Roll #7: Mona Lisas

The title has nothing to do with the photographs…

I just (finally?) put a name on a type of girls; along with muses and succubus.

Monalisas.

I’m sure you know the kind guys.

The so-called “hard to get” kinda girls. The ones that are here and there and back.

The ones you know are available, and yet … won’t be until a long, long time.

At least for you.

monalisas.

never know if they are friendly, emotionally attached or simply… distant and uninterested by you.

万緑一紅

Banryoku itsukou.

Translated “One red flower standing in a sea of green vegetation.”

Got my red flower.

Her name’s Liv.

And she ain’t no monalisa.

Anyway, let’s cut the chit-chat and look at the pictures, shall we ?

Grannies buying french cheese.

Three eagles skimming over their preys.

Funny thing is that these eagles generally hunt in groups when there are preys in an open field.

Granny at the Monoprix

I have this theory that you only encounter original (to say the least) people in Monoprix

It was hard to get it done, especially with all the guards, cameras and people watching you, the guy who has a camera.

Stealthy but steady camera.

Oh, did I mentioned the picture was taken in july with a perfect summer weather that doesn’t require a raincoat nor a hat.

Sunglasses, I understand.

Reminds me of Chungking Express’ (重慶森林) character Ching-hsia Lin played by Brigitte Lin and her famous sentence:

“Somehow I’ve become very cautious. When I put on a raincoat, I put on sunglasses too. Who knows when it will rain, or when it will turn out sunny?”

I’m pretty sure she’s a jingoist.

but hey, no judging … it’s a judge free zone you’re flying here.

So I have my proof that strange people loiter in this mall.

Moving on…

to dogs.

Watching.

or not.

You know.

Dogs.

Without any forms of transition…

I admit this one was a manual + hip shot.

First time I nailed it.

I redressed / cropped it a little.

but I thought that 1/2000th of a second would have been a little too … slow.

Apparently not.

First time I made that many street shots with a single film.

But there aren’t that many pictures.

I just didn’t nail that many shots.

Even if they look kinda mundane.

But hey, these are street shots.

I mean.

I’m not a big city right?

Not bizarre/grotesque people.

Just … normal people with normal lives.

boring stuff.

Daddy and his children posing for mom.

or whoever.

Can’t recall who was taking them.

I mean, I was, obviously.

Intruding their intimacy.

Just like you fellas.

Still without transition, here are night shots.

Party.

Two friends playing guitar with Livvy listening to them.

She looks interested…

but here I guess she woulda been a monalisa to them.

Homeboy here was writing when we arrived at … 8pm something.

Left at midnight.

So did we.

Noticed the two cups of coffee on his table ?

I guess he had a LOT to write…

maybe for his work.

Maybe he’s a writer.

How the fuck can I know?

Perhaps he was creating something between two characters.

perhaps he was writing a short story nobody will read.

perhaps it was about Heaven & Hell.

or not.

The waters of imagination.

Darkness and Light.

Life & Death.

The usual.

Anyway, I’m still super-busy between the classes, the friends…

and Livvy of course.

Maybe more later… for now I’m gonna get meself some sleep.

knowwhatImean?

so g’night fellas.

don’t let the bed bugs rape you.

Notepad

written entry, 20/10/09, 9.30PM or so.

“Muses. N. magically reappearing the night before J comes back to Rouen to study with us. Something isn’t right. Or maybe “too” right. Situation has evolved way out of control.

Listening to Calvin Harris “flashback” triggered some emotions.

Putting my best shirt. Being confident walking in empty streets at night… and yet I’m not excited as I was last year.

Situation.

Different.

Similar.

-

Whatever I guess.

I shouldn’t be so attached to the past…

that’s what made me …

Cho Mo Wan’s disciple, in a way.

Going from one girl to another trying to ignore my heart.

Or, perhaps not “trying to”, more “pretending to”

Didn’t work.

Then O., now called Livvy. She’s less than 3 meters from me.

Geometer, remember?

Photographer, always.

Fueled by both electro-pop & women…

I guess I simply have to let go of the past and … don’t focus on the present, nor the future.

just live.

with O.

For the moment.

Enjoy…

let go…

Breathe…

fully…

again…

for the best.”

dRoll #7: Mир-1в

I postponed this note so much I don’t remember when I originally had the idea of posting these pictures.

Not especially with the Mir 1V, but … you know… posting pictures.

T’s been a while.

But here it is, again.

First a couple of pictures made with another Russian lens, the Helios 44m-2 58mm … that makes a 85 on my K10D.

