Tag Archives: 2018

Ricoh GRD4 and color

During my first years of blogging, I wrote a lot about the Ricoh GRD4. A little normal, I used this camera for almost three years continuously. Since then I switched to the Ricoh GR which is the camera that I now use on the street. But I have the impression that my blog is still associated with the Ricoh GRD4. Many people end up on my site after having researched on google for infos concerning Ricoh GRD4. These are 2 or 3 year old blogposts. Recently a person called me on YouTube asking me if it was relevant to buy a Ricoh GRD4 today and what about color photography with this camera?
Continue reading Ricoh GRD4 and color

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What’s next ?

We have been confined for more than 45 days. When this period started, the children were on holidays. Nothing has changed … Today the children are officially on vacation. In the meantime, my wife and I have spent all of our time teaching them school at home. One thing is certain, I am not made for that. Not enough patience and surely a lack of education too. But I don’t think we were too bad during this confinement. We hope that the deconfinement planned for May 11st in France will go well. Children should start school on May 18th. It is still conditional. In principle, we would like them to resume school, but we are awaiting more details on how to resume classes. The virus appears to be under control in Reunion Island. In the past two weeks, we have counted fewer than 20 cases. Continue reading What’s next ?

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Aix-en-Provence on my mind

I arrived in Aix-en-Provence at the end of 1997, a few months before this month of July 1998 blessed by all French Footix. That year, the French Football team became for the first time World Champion of Football. Footix was the mascot of this World Cup. I do not know why during these planetary events, there are always these ridiculous mascots. Here Footix was a pretty ridiculous cock whose name was a distant reminder to the irreducible Gallic of Uderzo. You know Asterix, Obelix, Idefix, Panoramix … Since I think that the term Footix has become pejorative when you speak of someone who loves football. I so have spent more than 20 years in Aix-en-Provence before moving to this lost island in Indian Ocean. How long do we live ? 80 years ? A bit more for some. I spent 1/4th of my life in Provence. I met my wife, I became a dad and I also discovered the Street Photography late at the age of 40. When I see some young people starting street photography, I’m a little envious because I thought that if I had been interested in Street Photography in the 80s, I could have documented this period and all those who follow-up … Regrets ? A little yes. Continue reading Aix-en-Provence on my mind

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Red Bull Bowl Rippers Skate 2019

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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Behind this shot : Happy kid.

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.

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Street Photography Tips : Layers.

(English version at the bottom of the page)

Foreword : I finished writing this Blog when I received in my mailbox the new Blog post of John Harper about the exact same subject. We didn’t coordinate ourselves to talk about that. Great coincidence. I urge you to to give a shout to his Blog here !

Certains vont dire que je prends le melon en me permettant de donner des conseils sur comment faire telle ou telle chose. Il  n’en est rien. J’ai eu l’idée de lancer cette nouvelle rubrique Street Photography Tips en lisant les derniers articles de John Harper qui se plaignait de ne pas parvenir à faire ces fameuses layers en Street Photography. En français, il s’agit de faire des photos avec différents plans. Ça fait trois ans que je fais de la Street Photography et pour tout vous dire, j’ai encore beaucoup à apprendre mais j’ai déjà parcouru pas mal de chemin depuis mes débuts. Je ne me considère plus comme un débutant, mais je suis encore loin de maîtriser le sujet. Le premier Blog de cette nouvelle rubrique est donc consacré aux layers. Ne prenez pas tout pour argent comptant tout ce que je dirais dans ce Blog. Je parle essentiellement de mon expérience et de ma façon de construire ce genre de photos. Continue reading Street Photography Tips : Layers.

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Shoot for yourself !

 

(English version at the bottom of the page)

Dans un précédent Blog, je vous annonçais que je quittais Facebook. Je vous rassure tout de suite, je ne fais pas de come-back ! D’ailleurs, je ne l’ai pas évoqué dans mon Blog, mais vous savez que vous avez la possibilité de léguer votre compte Facebook à quelqu’un qui le gérerait si vous décédiez (!!!!) ? Eh oui notre ami Mark a pensé a tout, même pour permettre aux gens morts d’avoir leur page Facebook … Quand j’ai voulu effacer mon compte, j’ai eu beau chercher dans tous les menus et je ne suis pas parvenu à trouver comment effacer ce fichu compte. J’ai eu besoin d’utiliser le moteur de recherche d’un autre membre du GAFA (Google-Apple-Facebook-Amazon) pour savoir comment l’effacer. Continue reading Shoot for yourself !

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Looking back to the year 2018.

(English version at the bottom of the page)

Blog presque obligatoire de fin d’année, je m’y colle aussi. Et pourtant je n’ai pas envie que cette année se termine ! J’essaye de me rendre dans Aix-en-Provence dès que j’ai le temps après ou avant le boulot. 30 minutes me suffisent. 2018 est presque fini et 2019 c’est déjà demain (ou presque…). 2019 rime avec départ pour moi. On ne partira pour l’Ile de la Réunion qu’en fin d’année prochaine, mais ce sera bien en 2019. Je profite pleinement de mes moments passés dans Aix à chaque fois que j’arpente les rues avec mon appareil photo en main. Continue reading Looking back to the year 2018.

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T.M.E (Through.My.Eyes) #4.

 

 

(English version at the bottom of the page)

Ça fait un moment que je n’avais pas fait de vidéos dans la rue. J’avais rangé ma caméra sur une étagère et je l’avais un peu oubliée. Même si je trouve ces vidéos intéressantes, la caméra fixée sur le porte-griffe de mon Ricoh GRD IV est vraiment imposante et au delà du poids supplémentaire qui déséquilibre mon appareil photo, ce qui est surtout gênant c’est le manque de discrétion de l’ensemble. Ce qui me gêne surtout, ce sont les regards que me lancent les gens quand je prends les photos. Il est très compliqué de passer inaperçu. Surtout avec mon style photographique où j’ai tendance d’être assez près des gens. Ce jeudi, j’avais une petite heure de disponible avant d’aller travailler. 1 h c’est assez peu, mais je vais devoir composer avec ces petites sessions car avec le déménagement futur, j’ai quelques menus travaux à effectuer dans la maison pour la vendre. Hors de question d’aller faire des photos si je ne travaille pas … Continue reading T.M.E (Through.My.Eyes) #4.

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Farewell Facebook !

 

 

(English version at the bottom of the page)

Il y a tout juste deux ans de ça, j’entrais dans la sphère Facebook. A plus de quarante ans, je vous avouerai que je n’avais jamais éprouvé le besoin d’être sur cette plateforme. Je m’étais inscrit sur Facebook pour une seule et unique raison. Entrer en contact avec des gens qui faisaient comme moi de la Street Photography. C’était il me semblait le meilleur moyen de montrer son travail pour avoir des avis sur ce que je faisais. A l’époque je débutais et je n’avais pour ainsi dire aucun repère et je ne connaissais personne qui en faisait. Continue reading Farewell Facebook !

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