Après midi avec Yann et Manue

… and the story continues.

©Mickaël Sya

this time with Yann.

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I mean, decomposing a gesture, a moment, with three frames…

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Ok, this one’s a little underexposed, my exposure wasn’t the best one. I think it got all messed up because of the very bright sky on the background … and also because 1.4 with bright daylight isn’t the best thing to do.

It was fun seeing him after all this time. Mostly geeky stuff going on, but hey, he’s going to be a lead designer one day … before being my boss. All has been set dear friends, all has been set.

Especially if I am to live in Paris to get another diploma – a master – I’ll have him as a roomie.

Or not.

Who knows what can happen until then ?

Not me, that’s for sure.

Still, it was fun to see him and Manue, of course. I know, not shots of her… well, until very recently I didn’t have my camera all the time with me, and we were at a terrace… and I have her portrait made.

On film.

Roll number 2.

I learnt yesterday that my SLR wasn’t dead, so I’m shooting till I can’t, and I think that I made a frame or two of her yesterday.

Or maybe was it Roxane ?

Can’t remember.

I also took Yann today, and O. at the public library before she left, around 5.30P.M.

I think I shoud think more. I’m in an automatic mode since the beginning of the week, only focusing on photography… thus the large amount of photographs on the blog.

I believe I’ll have some more time when I’ll be in Rouen.

…can’t wait to crush one soul…

Après midi avec Manue et Roxane

… it feels like it’s a friggin play title.

Let’s roll, if you will.

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Not only is she camera-shy, but she also hates being photographed.

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10 seconds interval. Yeah, you know me pretty well now.

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I’m sure she hates this one. And she’ll hate me when she finds out I put it here.

On the other hand, it was a pure feeling she was expressing … and I believe that it wasn’t only about the current situation; it was something more … deep. A concern she kept in mind all the afternoon. But, of course, who am I to judge, right?

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Ok, the manual focus has its limits… I guess the first defence is the humor. Human behavior is always very interesting; I mean, there’s so much to learn … and yet it’s always the same mechanisms that work over and over again …

Maybe I’ll get bored by all this. Now I’m just playing.

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17… a bastardized 24. F/2.8 and without color edits… sometimes I feel like color shots look better, like on this one.

I mean, she had clothes that fit the place. She lent them from Emmanuelle A.K.A. Manue A.K.A. Fat, and because Fat has a very good taste in clothing … let’s just say it works.

A lot.

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Speaking of the Devil… I mean, she is no devil, I’m just being idiomatic here. Probably one of my best friend. Surely my best girl-friend. Note the “-”. Right ? She’s more than a muse in this respect. Muses come and go, leaving some stuff behind, but she will stay. I know that she will stay for a long, long time.

She had her 350D with her. Fucking piece of plastic, if you want my opinion, but she seems to handle it kinda well, so…

all she needs right now is a 50. A nice piece of glass so she’ll make miracle…

All the time we spent this afternoon was a lesson for her.

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She was being taken by Fat here. Multi-exposure style.

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That needs a little work to be a perfect pout … but she’s trying hard. I believe this one wasn’t about a mechanical move … it was a little more spontaneous. Not a perfect spontaneous expression, OK, but close to it…

Manue wants to use her as a model … now that I think about it, I don’t know for what purpose!

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Now THIS was more spontaneous.

Model en devenir.

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Yeah, it was fun being with them this afternoon. It’s always nice being with pretty ladies, ain’t it ?

All the more interesting when the lady in front of you isn’t especially keen on being photographed… it needs you to stay focus (!) and to penetrate the mental shield she’s creating every time you have a camera in your hands.

Tomorrow I’ll see Yann.

More shots to come ?

Jessica

Wow, I put her name.

This is not something I do that often when I give a note a title. I also forgot to put the “roll” stuff with it. What the hell ?

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“You can expect women to be 15 minutes late when you give them a precise hour. On the other hand, that’s why you give them a precise hour, isn’t it ? However, sometimes they give you a head’s up and tell you they’re gonna be late! That’s what you call a decent lady…”

…I wrote that when I arrived at the London pub at 2.31PM. She sent me a message at 2.34 saying she’ll be late.

… she arrived at 2.46P.M. exactly. ; )

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I even hesitated to put the copyright stuff on this one to change it for … well, dunno.

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I still like taking 2 photos in a 10 seconds interval. The second result is generally funnier than the first one.

Actually this one looks better and not funnier. The first one with the “pout” is a keeper though.

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Ok, this one was just for fun. I don’t change my angle of view when I’m with someone. I just wanted something else than a backlighted portrait.

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This is so her. I can’t put it into word, but I always liked the feeling she spreads around … it has nothing in common with other french girls.

Maybe her eyes are the reason… I didn’t pay too much attention to the eyes lately.

I didn’t pay too much attention to people anyway.

This time I did.

I did and I enjoyed it.

That’s a first …

I guess it has to do with the fact that we come from the same city, have been in the same class for two years… even though I haven’t seen her these past 2 years. We didn’t share that many anecdotes about those two years.

I did.

I talked a fucking lot.

She didn’t seem to see it as a bad thing though; we stayed at the café for 3 hours and a half after all.

Shit that seems long now that I think of it…

Had a lot to talk about I think.

I can even say I spent a great afternoon with her… even better when I came back and realized the pictures were really good in B&W.

It became an instinct to take pictures, I don’t take much more than a second behind the viewfinder.

I have all my attention on the person in front of me… on the pretty lady in front of me.

I believe the feeling she insuflates into me probably comes from her eyes … her way of thinking.

Maybe her smile.

Or – I know it’ll sound trivial said like that – perhaps it’s her clothes … not “common”.

We talked about clothes, among many things.

