Slightly Nutty Street Photography

     This old man was selling model boats. I liked his smile and his way of teasing passers-by. He looked like an old sea dog. Suddenly, I felt like calling him Captain.

     Generally, I avoid taking photos in stores. But in this one, a woman sitting between two displays and deeply immersed in a comic book immediately caught my attention. Then I noticed the large circular light on the ceiling and I discreetly knelt to crown the reader.

     On a sunny afternoon in Stockholm, the winter light was very soft. When the man walking in front of me passed a bicycle leaning against the wall, I felt at his step that he was, like me, happy to simply walk in such a beautiful light.

     In this small town, there was a great flea market in the main street. In front of a baby business store, a young boy was having fun by just making soap bubbles.

     In the courtyard of Palais Royal in Paris that summer, all sorts of columns were like sundials in the midday sun. All these nice geometric shapes made me want to take pictures but someone was missing in the frame. Then a lady in a rush suddenly crossed the place, holding her dress to run faster.

     Several times before, I had already crossed paths with this friendly crew in town but they were cruising too fast. As this time I saw the man walking to cross the street, pushing his bike with his dog in his basket, I rushed to them and took their picture. The man noticed me only afterwards and told me kindly: "His name is Fripouille."

    Sitting on a bench in Grenoble's jardin de ville, I was tinkering with my old camera when a bunch of joyful kids burst in. They were very curious of my camera and asked me to take their picture, which I did. I wonder what they look like today and hope they are still as happy.

    As they came out of their shop, I was looking for old books across the street. Their distress stroke me, which seemed as great as their love. I was a bit reluctant to take their picture, but the scene was so reminiscent of some FSA photos taken during the Great Depression in the US that I discreetly snap this one anyway.

      On a already hot summer morning, I was taking the bus to watch the start of a running race. I did not really plan to take pictures before that, but this little girl was sleeping so deeply and beautifully that I could not resist.

    The winter sun was strongly backlighting this loving couple walking in front of me. Suddenly they joined hands and a nice romantic pattern appeared. Even the old chewing gum stains on the sidewalk gleamed gracefully.

    These two kids were selling some of their old toys at a garage sale: books, small cars and plastic dinosaurs. The little girl was clearly teasing her big brother, keeping his part of their takings. I took their picture as she finally gave it up, yet holding a little devil's fork.

    Walking in the streets of Marseille with family during a sunny spring afternoon, I noticed these three kids. Playing in front of their building's door, they were waiting for a parent and kept on calling on the intercom.

      As I saw from the other side of the subway tracks this man walking slowly, I felt suddenly immersed in his own thoughts. Or at least I wondered what they could be, which is not very different. At one point he looked discreetly at the woman's body on the billboard, and I had the strange impression that the hand was his.

     In the clothing section of a supermarket, a little girl was dancing alone. She was warmly dressed and seemed a little bored. By spinning around very quickly, she made a plastic bag swell and fly.

    Where is it? That's exactly what this man was wondering, as he rested on the side of the road near the quays of Isère in Grenoble. Waiting for his cycling friends, he first climbed the nearby bridge's parapet to get a better look at them coming. Then a helicopter joined the scene and he tried to identify the origin of this strange, sudden sound.

      Le Furet du Nord is an old bookstore in the city center of Valenciennes where I like to return from time to time. At this occasion, an old man who looked like a retired French teacher to me, was deciphering the back cover of a large book with a magnifying glass. As if he tried to interpret even deeper than usual what the author really meant.

     On the main street of a little village, an old man was taking a walk with the help of a stick. As he passed a roadworks sign, I found the scene graphic enough to give it a click.

    The little boy was running in a pedestrian street of Florence when he almost bumped into a huge illustrated panel blocking the access to an adjacent street under repair. He then looked at this unexpected setting with extreme curiosity, as if it were the entry to another world.

     On board of a steamboat sailing near New Orleans, there were many things to see. From the inside, I noticed an elderly American couple sitting on the deck and watching the Mississippi river. In this peaceful atmosphere, each seemed lost in one's thoughts.

    On a small road leading to a village perched above Florence, I saw in the distance and finally caught up with a woman carrying her child on her hip. Without worrying about cars, she had a magnificent attitude which reminded me of some sacred paintings seen the day before.

      It was one of my first street photography experience, at Grenoble's music fest in June 2000. Kids were playing on the lawns of the Victor Hugo square and I was lucky enough to capture this nicely geometric, ephemeral choreography.

    In the shopping arcade of Denain's Carrefour supermarket, this old lady was waiting for her friend and looking after her trolley. She must have been tired, because soon enough she closed her eyes and took a little nap. But remained vigilant.

     Walking through Grenoble's funfair, I noticed three men of Indian origin watching a thrill ride and filming friends inside with their phones. They were nicely aligned and I took their picture. I saw the kid only much later, on the developed film.

     During the music fest night in the streets of Grenoble, some groups were playing too loud and people had to cover their ears. Like this little boy whose dad took care of.

     At Grenoble's "Porte de France", I noticed some graffiti on a wall asking to stand up against fascism. Only a few minutes later, this old couple walked past them as I took their picture.

    Despite her stick, this old lady was walking quite fast. She looked much fitter than it seemed at first sight, with a little mocking smile to the gym and the sporty girls behind her.

     I heard them coming from afar. They were young, left-wing and full of energy. Two were using megaphones. Suddenly a third one lit a smoke bomb as he walked past me.

    This dad was at the same time watching his kids and the May Day parade in Grenoble. Hence the little "lily of the valley" in the left hand of the kid at the top of this totem.

