Photography & I

I’ve always seen photography in my family. My grandfather on mother’s side was used to take a lot of pictures. He shot some excellent photos when he was sailing oceans back in the 30’s. On my mother’s side, we own a lot of photography from family members which I cherish truly. Those great grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins from another century (19e) with their costumes, their attitudes, look like they are still alive and real. The happiness to look at a photo of your ancestor and realize that you look like her/him is huge and endlessly agreeable.

I don’t know how it comes to me, but I got a camera when I was 7 and started to take photography. I really loved that pleasure and I never stop so far. The first photo I took was a castle nearby Périgord area and its reflect in the lake encircled it. It is not the best photo ever, but I am very proud of it. I kept on learning and shooting. When I turned 12, I realized that apart from architecture, flowers, animals and people, I could take fashion, dresses, models etc. I’ve been a fan of fashion since I was around 10, sketching dresses and I discovered fashion magazines in the attic of my family House. Then, I’ve been keen on models (such as Renee Toft Simonsen, in 1982) and was enthralled by fashion and clothing. Fashion photography opened a large universe to me. You can unite very different themes in a single photo : fashion of course, dress-shoe-hairdo, but always architecture, nature, colors, etc ; recreating an imaginary scene, purpose and changing completely a person. The magic in photography can happen daily.

I am able to stay focused on an animal or a flower for hours to take the right photo. I remember following an ant for about 40 minutes to take it crossing a leaf. Shot and it was a gorgeous one !

 I’ve told you that before, I am not a digital photographer even though I had to be involved in lately due to the lack of rolls of films, but I am fan of rolls, argental camera (Leica & Canon were my first cameras), the one you have to know all the technical aspects of, without risking a blurry image or a total screwed one.

Nowadays, people use digital camera, take photos like they consume goodies : fast and without thinking. All Photoshop or Image software can reduce, correct, ameliorate, brighten, darken or erase a flaw. That is not photography to me. Creating the perfect (or, at least, the closest to perfection) photo without doing a single rectification is very harsh and digital camera assists you in any aspect ! So whatever my digital photo looks like, I don’t correct it. I just barely do it if the client demands it.

Photography is vital to me. I don’t know how to explain the bliss I feel whenever I have a camera in hands. Whatever the subject is, I am someone else, somewhere else, without feeling depreciated or a genius. Just feel myself, alive and happy. Nothing else but writing makes me feel that way.

 Totally blessed indeed. 






photo taken by my granddad in 1929.