« Né dans la rue » is the name of a photography exhibit taking place at the Fondation Cartier in Paris until end of November. « Born in the street » refers to graffiti and street art as this exhibit shows the evolution of this art over the last thirty years through photographies and live graffitis.Yet, for a moment I was fooled as I initially believed this exhibit showed pictures of kids « born in the streets ». Maybe my brain was tricked by the association of this sister in a bus and the charity of Mother Teresa. (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 24mm Elmarit at F2.8, 1/350, ISO160
Archive for août, 2009
Né dans la rue (Born in the Street)
Lundi, août 31st, 2009Siesta by the Seine
Dimanche, août 30th, 2009A chair, a barge, an afternoon siesta. What else ? (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 60mm Hexanon at F1.2, 1/6000, ISO160
Take me to the moon
Samedi, août 29th, 2009… but not this way. Probably what was in the mind of this frightened girle as this couple gt ready to be catapulted in the Tuileries Garden sky. (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 60mm Hexanon at F1.2, 1/125, ISO640
Safari 2CV
Vendredi, août 28th, 2009Though I would not confront a Lion with this 2CV, it would probably be a great experience to tour Paris and … hunt pigeons ? (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 28mm Summicron at F2, 1/8000, ISO 160
Mirrored fans
Jeudi, août 27th, 2009A grand stand was installed this summer in front of the Hotel de Ville to showcase numerous concerts. While this band had thousands of specators in front of them, their most hale and hearty ones seemed to stand by their side. (click on picture to enlarge)
Epson R-D1 with 60mm Hexanon at F8, 1/340, ISO200
Through the sprinklers
Jeudi, août 27th, 2009As sand and passerby’s replace the August traffic on the Seine River banks, a son and father enjoy a refreshening ride through the sprinklers. Jumping in the River to do so was obviously not an option. (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 28mm Summicron at F4, 1/250, ISO160
Apollinaire’s heir ?
Mardi, août 25th, 2009As people party on the banks of the Seine River, this girl was deeply concentrated on her homwork. Or maybe was she the next Apollinaire, finding inspiration in this atmosphere soaked with alcohol. (click on picture to enlarge)
Epson R-D1 with 60mm Hexanon at F1.2, 1/350, ISO800
Golden Ferrari : Dubai licence plates grant immunity
Lundi, août 24th, 2009A Golden Ferrari blocks a lane on a side street of Les Champs-Elysées and create a large traffic jam. A squad of seven policemen walks by, looks at the Dubai licence plates, exchanges a few words and walks away. A few hundred meters further away, six policemen fine the truck of a merchant parked outside of the designated area.
The motto of the French Republic is « Liberty, Equality, Fraternity ». Obviously, equality does not seem to apply to you if your licence plate comes from the Gulf Emirates. To add to the absurdity of this situation, a homeless steps out of the crowd and fakes he is the owner of the car. Liberty still resists, hopefully. (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 24m Elmarit at F2.8, 1/60, ISO640
Melting pot generation
Dimanche, août 23rd, 2009Though there are no strong racial tensions in France, equality of chances has not been achieved in the French Society. The political and economic system is completely locked by Whites even though an increasing percentage of the population is formed by other ethnies. Change and, ultimately full integration, will hopefully come through the new generations. (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 24mm Elmarit at F5.6, 1/750, ISO160
Women are beautiful : post-scriptum
Samedi, août 22nd, 2009One could talk about women for ever … well, I must stop this series…. because there is only one I love and while I talk about other women, she is waiting for me. ;) (I will update this series from time to time … unluckily I can’t restrain myself to shooting flowers)
Leica M8 with 28mm Summicron at F4, 1/1000, ISO160
Women are beautiful X : and more beautiful then ever
Vendredi, août 21st, 2009Take a walk on Les Champs-Elysées anyday and you will see beauty in every corner. The XXIst century woman is more self-confident and independant than ever and her beauty is the reflection of it, not anymore a mask to hide after. Gary Winogrand ‘s book « Women are beautiful » showed the beginning of this process, I would have loved to have seen his interpretation of our decade. This will not happen unluckily.