So, what’s left to say? I mean, the pictures shows people reserved (hands …) with a “negative” space — I’d say here a blank space — in front of them.

They were discussing what to write in a letter which … somehow show their discontent (our discontent, actually) about some cut in budget and shit like that.

Reserved and black space.

Out of ideas ?

Maybe. But that’s a very risky topic to discuss.

Anyway; I had fun with the M mode.

Better than the A mode when you have some frigging time ahead of you.

or not.

So I tested this russian lens.

And of course I paid it only 50€.

That’s how you see how the glass technique have evolved between the 1950s and … the two thousand-ish lenses.

Flare.

Low contrast.

That’s the original picture BTW.

No edit.

So OK I fucked the focus … but I need to adapt… it’s one of the first I made with it!

Let’s go back to the problems later.

I was with my good friend Patou who was very near to ruin his camera because of the lens … M42 are bitches, apparently.

But I really like having a 50 on a cropped dSLR camera.

2.8.

You know.

Interestingly enough, I found the angle really “wide” as I’m mostly used to the 75mm…

for a fast-lens that is…

This one sucks, but I like it.

Besides, it’s a bridge between portrait 101 and the guys working to make this fun fair … fun.

Left side…

very very near to the docks … to boats … when you think about it, it’s fun to see that most of the fun park and close to rivers without being in the docking area…

Right side.

Lots of trucks when it’s not up and running…

speaking of up…

I’m pretty sure the “Extreme” will give some extreme thrills to some of its customers…

and I really like how the problem of contre jour disappear to make contrast/vibrance of  colors much more interesting than a normal lens.

Even though the “cruching” on wordpress fuck the colors up.

Colors.

(fucked up colors.)

Nothing really exciting.

Other problem apart from contre-jour pictures ?

Yeah, blur. LOTS of blur on the corner when you don’t do a great focus:

100% crop.

Anyway.

Guess what I’m looking for is my trip to London…

So see ya later guys

Stop.

Intéressant de voir que l’une des notes les plus lues est également l’une des rares que j’aie écris en français; bien qu’en réalité, elle est davantage visionnée pour le tableau de Denis Frémond que pour mes écrits.

Ou me tromperai-je ?

Ironie du sort, le titre de cette note est lui-même un pied-de-nez au fait que la note soit en français car, mot transparent, il fait lien avec mes autres notes, en anglais, elles, jouant ainsi le rôle d’ambassadeur en note étrangère, si vous me permettez cet autre pied-de-nez.

-

Que dire? Que dire?

De bien intéressant?

Si ce n’est qu’hormis les études et Livvy, mon esprit n’a pas eu le temps d’inspirer profondément, de, en quelque sorte, se dégager des carcans que sont la rapidité, l’instabilité et cette sensation d’être toujours face au mur, à tâtonner, seul, désemparé car confronté à un obstacle qui n’a pas de nom, pas de couleur, comme les nouveaux immeubles que l’on construit d’un bout à l’autre de la France.

Les bétonneurs, comme l’ont si bien formulé les résident de l’hospice français que l’on nomme l’Académie Française.

Mot qui, introduit en 2006 ou 2007, s’est retrouvé côte à côte parmi les nouveaux venus avec son camarade “kiffer”. Petite intrusion d’un mot d’un langage qui ignore la langue, si on veut.

-

Nécessité de remettre en cause mon monde, également, puisque “le” monde n’existe pas pour les Hommes – pas plus que l’objectivité ou la vérité – donc mon monde, qui est en perpétuelle expansion, cherchant toujours plus non pas de nouveaux horizons (et la rime facile), mais plutôt à devenir de plus en plus véridique, comme s’il se meublait de lui-même grâce à mes expériences et celles vécues d’occasion, puisque je me sens d’humeur taquine.

Nécessité de renouer les liens avec le français, langue seulement, car comme l’écrit si bien ce cher Robert Patrick, en substance, “j’aime la langue japonaise, mais je n’aime pas les japonais.” Je passe le plus clair de mon temps à m’informer sur la vie américaine, à fortiori depuis que j’aie enfin compris comment synchroniser mon ipod avec les podcast de la NPR. Je sais, je mentionne des choses qui sont en rapport avec cette vie bien trop effrénée qu’est la mienne et, sûrement, la vôtre.

Renouer avec ce qui importe, car emporté par le courant, on en oublierait presque le rivage, les vastes prairies, les steppes, les forêt et le reste. Le continent. L’Homme n’est pas fait pour être dans l’eau.

