CANNOT BE INVENTED !

You are not convinced by my way that consists in considering taking the photograph as the cornerstone of the definitive image, nothing more. However, this first step has to generate directly and without artifice revealing visual signs that the whole of my ulterior work consists in putting in obviousness and articulating to others to end to images such those that you saw in these pages.

But the importance of this work can mask to some lookers the necessary qualities of the original negative or slide, to such a degree that they could doubt of theese qualities.

Therefore, I thought good to unite in this page snapshots, whose content cannot be invented. Realized as always without any getting up, these testimony slices of life, often fugitive, will convince you, I hope, that the work I'm usually doing from that can be efficient only to the extent of the shooting harbors elements rich of potentialities that it concerns often to catch on the spot.

ECOLE - BUVETTE
(School - Refreshment room)

In a small village of Auvergne (France), in the middle of the sixties. Photograph taken with my friend John Bruni, I believe even that it is him who took the photograph as I avoided that geese exit the field...

Evolution of the symbolism of a young pornographer.

Extract from a series of five photographs taken in Clermont-Ferrand (France), in the beginning of the sixties. Graffitis were found in the basic part of the principal wall of a great totality of collective habitations, approximately at one meter of height, that showed me how old was the author. 

Passing by the ford

In the Bengali gulf, the monsoon fathers floods with which poeple have to live daily as shows this photograph taken from the train. 

VIRAGES TERRIFIANTS
(Terrific bends)

 During the World Championship of "Side-cars" in Clermont-Ferrand (France). The passenger tries desperately to stay on the motor-byke: The effort and the anguish are modeling his face. 

Under the bridge

In 1968, to access to the superb panorama of Manhattan from this bank of the East River that strides the Brooklyn Bridge, it was necessary, as these two walkers, to stride over puddles, passing by a set of dislocated cars as this old Chevy. A sight always carefully gummed by media. 

Face to the tiger

In the heart of Manhattan, short lived face to face with a tiger. 

Relax

Vichy (France) is a city where sport and farniente cohabit harmoniously, but I would have never hope to concretize thus what becomes evident in the image. 

"SURGEON DENTIST"

It is what appears (alas almost invisible on the screen) on the inscription that figures in straight of the front door...

It is, of course, in India. Elsewhere, cows do not go to the dentist... 

"WAR AND PEACE"

"WAR AND PEACE" are present on this monumental notice but also on the street near Time Square (New - York). 

Flying saucer

Stockholm in 1965, the modernity of downtown buildings inspired me a series of views whose interest swung between international architectural style of an Alvar Aalto or an Oscar Niemeyer and the numerous Beatniks that haunted these places. But after processing and enlarging, appeard on the image this curious defect (?) in form of flying saucer, followed by an amazing trail. It is as you can see... that cannot be invented !

Twin sadhus

In Varanasi (Benarès), the holy city of India, we strolled along the riverside of Ganga, my friend Pierre Campana and I, looking for some photographic subject, when we remarked two sadhus ( Hindu ascetics) only dressed with a peice of stuff as usually. I suppose that they understood very fast that we were expecting to photograph them, for in a trice they laid themselves bare and appeared in this hieratical posture. What a surprise! Ever we would not have imagined such a getting up... The adventure ended to the police-station for a witness warns the police and we had a lot of difficulties to keep the film into the camera.
Only two of these images have been colored later by my own processings. You will find the one entitled RELAX going to the page "NAUTICAL SPORTS", but if you are not yet convinced, the best is to part, BY BY...