visit my website

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The main station

I was hours ahead of my TGV for Paris, to depart from Lyon main station. No-one there but the reverberation of my footsteps and the sun burning the walls of the underground corridors.


Sunday, September 18, 2011

Justice and the poor

Generally I don't like to photography mendicants. Actually I am not good at photographing peopleat all but when it is about begging it comes to me  as if it could be some aesthetics to poverty. But photography is not only that it is also about communication. I live in a country considered as poor with regard to western standards, so here are 4 squares took from our western standards. The first is from my home town, Lausanne, followed by Dusseldorf and 2 shots from Paris.


LAUSANNE

The woman knees on a cushion, showing she will be here for hours. Her arm directed as people crossing at safety range, 3 to 5 meters. The plastic glass remains empty and just while she noticed me the statue of justice with her closed eyes seems to ignore the truth of life in one of the richest cities



DUSSELDORF
The next square is from Düsseldorf, no-one noticed me this time but the position was precarious so the limited ability to compose. The man down there, just like the woman in Lausanne, extend his arm as far as he can but for the 10 minutes I observed the scene he didn’t get any money and the only attention he deserved were people trying to avoid him walking and biking as fast as they can, just like if poverty were contagious and running fast would save you from social bankruptcy.





PARIS
The famous metro is a place of choice to beg for some coins, thousands of busy people, all with more or less some rounds in their pockets. The difference is they do not extend their arm. Sitting passively, waiting a coin to be dropped, the man is just in between two main doors avoiding sitting in the hurrying people flow. The woman seems praying in a corner downstairs, forcing people to pass behind or in front of her, but no way forcing them to help.

It is true that in Paris all your coins goes to "tube musicians" playing accordion whom after having you forced to listen to some piece of music you didn’t like come and shake a hat or plastic container some centimetres away your nose. Too bad for those waiting and praying quietly and patiently between to trains.








Thursday, September 15, 2011

Through the porthole

Ferries crossing the bay are occasions of meeting people and capturing interesting scenes. I especially like old ferries with their multiple coats of paints, rusty hull and old fashioned furniture. 


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The tree

Some pictures, before you take it you know you will process it in BW shades. Once one have to make his choice before to load the camera with a roll of colour or panchro film, except for the lucky and courageous carrying 7 glasses and 2 or 3 bodies :) . Today it seems easier since one just have to shot and shot again. Still we have to make a choice, here it is.
You probably already met "the tree" in other of my photographs, alone in the very shoreline I just can keep picturing it.


Saturday, September 10, 2011

Swingset

This is from the winter. I like winter. Less crowd, lower sun light with long shadows, clear weather especially just after the rain. 


Sunset time

Sunset time, the lights're turned on

Sunset time

Sunset time, the lights're turned on

Friday, September 9, 2011

Black nights and black and white films

These are two shots made under the same conditions as the previous, but three years old. Zuiko 85/2.0 with a 400CM Kodak developed in a C41 machine and immediately scanned at 6.3 mp. The reproductions are full framed (actually one is 95% to get back to the viewfinder coverage and corrected minus 3EVs!!!! but didn't adjust contrast. This is a hand shot, I mean the 400CN gave all it can deliver under poor conditions and still is fine grain and shades. I confess I can't get the same with my DSLR, steady shot and the small zoom I used. Ok it is fair for 90% of the shots but for a few it is clearly not at the level. Should I go full frame and equip Zeiss? sure I would. But instead if I can assure a good bath to my 400CNs and a scanning at 10-14 MPs I will definitively think to clean my 20 years old glasses :)



Sunday, September 4, 2011

Ghost

When long exposures are involved you never know what people in the scene will do, even they come in after the show began. Here some "ghost" wandering around.




Ghost

When long exposures are involved you never know what people in the scene will do, even they come in after the show began. Here some "ghost" wandering around.


moonlight

Here is a new shot made last night while the moon was bright and low in the sky. This shows the limit of the digital gamut, at least with APS-C current sensors, that one can reproduce in high contrasted scenery. The moon halo appears with long exposure while short exposures are hardly exploitable. With exposures around half a minute HDR is difficult to implement thanks the moon not standing still :) .


Anyway, enjoy the night!




moonlight

Here is a new shot made last night while the moon was bright and low in the sky. This shows the limit of the digital gamut, at least with APS-C current sensors, that one can reproduce in high contrasted scenery. The moon halo appears with long exposure while short exposures are hardly exploitable. With exposures around half a minute HDR is difficult to implement thanks the moon not standing still :) .


Anyway, enjoy the night!




Thursday, September 1, 2011

The red and the black, a kind of dance

This series is about wind and light and a dancing kite. The evening blow and the streetlamps' light ignite the kite's nylon and make it look like flame.
























The red and the black, a kind of dance

This series is about wind and light and a dancing kite. The evening blow and the streetlamps' light ignite the kite's nylon and make it look like flame.