My first year in photography

This page highlights my first year and a half with my Ricoh GR III. I started street photography in August 2022, a few months after getting my first camera. I continued to go out to create photographs for my first creation—The real Paris: Diaries N°1 art book—until December 2023.

You will find here a selection of photographs that I did not use for my book (except one). All of them were created in the moment, directly in black-and-white, without any edits to improve them. You can learn more about my personal vision here.

Avenue de Flandre, 19th district of Paris

Two buildings in black-and-white with a grey sky, above the Flemish Gate, in the 19th district of Paris.

Cité des Flamands, buildings above the Porte des Flamands (Flemish Gate). This photograph showcase not just buildings but the way I was feeling at this moment: small, powerless…

Black-and-white photograph portraying a weary old man in Paris.

"No to retirement at 64!" Protest poster against the rise to the retirement age.

This lonely old man seemed weary, probably not just because of the weight of the bags he was carrying… Seeing him under the tender morning light, made me melancholic. The public poster on the right says “No to retirement at 64”, this photograph was created during the massive protests against the rise of the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Black-and-white photograph portraying the melancholy of autumn in Paris.

Autumn’s melancholy in Paris. An empty public bench, sign of loneliness. Fallen leaves, dead but bright on the sidewalk.

Canal de l’Ourcq, 19th district, Paris

This photograph was created by using a round fog filter. The soft light, the blurry forms, the monochrome tone… This one was in perfect sync with my feelings of the moment. Canal de Saint-Denis in the 19th district.

Boat Demoiselle in black-and-white, waterway Saint-Denis in Paris, 75019.

Boat Antipode in black-and-white, on the Ourc Waterway in Paris, 75019.

There are many boats and barges on the Ourcq waterway, in the 19th district. Here, two boats, the Demoiselle and the Antipode, captured from a dynamic angle. I particularly love the left one, it always evokes in me the sentiment of sinking.

Street lamp base in Paris with small boats in the background.

I cannot explain precisely what attracted me to the base of this old street lamp. Probably the mood contrast between the old, worn-out base of this street lamp, and the joy and freedom that those pleasure boats can provide, to others. Canal de l’Ourcq, 19th district.

A building in the 19th district of Paris, portrayed with the sun going through.

A building with a sea of clouds above it.

Buildings can have a contemplative effect on me. What attracted me to the one on the right was the sea of clouds above its peculiar form. An anxious photograph. Around the Ourcq waterway in the 19th district.

Butte Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur, Paris, 18th district

Stairs on the Butte Montmartre leading to Sacré-Coeur Basilica in the 18th district of Paris.

Sacré-Coeur basilica behind a crowd of tourists, 18th district of Paris.

I love the Sacré-Cœur. Climbing the stairs of the Butte Montmartre to approach slowly the Basilica make me feel like I am walking after a tangible hope.

The Sacré-Cœur, close and far away at the same time. Photography in black and white.

Being close and far away at the same time. I love the mood of this photograph: contemplative and spiritual.

Silhouette of birds dancing under a dark sky veiled with white clouds.

The ghosts of birds dancing under a dark sky veiled by clouds. This photograph was created on the Butte Montmartre, it can pay to look up.

A crowd of tourists defiling in front of Paris.

The crowd, mainly tourists, defiling in front of Paris.

The Métro station of Anvers, in black and white.

The métro station of Anvers. It is a bit depressing to end up in the dark, under the ground, after contemplating Paris from top of the Butte Montmartre...

Parc de la Villette, 19th district, Paris

A view of the Géode structure in Villette public park. 19th district of Paris.

The Parc de la Villette is my favorite training spot for photography. It is a big public park with a good diversity of views and subjects. The Géode is a beautiful structure that makes the sky closer to earth with its mirrored surface..

A melancholic black-and-white tone, parc de la Villette, 19th district of Paris.

This photograph is special to me. It portrays faithfully my feelings at the moment it was created. The soft tone of this photograph is an echo of the softly melancholic feeling I had at this time.

Reach for the sky, the sky feels so close in this black and white photograph.

Reach to the sky… I find cloudy skies more evocative. Beyond an aesthetic interest, clouds have a sentimental appeal to me.

Whirlpool metallic stairs in the parc de la Villette, 19th district of Paris.

Cold metallic stairs, a gloomy black-and-white tone, a whirlpool movement. It is about the feeling of being lost and carried away by life.

Canal Saint-Martin, 10th district, Paris

Canal Saint-Martin, near Stalingrad, in the 10th district of Paris.

Following the Canal Saint-Martin leads straight to La Bastille and La Seine! A very pleasant walk that I recommend to you. You can see the 2nd line of the métro in the background.

Canal Saint-Martin, stairs leading to a broke place, 10th district of Paris.

Canal Saint-Martin, a broke place, 10th district of Paris.

Near Stalingrad, the Canal Saint-Martin starts sad and broke. It becomes fancier as you approach La Bastille.

Decommissioned traffic lights taken over by vegetation at Canal Saint-Martin, 75010 Paris.

I have found this place on the quay of the Saint-Martin waterway. Nature taking over the dark, cold metal of these decommissioned traffic lights, makes me strangely think about the human finitude.

Arched passage, rue Monseigneur Rodhain 75010 Paris.

An intriguing arched passage that I found in rue Monseigneur Rodhain, near the Saint-Martin waterway.

Love at Saint-Martin waterway, 10th district of Paris.

Loneliness at Saint-Martin waterway, 10th district of Paris.

Love on one side, loneliness on the other side. Both were found around the Saint-Martin waterway in the 10th district of Paris.

Quai François-Mauriac, Paris, 13th district

Strange metallic structure in the nigh. Quai François-Mauriac, 13th district of Paris.

Stairs in the night, Quai François-Mauriac, 13th district of Paris.

I was lost in the dark, around Quai François-Mauriac, in the 13th district when I found the intriguing metallic structure on the left. The slightly lit stairs on the right were a relief to find my way back home.