This slideshow has been available for two weeks already on my YouTube channel. I had not yet had the time to write a Blog to present it. You’ll see, it’s a small selection of photos. It will not take you much time to browse it … Since I returned from France, I did not spend much time doing photos. My mind is busy with something else and I do not have enough mental readiness to do Street Photography. And yet it would be a moment that I could give myself to nod my head. I found another way to let off steam after my days of work. I go to the gym. So what did I stop photography ?
Not really. As I keep saying, there is a time for everything. It will always be time to get back to it later. At the moment I am trying to acclimate myself to Reunion. When you have spent more than 20 years in the same place in France, it is not anything to move to a new place. And yet “this new place”, I was born there and I lived there when I was young. At the moment, I live in Saint-Denis but I do not consider myself at home yet. It’s funny because I’m not really from Jouques because we sold our house there, but I’m still not really from Saint-Denis. On the job side, I still have to pass my qualification that will allow me to work alone. For the moment, I am learning. It’s quite funny to be trained by people who are younger than me, but I live it pretty well. I do not have a problem with that. I have always considered that competence has no age.
I celebrated at the beginning of the month my birthday. My wife asked me jokingly what it was like to be 46 years old. I just told him that at 45, I was qualified and I had a house when at 46, I found myself in apprenticeship and I had no house … I know very well that this this situation is temporary and that in a year’s time things will have changed and I will find my very dear routine. I need this to free my mind and to include Street Photography. When I’m in the car, I can not stop scanning what’s happening around me. I do not have a camera with me, but my eyes are training to see situations that I could photograph. I do some sort of mental Street Photography without a camera …
To be honest, the only times I go out now are during my lunch breaks, my little errands or bringing the kids to their extracurricular activities. I have not yet seen what I did in November for the next What you have not seen, but it may be summed up to one or two photos ! In the meantime, I leave you with the very thin selection of this month of October !
A quick post to share with you the What you haven’t seen of September 2019. A slideshow with very few interesting photos. There are a lot of photos of Toulouse that I have not shared yet, but I keep them for a future blogpost about my stay in this city. All the photos in this slideshow were made in Aix-en-Provence and Reunion Island with of course the Ricoh GR.
It’s been almost 3 years since this blog exists. It has evolved a lot since my first article and the content too. I have tried to expand the topics with the progressively T.M.E (Through My Eyes) and for some time, I decided to share with you my photos in slideshows. I could have posted these photos in Blogsposts, but I did not want to drown the reading under dozens of photos. The other reason is that I shoot a lot and so far so many of these photos were dusting my hard drive. I had found a way to show them by occasionally making a slideshow called What You Have not Seen # xxx. I decided to change the frequency of publication of these slideshows by offering it every month.
This slideshow is the first in a long series that will be published every month and that will gather the photos that I will not have had the time to share with you. They will be more or less long according to what I will have to share. For this month of August, Aix-en-Provence is in the spotlight. I did not have time to share these photos because I essentially shared photos of my recent trips in Rome and Marseille.
This is the last summer I spent in Aix-en-Provence. It makes me a little heartache because I was at home in this city. Even though I spent quite a bit of time in the streets of Aix during this month, I had a lot of photos. The slideshow below is very long if you have enough courage to watch it through.
All the photographs were made during the month of August 2019 with the Ricoh GR and GRD 4.
This photo could be my last photo made in the streets of Aix-en-Provence. At the time I write this very short blog, a page turns. I am finishing today my last day of work in Aix. I go directly find for a few days my beloved family on the island of Reunion. Yesterday, going to work and heading to a restaurant where I had to find some friends, I continued to do what I did for the last 3 years. I had my Ricoh on my wrist as usual and I captured here and there some scenes in the streets of my city. What’s funny is that all the pictures I made yesterday, I post-processed them in B&W.
I did most of the photos between 7pm and 8pm and it was sorely lacking light and the B&W was needed because in color, the photos would have been awful … Everything had started in monochrome for me and it had to be so for finish. I study the possibility of switching to the Ricoh GR 3 for better performance in low light. Case to follow …
I will try to make a blog more consistent to summarize these almost 4 years roaming the streets of Aix-en-Provence. I’m always looking to the future and I’m pretty excited to see what I can do in Reunion Island. It’s also a big leap into the unknown because there was some comforting routine in Aix. Before that, I would have the opportunity to spend 3 weeks in Toulouse before focusing on my island.
All photos were taken yesterday with the Ricoh GR.
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.
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.
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 !
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 !
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.
