Tag Archives: je suis bleu

Photograph Exposed, Photographs: France, Photographs: Urban/Street

A Photograph Exposed: Je Suis Bleu

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Je Suis Bleu
Sidewalk, graffiti covered wall, and women (virtual and real) on a Paris street

je suis bleu. Paris, France. August 10, 2016.
© Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell.

(“A Photograph Exposed” is a series exploring some of my photographs in greater detail.)

Much of my photography is in landscape and nature genres, but my work also includes other genres. For example, I am very enthusiastic about street and travel photography. I am going to use this photograph to explore that aspect of my photography and to share some background about this image and how it came about.

I made the photograph during a visit to Paris a few years ago, on a day when we spent time in Le Marais. There’s a lot going on in this popular part of Paris. There’s plenty of tourist stuff nearby — the Cathedral of Notre Dame is just a few blocks away and the Latin Quarter not far beyond. But walking in the opposite direction takes you into an older area of Paris, with narrow, twisting streets, old buildings, and a lot of character.

We explored without relying on written or human guides, preferring to wander and discover. Photography was on my mind, and I made several other photographs in this area where the light is often lovely, the streets are narrow, and the buildings and people fascinating.

Woman, Wall, Le Marais
A person in colorful clothing checking the phone next to and old wall in Le Marais, Paris

Woman, Wall, Le Marais

Sidewalk Art, Le Marais
Art presented sale for along a sidewalk in Le Marais, Paris

Sidewalk Art, Le Marais

Street photography

A lot of street photography is done quickly and spontaneously, and I always work with a small, handheld camera, usually with a small prime lens. There are many reasons for this camera/lens choice, but one is that this gear doesn’t read as ‘tourist with big camera.” People mostly ignore me in the street, and when they do see the little camera they often seem not to think that I’m a “serious photographer.”

Continue reading A Photograph Exposed: Je Suis Bleu →
Photographs: France, Photographs: People, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Je Suis Bleu: Bicycle Man

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Je Suis Bleu: Bicycle Man
A man rides past a wall covered with street art, Le Marais.

Je Suis Bleu: Bicycle Man. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A man rides past a wall covered with street art, Le Marais.

I have been writing a new installment for my “A Photograph Exposed” series, where I write in depth about one of my favorite photographs. The photograph in question, which I regard as one of my best, features a group of three women photographed in front of this street art-covered wall. As part of the writing process, I went back to view other files made at about the same time — for reasons that will make sense when I share the article. In doing so I found other photographs of this scene that I like. In fact, if the “three women” photograph had not turned out, I might well have shared this one years ago!

I am fascinated by the experience of going back to forgotten image files and “discovering” work for the first time. There is a difference in how we see photographs that we have just made (and which we associate with the immediate experience of making them) and how we see the same photographs after time has passed. I think that, in some ways, we see the images more objectively in the latter case — perhaps we can “see” them as what they are more than as what we expected them to be.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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