in the alleys. Here the beach is suggested and not visible on the pictures.

It’s a bit strange to dust off some of those pictures made more than two years ago. All these photos were made with my Fuji XE2 with the 18 mm f2 (equivalent 28 mm). These photos are very anchored in their time. Since I’ve been shooting now with the Ricoh GRD IV, I’ve done other beach trips with the kids and my pictures are very different than the ones I made with the Fuji. I even think I will not be able to do the same work with the Ricoh. These photos are linked to a moment in my life, to a certain type of camera. Even if they are only 2 years old, I feel that they are much older than that. I realize that at the time I voluntarily forced the post-processing to give interest to my photos. Hey it would be interesting to develop it in a Blog ! If you also want to try Street Photography at the beach, I can not recommend this blog that Tim Huynh wrote about it.

All the pictures were made using the Fuji XE2 | 18 mm f2 during the summer 2016 on the beaches of the Prado in Marseille and in Mimizan on the Atlantic sea.

Cet article Looking back : Shooting the beach with the Fuji XE2. est apparu en premier sur Jeff CHANE-MOUYE PHOTOGRAPHY.

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Voilà 10 mois que je fais de la Street Photography. Après mon travail sur les ombres et la lumière, j’ai découvert en regardant les photos des autres, l’importance des silhouettes. Ces dernières ont un impact visuel indéniable dans une photo.

Mystère.

Il y a toute une part de mystère dans les silhouettes. Elles laissent place à l’interprétation de celui qui regarde. Que ce soit un élément de décors ou d’une personne.

Ça guide aussi le regard.

Layers (Plans).

Désolé d’employer ce terme anglais, mais il résume bien mieux le fait de donner de la profondeur à une image en utilisant plusieurs plans.

La photo devient ainsi plus intéressante car ça nous pousse à regarder le premier plan, le second plan et ensuite l’arrière plan.

Et au final une photo qui capte votre attention est une bonne photo.

Esthétisme.

L’utilisation de silhouettes, permet de faire des photos épurées et de mettre l’accent sur la grandeur des lieux.

Ou encore de mettre en valeur un arrière plan très photogénique.

Les bon sujets sont les personnages portant un chapeau ou d’autres pièces vestimentaires rajoutant un plus à la silhouette.

Modus Operendi.

Rien de plus simple, Chercher un arrière plan baigné de lumière et se mettre en face dans l’ombre et attendre que les gens passent ! La mesure d’exposition devant se faire sur la partie lumineuse. Personnellement je préfère sous-exposer de ~ -1.5 à 2 Diaph.

Certaines personnes passeront plutôt du coté ensoleillé et d’autres du côté obscur (Luke, Je suis ton Père !). En essayant de les mettre tous les deux dans le cadre, vous pourrez avoir ces fameux “plans”.

Coming soon !

Ne manquez pas dans mon prochain article, l’interview d’un photographe que j’apprécie beaucoup. Son travail ne se limite pas aux photos avec des silhouettes, mais il en a fait quelques unes de vraiment magnifiques. Je vous laisse avec une dernière photo et vous dit à très bientôt !

~ o ~

Silhouettes.

I’ve been shooting Street Photography for just 10 months. After my work on light & shadows, I discovered by looking at others photographs, the importance of silhouettes. They have an undeniable visual impact in a picture.

Mystery.

There is a lot of mystery in the silhouettes. They leave room for the interpretation of the observer. Whether it is a decorative element or a person.

Or it guides your reading of the photograph.

Layers.

Adding silhouettes to your composition can give layers to your photographs.

The picture becomes more interesting because it pushes us to look at the foreground, the midground and then the background.

And finally a picture that captures your attention is a good photo.

Aesthetics.

The use of silhouettes, also allows to make minimalist photographs.

Or to highlight a very photogenic background.

The good subjects are the people wearing a hat or other clothing items adding a plus to the silhouette.

Modus Openrendi.

Easy ! Look for a bright background, face in the shade and wait for people to pass ! The exposure measure should be done on the brightest part or otherwise I would prefer to underexpose from ~ -1.5 to 2 EV.

