September 2012

The jet d'eau (water fountain) is Geneva's most famous landmark. It can be seen from all around the bay and sometimes as fair as 100 kilometers away. I did not have to go that far this morning and went for a shoot in the old city as well as the shores of Lake Geneva. It was a grey rainy day so I thought that this series on the Jet d'eau was a good opportunity for a Black and White series. All the pictures were taken with the Leica X1 and I added a LR standard preset to the raw file....

While in Paris, I had the pleasure to go out for a shoot with Philippe Blayo, a passionate street photographer. Philippe took a couple of pictures of me in action so it resulted as good opportunity for a new "The shooter shot" entry.  (click on pictures for high res) The outing ended with a beer by Notre Dame, and two interpretations of our surrounding. To discover more about Philippe's work : http://www.facebook.com/wisiwil Thank you Philippe.

When legs can do all the talking.  Note that I found out later on that this girl was actually a street artist that sang classical French songs for a few coins. PS : The artist recognized herself in this picture. Discover everything about Mademoiselle Michelle here : http://www.mademoiselle-michelle.com Leica M9 with 60mm Hexanon at F2.8, 1/1500, ISO160

Click addiction : To take pictures when nothing of interest happens. 1) Your index finger has become L shaped. (and your thumb too since you got an Iphone) 2) You usually take 15 pictures of each scene, and hope the decisive moment is somewhere in the burst. 3) Your girlfriend has just dumped you. She got tired of you checking out that beautiful Japanese girl in her back, a so called "Bokeh". Evolution cannot be stopped. Our kids will have L shaped index fingers. 4) You start shooting people "walking", "sitting", or "lost in their thoughts". And dogs too. 5)...

As you walk past Notre Dame and keep going down along the Seine River, you'll soon encounter hundreds of dancers enjoying those warm weekend nights. Salsa, R'nB or Rock 'n' Roll, you'll discover various stages to dance under the stars all night long. Provided you do find a partner and he does not runaway with a better dancer. Or worse, he tumbles down in the river (it does happen, I experienced it...)    (click on picture for high res) Leica M9 with 60mm Hexanon at F1.4, 1/250, ISO640

As you might have noticed, many of last century's Paris classic street photographs involved kids. Unluckily, many families have nowadays moved to the suburbs looking for more affordable lodging and a better quality of life for their kids. Offices, hotels, stores and rich foreigners have slowly pushed the popular masses out of their city. As a result, you don't see that many groups of kids wandering downtown anymore. You'll still find them now and then in some neighbourhood. Obviously the games they play have evolved quite a lot. And their heroes too.  (click on picture for high res) Leica M9...

It had been a long time that I was on market for a small camera to complement my Leica M system. Indeed, we will soon move to Argentina I needed of a small camera to carry along all the time and that would not prove to be to much of a loss if it ever gets stolen (which is a high risk in some cities of the country). After surveying thoroughfully the market, I opted for the Leica X1. Here are a few reasons why : Phone addict, Lausanne.  Leica X1 at 36mm F2.8, 1/125, ISO800 - first and above...

The terraces of Paris are always full of lovers and the waiters must have quite a few good stories to tell on their behaviour. This being said, I am sure that happy hearts bring in more tips too. (click on picture for high res) Leica M9 with 50mm Summicron at F4.0, 1/125, ISO160

I wonder whether this old man was looking for a book containing the recipe to become young again ?  (Sign translates to "Sale : Youth for 0.20€) Leica M9 with 60mm Hexanon at F8.0, 1/30, ISO160

Yes, it seems that the Brits are taking over Paris. Too bad they still don't know how to dress ;)  (click on pictures for high res) Leica M9 with 35mm Lux Asph at F8.0, 1/250, ISO160