Man

I put an orange filter to this picture and an acid frame in order to give it an old aspect. Indeed, I was walking in the Meat Packing District and I saw this guy, wearing some old clothes. Suddenly, I imagined what I wanted to do "with him".


The huge poster on the left attracts our attention. A woman who wears a veil; she is here to deliver a message. Above, we can also see the "ying and yang" sign and graffiti. It makes the image even more realistic.


After, we have this guy, who is sitting on a step and looking out somewhere. We have an interesting contrast between the woman who is looking at us and the guy who seems to be out. So that woman tries to get all the attention on her, in reducing this guy on the back.

Untilted

I was in Brooklyn, at the festival of photography (DUMBO) and I saw this girl, sitting down on a bench, and watching what was happening (maybe) outside.


She has a cool attitude; she does not seem to care about what is happening around her. She is just watching out of the window, without any special feature of frustration or happiness. Her posture shows a relax person, who seems to be overcome by her mind, by her dreams. She breathes peace and well-being.

In comparison to the room, she seems small. With these tall windows, long brick walls, those benches which follow one another. She is, one the photograph, the only living object. Like if nobody was alive, but just her. Nobody near her. She has created her own space: an empty place where she can meditate, without any disturbing noise. And when we look at her, we envy this feeling because she represents, according to me, the distance that we want to take with life.

Struggle - First Amendment -

This is Reverend Billy (I hope you know who he is) at Union Square. He was there in order to give a message : The safeguard of Union Square; filled of History.
For people who don't know, a "wealthy" owner would like to destruct a part of Union Square to create a restaurant. So, destruct a part of the story of America in the name of benefit.


Those three images try to build the face of Reverend Billy: A man who defends his ideas (e.g. "Stop Shopping) in front of the public, A man who takes risks (going onto the restaurant in construction to hoist a "flag" : Not For Sale), A man who listens to young and elder generations who struggle for the same goal. There are revolted against a society which doesn't want to think about the wellbeing of human but just about money.


In a certain way, he is the voice of the voiceless and we can feel it throughout those images.

Children Joy

In my point of view, this picture is a good, and at the same time fake, version of Harlem. Here are my reasons.
When I was in Harlem, I felt like an embarrassment between my camera and people. Each time I was trying to take a picture, they were avoiding me. I was worried because some of those people was wearing some incredible clothes, or had beautiful feature BUT I couldn't catch them.
However, when I passed by basket ground, I saw some children who were singing. As I moved closer, they started singing louder and dancing. I thought it was THE time...


I really enjoy all of the joy which emerges of the photograph. All of these smiles, these looks, the feature on their faces...

We can see in the middle of the picture that there is a "hole" where a child or maybe a teenager looks at me with a smile, certainly because she enjoys this moment. An other one, in the left of the middle is singing and dancing.

In comparison with the adult world, those children seem to take advantage of their youth. They don't judge you or directly say "no" or "yes, 5 dollars" when we ask to take a picture of them. It is maybe a kind of carefree attitude but it is what we miss.

Indeed, we are always afraid by what this person will be thinking about us if we do, say, act in a certain way. In growing up we become more paranoid towards the others and less joyful than when we were a child...

If it's what growing up means, I prefer to stay a child and enjoy my life as much as I can.

L'Imagination est l'Amie de l'Avenir

"L'Imagination est l'Amie de l'Avenir"... in other words, 'Imagination is the Future's Best Friend'. It is such a beautiful quotation.
I took this picture in Paris, far away from mass consumption.



The wooden steps stuck in the rocks reveal nature's beauty, even though those elements were in a metropolis, in the capital of France.

The steps show the future that we don't know and the blur aspect, the sensation of a dream. We all have no idea about what we will do. Sure, we can make plans but... will we really give them shape?

The curve in the left lets imagine a turn in our life. A means to find a better life for ourselves. The little white space on the top allow us to believe in it. Where there is the light, there is the life...

However, we are in the bottom of those steps. The question to ask is : " Do we have the courage to climb them? Or do we fear our future?

This photograph brings up a contrast : the stairs and the rocks (difficulties) against the light (knowledge/future).

Montmartre in Winter

During the end of winter time, I enjoy walking in the streets of Paris looking for new shapes and structures.
Here, those three pictures represent, from my perspective, Montmartre. Its heights, its stairs, its old construction, its mysterious side ...



On the left, we can see stairs from the top and, at the center of this picture, a handrail which separates a demarcate. Its black color emphasizes it. On one side we can see some white walls and, on the other, some flowery walls.

At the center, we can admire an old monument which possesses, at its top, a Christian cross. The clouds give a mysterious aspect. The shapes too. There is a mix between oval, round and straight lines.

On the right, we see stairs from the bottom (in contradiction with the left one). Those straight lines take us away, attract us towards the unknown monument. It offers a mystical atmosphere, reinforced by those leafless trees.

All of those images transport us towards an unknown universe; a new part of the latter. The dark color of the sepia allows this aspect.

Ethni in the City

When I arrived last August in the city of New York, I was pleasantly surprised by the real melting pot. All these people who live together in spite of the cultural differences.
This picture was taken during the 2007 Korean festival. Most of the Koreans had left their "occidental clothes" and put on their traditional costumes.



I enjoy watching this image because the look of the girl disrupts me. She is looking in my direction and knows that I'm taking her picture. However, she doesn't try to impress me, she is just staring at me. Her screw up eyes allow to give an intensity to the face. Furthermore, the red of her "Hankok" (Korean traditional dress) emphasizes her milky skin.

I put her in the foreground because she is the central element. On the background, we can catch sight of two other people. One who seems to be old and the other one, on the right, who should have the same age as my principal character.

Her youthful face, and her hand near her mouth make us think that she is pure and candid. She doesn't look afraid of my objective, she just stays herself.

The acid effect is here to give an old-fashion perspective to the image. Nowadays, with the globalization, it becomes difficult to find those kind of clothes. It is the reverse effect which appears : we are all looking for the new fashion product who distort our own culture.