Some people will rather pass from the sunny side and others from the dark side (Luke I’m your father !). By trying to put them both in the frame, you can have those layers.

Coming soon !

In a next article, you will have the interview of a photographer I really appreciate. His work is not limited to pictures with silhouettes, but he has made some really beautiful one. I leave you with a last photograph and  see you soon !

Cet article Silhouettes. est apparu en premier sur Jeff CHANE-MOUYE PHOTOGRAPHY.

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Quand j’ai commencé la “Street Photography”, comme je suis d’une nature assez timide, la façon la plus simple de prendre des photos de rue était de trouver un endroit intéressant avec  une bonne lumière et attendre que les personnes entrent dans le cadre pour prendre la photo.

Assez rapidement je me suis lassé de ce procédé. Je voulais être au plus près des gens, dans leur intimité. Pour celà j’ai utilisé le ” zone focusing” en faisant la mise au point manuelle à 2 mètres, priorité ouverture à f8 (pour avoir suffisamment de profondeur de champ), vitesse à 1/320s minimum et en Auto ISO. Avec ces réglages tout était relativement net entre 1 mètre et 25 mètres devant moi. J’avais juste à m’approcher des gens sans me soucier de la mise au point et à appuyer sur le déclencheur. En procédant ainsi, le cadrage est rarement très bon, mais les photos réalisées de la sorte dégagent beaucoup d’énergie.

Le mois dernier, de passage à Liverpool, j’ai eu l’opportunité de participer à un atelier “photo de rue” et j’ai réalisé que jusqu’à présent, je ne prêtais pas assez attention aux ombres et à la lumière. Bien sûr en tant que photographes, on est toujours à chercher la bonne lumière, mais je ne m’étais encore jamais rendu compte que ombres et lumière étaient liés et qu’en jouant avec ces deux éléments, on pouvait ajouter une ambiance et rajouter un côté mystérieux aux photos. Le sud de la France où je vis est très souvent baigné d’une lumière magnifique. L’architecture d’Aix-en-Provence est faîte de très beaux immeubles aux façades en pierre qui bordent des ruelles étroites. J’ai passé les dernières semaines à déambuler dans les ruelles à la recherche de rayons de lumière intéressants. J’aurai pu travailler en mode “spot”, mais le plus simple était  de sous-exposer d’environ 2 Diaph. Voici quelques exemples du rendu obtenu en travaillant de la sorte.

Comme vous pouvez voir, il suffit de sous-exposer de plus ou moins 2 diaph en fonction de la situation et de votre appareil photo. Allez donc arpenter les rues de votre ville et cherchez ces contrastes ombres et lumière !

~ o ~

When I started street photography, as I ‘m quite shy, the easiest way to photograph was the fishing technique. Find a good spot with a decent light and wait for people to enter the frame then click the shutter.

After a few weeks I kind of get borred shooting like this. I wanted to get closer to people, to be in their intimacy. I used zone focusing at a distance of 2 meters, shutter speed at a minimum of 1/320 s, my apperture locked at f8 and Auto ISO. With these settings everything from 1 to almost 25 meters is in focus and relatively sharp. I just had to get close enough then “click”. I love shooting that way. The framing is rarely good enough but being close to people gives to the capture a lot of energy.

Last month I attented a street workshop in Liverpool and I discovered something I neglected so far. The light & shadows. Of course as photographers we look for the light, the right one, but I understood that while playing with the light and shadows, we could give to the photographs some mystery and mood. The place where I live is blessed with a wonderful light. Aix-en-Provence’s architecture is made of narrow streets and wonderful old buildings with theirs stone façades. I spent the past weeks wandering in my city, looking for rays of light. I could work in spot mode but the easiest way for me was to underexpose by 2 stops (more or less). Here are some examples of my previous walks in Aix-en-Provence.

As you can see, you have to adjust the underexposure according to the situation. It also depends on your camera. So go look for the light and shadows in your cities and share your captures !

Cet article Ombres & Lumière est apparu en premier sur Jeff CHANE-MOUYE PHOTOGRAPHY.

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