    In Marseille's La Major Cathedral, I did not really mean to take any picture. I just felt like admiring the beautiful, southern light falling from the high windows when I noticed an elegant young girl, staring at a sculpture. She was in so deep and intimate admiration with the Christ's tortured face that I felt a bit guilty to take their picture.

     In Marseille's subway, I noticed this dad watching scrupulously his daughter as she started running down the stairs I was climbing. He caught up with her and grabbed her hand with authority. It was a striking image which I managed to snap in extremis.

    Early in the morning, I was admiring the sea shore after a walk in the old streets of Levanto when I saw this lonely fisherman preparing his equipment. He looked very strong, massive and determined. Then he turned boldly towards the sea and started fishing.

    Wandering in the little town of Levanto, close to the Cinque Terre in Italy, I came several times across an ageless priest. Early on a Sunday morning, he was clearly gauging the pulse of this city before his religious service. I decided to take his picture as I saw him once again, walking along the beach and chatting with two devoted ladies.

     On the old terrace of the Bastille cable car in Grenoble, a young couple was kissing. They seemed to be alone in the whole world, lost in the middle of distant mountains and nearby clouds.

     Alone in the launderette, a girl was looking at her washed clothes drying. Nothing special, except she was wearing a bunny costume. And seemed in a hurry, constantly checking time at the clock on the wall. As if she was late.

     On a cold winter day in Ostende, the sky was low and the light was grey. Very few people were walking along the sea, so I easily noticed this old man watching the waves while going down the beach stairs. Then, for a long while, he stared at the little river reaching his feet.

     In a waiting room of Lyon Airport, I saw this man pointing his binoculars to the tarmac. At first I thought he was a plane lover, deliberately coming to the airport to admire planes and see them take off. But then I noticed that his ticket was ready in his pocket. Besides, he seemed very organized and fully equipped for a great journey. Maybe he was so scarred to fly that he wanted to check his plane himself.

    Walking in the gardens of the Kinkaku-ji temple, I crossed paths with many gardeners who were all ladies. Wearing dark coats with long sleeves and some sort of large caps to protect them from the sun, they always appeared suddenly at the bend of a trail. As if by magic, like witches carrying their brooms and casting spells on disrespectful tourists.

   In the old gymnasium, kids were finishing their basketball training. As I sat near the field, only one boy was still playing on it. The other ones were getting dressed, before coming back to the bleachers to take their water bottles. Suddenly, their coach felt like running to warm up and I took his picture just as the clock showed 11:11.

    During a short spring shower, I noticed this cyclist carrying an umbrella. He was riding fast, so I followed his motion with my camera to better express this impression. Watching at the film a few weeks later, I realized that he was a very careful man, wearing both a yellow jacket and a solid helmet. And thus I found the umbrella quite paradoxical.

    On a rainy sunday afternoon, two boys were walking ahead of their family. The big one was proudly carrying a broken umbrella, which his little brother desperately wanted. I found the scene funny and tried to capture it.

      Wandering in Lille's zoo, I arrived at the chimps and watched their acrobatic show in the trees. After a while, only one chimp was still exhibiting, for the great pleasure of a little boy. I snapped him admiring his not-so-distant cousin.

    On the market place, an old man was standing alone. He was leaning on his cane, casting furtive glances all around. Then I realized that he was simply watching his grandson from afar. I waited for them to be within the same frame, connected by the same invisible line.

       In the gentle heat of a November evening in New Orleans, an elegant elderly black couple was waiting in the lobby of an hotel. I noticed them as they were calmly and patiently looking at the street through the open bay window. They were both a bit lost in their thoughts too, so they did not notice me. I still find them very beautiful together.

    As the sun went down behind one of the hills surrounding this small japanese spa town, ladies were leaving their favorite bath. As a group, they were waiting for each other. And were walking very slowly, so I had time to choose a point of view with a slight sunset glare going through the beautiful roofs. Just like the ladies, the scene was peaceful.

   At the Beaucroissant agricultural fair, grumpy farmers are selling and buying cattle. You can see them leading cows across the dusty streets of this little town, lost in the country and split by a perfectly straight railway. Some others carry heavy equipment, bargain and even fight sometimes. And all of them eventually find their way to the saloon.

    Resting with Sylvie on a terrace near Florence's Duomo, I noticed this couple of our age sitting like us on the floor. Like us they were in love, and like me he was photographing everything. The scene was full of romantic and sensual symbols. I took their picture as soon as they kissed.

    Back in Haspres (the village of my parents in the North of France) for the new year eve, I really enjoyed visiting the most common places all around. So I got very excited when my mom proposed me to go along with her and buy some food at the new Aldi discount store in the nearby village. The scenery inside this little supermarket was beyond my expectations. Bright white, it was full of authoritative labels and obedient customers.

    This chef of a small restaurant in one of the oldest Grenoble streets was vaping, waiting for the first customers to arrive. He looked quite relaxed. But he was nervously checking his phone, which was probably not so helpful.

     In Kyoto, the large Sanmon gate stands for the entrance of the beautiful Nanzen-ji temple. You can climb inside and visit this ancient sacred gate, provided that you take off your shoes. As I reached the top, I discovered a magnificent view on the gardens and the nearby mountains, perfectly framed by the old wooden floor and ceiling.

     When I entered the big tent where cows were exhibited at this agricultural fair, I noticed one particular farmer. He was quite young and very caring for his animals. Then he started to hang a medal over two of his cows, taking all his time so that it was perfectly visible. Which allowed me to shoot several frames and finally select this one on which he was in full pride and extension.