All shots below taken over the last two days on Les Champs-Elysées with 24mm Elmarit, mostly at F2.8. (click on pictures to enlarge)
Women are beautiful XIX : and they are smart
Jeudi, août 20th, 2009Indeed, have you ever seen a man reading in the middle of a square in tuxedo ? (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 24mm Elmarit at F2.8, 1/2000, ISO160
Women are beautiful VIII : and they (still) smoke
Mercredi, août 19th, 2009Three decades after, this has not changed. Though will all know that smoking kills ( … and the government takes a pleasure in reminding it in every way possible), I always the act of smoking in a women radiates a lot of sensuality. Probably a result of Hollywood and the often seen association of cigarette and beautiful women in movie scenes. (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 24mm Elmarit at F2.8, 1/750, ISO160
Women are beautiful VII : and colorful
Mardi, août 18th, 2009Gone are the eighties and the horrendous fluo colors.Gone are the nineties and the Grunge decadent look (« I look like a trash bag and I am proud of it »).Colors belong to this decade, let’s hope it stays like that. (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 60mm Hexano at F1.2, 1/1000, ISO160
Women are beautiful VI : and they are glamorous
Lundi, août 17th, 2009A women stands alone on Les Champs-Elysées in a beautiful night dress. Nowadays, men arrive late too. Still not tolerable. (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 24mm Elmarit at F2.8, 1/750, ISO160
Women are beautiful V : and they are fit
Dimanche, août 16th, 2009Indeed, on a given day in the Monceau Park, you will find a lot more women running around the park then men, almost can call them the fitness generation. This shot was taken at the start of the 2009 Marathon on Les Champs-Elysées.
Leica M8 with CV 35mm Nokton at F1.2, 1/6000, ISO160
Women are beautiful IV: and they talk
Samedi, août 15th, 2009This shot taken two decades ago would have looked quite different. Indeed the women would be either reading or looking at the passerby in that busy street on the Saint-Denis Island. In 2009, you can talk in a coffee even when you are alone. Wonderful. (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 28mm Summicron, 1/160, ISO160
Women are beautiful III : and they defy monuments
Vendredi, août 14th, 2009Women are so beautiful, they are monuments by themselves!!! (click on picture to enlarge)
Epson R-D1 with CV15MM, 1/720, ISO200
Women are beautiful II : On fashion
Jeudi, août 13th, 2009Fashion is obviously a big thing in Paris. Creativity and style is everywhere, be it on the high couture shops of the golden neighbourhoods or on a stand at the flea market. In the end, attitude is what matters. (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 35mm Summilux Asph, 1/500, ISO160
Women are beautiful by Gary Winogrand : The girl with a flower
Mercredi, août 12th, 2009A few days ago, I received a book that I had been longing for, that is the 1975 « Women are beautiful » by Gary Winogrand. I had previously posted an entry about this photographer that I greatly admire. He shot mainly with a 28mm lens and spent his life in the street photographing people. This book is regarded as his most famous, the one where he took snapshot of unknown women in the streets of New York in the aftermath of May 69. But in order to explain his approach on the topic, here is a quote of the introductory essay of Helen Gary Bishop :
« … Garry Winogrand has done more than record artful compositions of beautiful breasts and bodies. I believe he is genuinely attracted by the dynamics of the female being. But with the unerring instinct of the artist he has caught the conflict of the feminine creature: the body as object vying with the self as person. »
35 years after, our society has made giant steps forward and the condition of women is now the equal of man in most Western countries . Women in Paris are now liberated, self-confident, independant, …….still driving men nuts, and still …. beautiful.
Over the coming days, as a wink to this great photographer, I will post a series dedicated on this theme. Yet today we start with this shot taken a few hours ago on Les Champs-Elysées and shows a chic Parisiangirl on an afternoon shopping spree. (click on picture to enlarge)
Leica M8 with 24mm Elmarit at F2.8, 1/3000, ISO160
