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52 Photographs (2018) #16: A wide-angle diversion

52 Photographs (2018) #16: A wide-angle diversion

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Yes, it’s a bit trash. But reading all those Winogrand books really brought home for me the possibilities of wider-angle lenses. When I saw this scene unfolding right in front of me I had my second Leica to hand with a 28mm lens fitted, I was ready.

A wide-angle diversion

I might as well the tell the joke I heard, what’s the different between Cartier-Bresson and William Klein? Answer — about four paces. Photographer joke. One used a 50mm lens and was always around 4m from his subjects; the other preferred 28mm leses, and stood right next to the people he was photographing.

52 Photographs (2018) #15: A conversation between friends at night

52 Photographs (2018) #15: A conversation between friends at night

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This year, I am a member of the Photoclub Paris Val-de-Bièvre. They are a very active club and have many members. Amongst their numerous activities, they organise photowalks at night; I took part in two of them. This photograph was taken on our second night out, when we were walking around La Butte-aux-cailles.

A conversation between friends at night

For sure there is a certain atmosphere in these streets at night. It is not always easy to take photographs after dark on film, but sometimes it works out.

52 Photographs (2018) #13: Crossing Luxembourg gardens, heading purposefully towards the sea

52 Photographs (2018) #13: Crossing Luxembourg gardens, heading purposefully towards the sea

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Week 13: my strength returns, and I walk as far as Luxembourg gardens. In three years of taking photographs with film cameras I have shot more than four hundred rolls; only a handful of those have been in colour. And I have never shot a single roll of colour film with a Leica camera in Paris. But on this day, for some unknowable reason, I loaded one of my three last rolls of Kodak colour film into my camera, and left the apartment.

Every time I put colour film in a camera I think of the scene in a certain Wim Wenders movie where everything suddenly turns into colour. Closing the camera, I imagine that change happening around me. For me, colour photography is hard. And because I don’t develop at home, I am even more parsimonious with the exposures. But when I saw this fellow crossing the gardens I didn’t hesitate.

Crossing Luxembourg gardens, heading purposefully towards the sea

I like his determined stride, and how the dark blue of his uniform stands out against the winter trees. Next week, we will be in black and white again.