Lumière d’Argent

I just realized I never mentioned I participate to a collective photo blog called Stills. This is thanks to Colin‘s kind invitation and turns out to be a great experience.

It is a successful (in my opinion at least) experiment at photo critique and discussion. We all learn and get way beyond the dreaded ‘Good shot!’.

What made me realize I never mentioned it is that I just created a new gallery on this site with the collection of pictures I am posting on Stills. It is a series of old shots I made in an abandoned and now destroyed coke factory.

This picture has not been published yet and so is not in the gallery. It was taken during the first visit I made on the site.

Stephane :: Dec.28.2007 :: Locations, Photography, Pictures :: 2 Comments »

I sweared I would not do it again unless it would be in a known gallery where people come without being told to. Because, you know, un unknown photographer in an unknown gallery is not going to draw too much attention. And doing those things is too much work to get in a month half the number of people who come here each day…

But a conspiracy made of my girlfriend and our good friends at La Cour de Récré managed to make me say yes again. So there, it will be held next Saturday, at La Cour de Récré. It will be part of a book signing session by the great Jacques Danois. The whole event is under the Unicef umbrella. Jacques used to be a big guy at Unicef and still does all he can to help.

Stephane :: Oct.21.2007 :: Locations, Photography, Pictures :: No Comments »

The Belgian Ardenne is very photogenic in its own way, quite like Luxembourg. Good friends of mine have opened an incredible guest-house right in the middle of that beautiful region. They bought an old unused school and transformed it into a magnificent place to stay. This is an ideal place to stay and rest between long photography sessions.

It is named ‘A la cour de Récré’, meaning At the Playground. Charming, delightful, arty, wonderful!

Stephane :: Feb.13.2007 :: Locations :: No Comments »

I am an easily distracted person. Today I forgot my wallet in the library and only noticed it at the time of paying my lunch. I went to the library and the guy had looked in the wallet, saw my face on the driving license and kept it aside. I didn’t need to ask anything, he gave me my wallet before I could say why I was back. The reason it went so smoothly is that I go in that shop nearly everyday.

That incident has nothing to do with photography, but somehow I related it to the idea that good landscape photography is done where the photographer lives. Granted, I don’t have a Grand Canyon in Luxembourg. But that’s where I live, that’s where I can go every week-end, every time I’m in the mood, every time the weather is right. I get more and more convinced that I won’t make any better landscape photography anywhere else. Not because the place is more beautiful (it is not), but because it is the one I know.

No, don’t ask me to explain in an articulate way the relation between the two preceding paragraphs. Maybe that everything is easier locally, seeing as well as getting some help.

Does it mean I won’t travel anymore? Certainly not. But it means my motivation to travel won’t be to get better photos, as it foolishly was.

Stephane :: Nov.20.2006 :: Locations :: No Comments »