Daily touch of France - Saturday edition - French faces

[GoneOffShore]

Cassis


After lunch discussion - Paris

[fierywoman]

1. You capture human expression so fabulously!

[alfredo]

2. That second one is a great slice of life

[GoneOffShore]

3. Taken in Paris at Comptoir de Relais - 2011 or earlier.

[alfredo]

4. Black and white says it is not about color, it's about the subject.

[GoneOffShore]

5. I've been trying to refine my storytelling for years.

[alfredo]

6. Keep it simple is my #1 rule.

I like triangles

[GoneOffShore]

7. I am always looking for 'the decisive moment'.

That and being close enough, but far enough back that I'm able to crop to square.

[alfredo]

8. That's especially important in street and portrait.

[GoneOffShore]

9. I've moved into that almost exclusively.

I don't have the patience for nature or wildlife stuff, and there are so many people out there who do that to a very high level.

I've always been inspired by people like Cartier-Bresson, Peter Turnley, Robert Doisneau, Brassai, Lee Miller, Winogrand, Atget, Mayer, Robert Franks, Dorothea Lange, Bob Capa, Harry Benson, et al. With lighting I look to Harry Callahan and Karsh. I've never loved Arbus, because I've always felt that she was more than a bit exploitative of her subjects. Mapplethorpe was fascinating but I've never really been interested in studio work.

For 10 years I did a lot of 'grip and grin' stuff that I got paid for. So glad I'm not doing that now.

[alfredo]

10. Since I got sick, I don't have the stamina to do street.

I do still life, closeups, limited landscapes.