She told me she was going to describe the party she is currently at. And she said that sontaneously…

Fuck me, it’s been a fracking long time since I last heard something like that and yet I’m not repeled by this thought … I think it’s a good thing, isn’t it ? Not the fact that I’m not repeled, but that … well, anyway.

Yeah, I spent a great time with her.

What the hell ?

KC accidental

…happens to be the song I’m listening to while reviewing for the last time “Contre-Courant”, or the story of a 5 days work about photography covering 3 years of experiments …

I didn’t really know how to conclude, so I thought of an open ending which is linked to a special lady with whom I never had a proper ending…

I think its the most poetical I can get with a photography.

Moreover, it allows me to have a guiding thread to follow, if any other book I ever write …

I was pretty busy with this baby.

52 pages, and still it needs the little bio about Erwan will probably never write. I think I’ll stick with the photo of me only…

just to perpetuate the myth…

I could do that.

It’s all up to Erwan actually.

me tired.

me out.

had fun yesterday with Patou. Concert + movies … once again at 2AM.

shit.

Such Great Heights

I am thinking it’s a sign that the freckles
In our eyes are mirror images and when
We kiss they’re perfectly aligned
And I have to speculate that God himself
Did make us into corresponding shapes like
Puzzle pieces from the clay
True, it may seem like a stretch, but
Its thoughts like this that catch my troubled
Head when you’re away when I am missing you to death
When you are out there on the road for
Several weeks of shows and when you scan
The radio, I hope this song will guide you home

They will see us waving from such great
Heights, ‘come down now,’ they’ll say
But everything looks perfect from far away,
‘come down now,’ but we’ll stay…

I tried my best to leave this all on your
Machine but the persistent beat it sounded
Thin upon listening
That frankly will not fly. you will hear
The shrillest highs and lowest lows with
The windows down when this is guiding you home

They will see us waving from such great
Heights, ‘come down now,’ they’ll say
But everything looks perfect from far away,
‘come down now,’ but we’ll stay…

— The Postal Service.

Back in dem days

I remember, back in dem days when the ice cream man toured in the streets, I remember fearing the knowledge.

Not that I was afraid to go to school or anything.

I never thought about school this way.

Wasn’t scary at that time, which means not so long ago.

There were bullies, there still is, but I was stronger than those fuckers.

Mentally speaking, I was.

Physically, not too much.

- Back to the point

I remember that quite brightly because it struck me this morning that humans beings are not that hard to understand, especially when you pay attention to the real thing behind the curtain.

When you go through all the lies and bullshit they use all the time.

They is indifferently man or woman, I don’t discriminate.

I’m not a hater.

Never was one, and I don’t think I’m going to be one anytime soon.

Except for stupid arrogant pricks, but that’s another topic.

I remember fearing the fact that you could one day “master” something, and for that reason, you’d become gradually disinterested by it.

Bored to death.

I was wrong, mastering a discipline like, I don’t know – photography – or anything else, is actually a good way to play a lot with the crowd.

I don’t mean manipulate, don’t get me wrong.

I do sometimes, but it’s always for the double win.

I always sided with the truth, for it’s the best defense against the world.

Against the bullshit you have to face on a daily-basis.

Against them pricks who think they’re better than you but aren’t really better, just … different.

Maybe I write all this because I’m listening to Pharrell and I tend to get all nostalgic when I do.

Especially when I’m listening to the remix of “Maybe”.

One of my most achieved blog had notes written on that music.

Wrote beautiful things “back in dem days”.

Now I only write about what I know, not what I dream.

I’m publishing an article soon, I hope I can upload it here for you to read my knowledge of photography.

And as Pharrell says

“P.S. daddy loves you.

yours truly…”

Droll #2 : Long day…

I had my gear all day long, cuz you never know what to expect when you cross your doorstep.

©Mickaël Sya

Pentax K10D ~ 50 F/1.4

… it can be one of your best friends making some signs denouncing the authoritarian regime that is slowly being established in France.

You can read on the sign “s’fair plaiz”. To enjoy oneself.

I’m sure our president is enjoying himself.

and the regime he’s slowly establishing…

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Pentax K10D ~ 50 F/1.4

… it can be a guy you hang out with waiting at the bus stop, smoking a cigarette. I only took 5 photos of him. It took me only a minute. And another 5 to 10 to edit it.

Knowledge of your gear is the first thing you need to produce something good.

and to avoid wasting your time…

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Pentax K10D ~ 50 F/1.4 (manual focus)

…or even your friends enjoying cigars at 1AM at your place. Rolled by hand in Honduras and St Domingo…

Yup… it’s been a long, yet very interesting day.

Tonight is Wong Kar Wai + Johnnie Walker night. With Patou, Arnaud (like last night…) and Julien.

And tomorrow will be another big night.

… jeez, I can’t wait the vacations to come!

-

I guess days grow longer not only because the sun goes down later, but also because I only sleep around 1AM. Yesterday, it was more like 3.30AM or something.

There was a storm grunting at my window from 2 to 3AM.

I wrote, a year ago, that sometimes you can feel God’s presence, or, more likely, his (or her) little moves to accompaign one of your thoughts.

I said what I felt to N. Yeah, I should have done that a long time ago, but she happened to be here at 2 in the morning, and she came to “talk” to me. I played a little at first, because, quite frankly, when you’re no longer attached to someone, it’s so damn easy to trick them.

I laughed a lot.

Nobody could hear it though.

but I laughed, for the sake of laughing.

I laughed at her.

She can be so egocentric it’s impossible NOT to laugh.

Anyway, when I stopped being ironical and/or sarcastic, I started to teach her a little about love and what it means to people. How human relations are supposed to work.

I here quote her from a message she left today (at 2…PM) on my IM : “I was tired and I needed to think about it.”

Well think my child, think.

While you do that, I’m living my life.