D’où le fait que la natation n’est pas un sport, mais tout simplement la seule façon de ne pas se noyer.

Logique, non?

Se noyer dans la mer tumultueuse que semble être cette société, qui ne pardonne pas, avide de tout, prête à vous engloutir dans un tourbillon pour peu que vous ayez largué les amarres trop tôt, de peur de ne pas répondre assez rapidement aux sirènes de l’inconnu.

Étrange paradoxe que l’inconnu. D’un côté attirant, de l’autre effrayant.

Rappelons-nous quand même que les sirènes, “mythologiquement” parlant, attiraient les marins et leur bateau vers les rochers…

Intriguant que ce mot de mythologie (μυθολογικός “habile à compter des fables”), d’ailleurs…

-

Se dégager des carcans, marquai-je, peut-être pour se trouver soi-même et laisser ce que l’on veut de nous, ou, plus justement, essayer de “rentrer dans le moule”. Se glisser dans les carcans, dirai-je.

Je crois que la page de ma vie intitulée “Photojournalisme” voit ici une fin, peut-être momentanée, mais pas moins réelle, pour celle qui n’a pas encore de nom; je crois que si une thèse se doit d’avoir un titre dès le début afin de suivre une ligne directrice, la vie, elle, serait plutôt tentée de nous prouver l’inverse.

Les tisseuses jouent avec nous, vous souvenez-vous ?

Et puis, chacun sait que contrôler son destin est aussi vain que d’essayer de passer à travers un mur : dans les deux cas, la réalité est bien dure.

-

Touche humoristique puisque ma journée s’est bien passée, si l’on veut, et surtout parce que j’ai plus ou moins accompli les objectifs que je m’étais fixé au préalable hier. Logique, et, très humainement, en conflit direct avec mon dernier paragraphe.

Je dois écrire la note à propos de mes photos avec le nouvel objectif.

Rattrapé par ses possessions…

pauvre moi.

Aujourd’hui, il y a eu du vent.

Another busy week.

You know, I think it’s becoming normal.

Busy weeks.

So, apart from doing the same-o same-o, I finally got a 35 … which is actually an old 37 MIR 1V (but you’ll find many descriptions of it as a MIR 1B … cuz the Cyrillic letter V looks like a B… anyway.) that works like a charm, if you like manual mode.

Especially when it has 23 years old (but the lens conception dates back to the 1950s) and looks almost as good as new!

I did some pictures with it and I’m still surprised to find the colors/contrast definitely sharper than when I use my other lenses, except maybe the Helios 44-2 (another Russian lens), but that’s probably because I don’t use the M mode with the other lenses.

Will post the pictures sooner or later.

just don’t have the time now …  got to pack to go back to the ‘hood.

oh boy.

-_-

Item of clothing

It’s funny how things can be connected sometimes.

As you’ve read in my previous note, I’m reading Thoreau’s book “Walden”.

Very good book by the way.

Thoreau says at one point that clothes were originally made to keep us warm, not to make us look like Harlequins.

Good point I’d say.

And I’m the kind of guy who can wear a T-shirt in winter without being … well, disturbed by the cold.

But I’m horribly cold at night, when I sleep…

and just to put a simple layer of clothing on my skin … keeping the warmth of my body within my flesh … was worthless.

It seems so stupid as we put clothes every day without thinking why we do it … that it was a good thing to actually being reminded why we do that.

at 4AM.

Anyway.

Just made a frame with my good friend Manue AKA Fat.

Shootin it with a M42 lens.

Helios 44-2 58 F/2 … @ F/2.

50yo lens that still works like a charm.

I mean, it’s better than a 50 F1.4 at F/2 …

Most importantly, instead of a stupid 75, I have a 87.

Yeah.

Still waiting for the 37 F/2.8 M42 lens Patou & I bought on ebay to a russian guy…

Hope we didn’t spend 50 bucks for nothing …

you know.

Anyway, I’m sleepy, I should get some sleep.

More to come later, I guess

Jesus Walk

(Jesus Walks)
God show me the way because the Devil trying to break me down
(Jesus Walks with me)
The only thing that that I pray is that my feet don’t fail me now
(Jesus Walks)
And I don’t think there is nothing I can do now to right my wrongs
(Jesus Walks with me)
I want to talk to God but I’m afraid because we ain’t spoke in so long

— Kanye West

Just the hook cuz the rest ain’t relevant. God show me a sign today, as I asked for it. Actually he gave me two.

Amen.