WHO?
I’m a photographer, patient observer, insatiable traveler and woman of few words. I was born in the United States to French parents, and spent my childhood moving from place to place, in different countries and various regions of France. I moved to New York after my art history studies, and from then on became more and more involved with photography, taking courses whenever I could, from darkroom printing to book design, before working in the field.
WHERE?
These days I lay down my bags in Valparaíso, Chile. After several years in New York, I started to get antsy and set out to visit Chile, which turned into almost three years living in Valparaíso (and counting). The seaport is vibrant, dirty and poetic and I love how the harsh sunlight can transform a scene into an intricate maze of shapes and shadows. I still have a lot to discover in Valparaíso but I’m also restless and I continue to travel whenever I have the chance. In the next few years, I’m hoping to turn my lens towards Japan, Mexico, and who knows where else?
WHEN?
I always have a small camera with me – a street photographer’s habit – but shooting comes in ebbs and flows. Some weeks I’ll breathe photography from dawn to dusk, while others will pass by without me taking a single frame. If I haven’t been shooting for a while, I can feel the rust set in and it can take time to find a rhythm again. I find that photography, like any art perhaps, is best served by regular practice and I am better off working through slumps so I can keep my eyes open and reflexes sharp.
Since I work with light and shadows almost obsessively, it’s no surprise that I prefer a bright sunny day, but I’ve also gotten some wonderful and fortunate frames in dreary weather. I also particularly like shooting in the morning when the city is still waking up and I can have the streets (almost) to myself.
When I am out and about, I am more of a patient onlooker, taking time to consider a scene and to imagine the photograph before I even press the shutter. But no matter how composed and self-contained I want my images to be, street photography requires you to surrender some of your control to let your instincts, an element of surprise and a good deal of luck breathe life and poetry into your images.
WHAT?
Street photography is my first love – from before I knew it was a genre – and a wonderful tool to navigate the world with patience, humor and curiosity. I prefer to focus on quiet, unassuming, yet poetic moments and I am most interested in how photography can transform something mundane into an intriguing, beautiful image. Aside from stark shadows, stray dogs and anonymous figures, lately I’ve also been looking at the small, tender moments of childhood and family life, searching for inspiration in other genres and mediums, and weaving it all together.
WHY?
I was always creative growing up – painting, drawing, ceramics, dance – but the first time I picked up a camera, it felt different, and more natural. Photography helps me connect with things around me and with myself a little more deeply, it’s a way to be in the world, fully and peacefully in the moment, while also keeping some distance for introspection and observation. Without it, I feel that my world would become decidedly smaller.
