O
INTERVIEWWITH LAURENT
BERTRAIS
ther than family and travel photos Laurent
Bertrais did very little photography…until a year
ago. That was when he decided to take up street
photography.
A professional in the food distribution industry from the medievalcity of Guerande near the west coast of France, Laurent spends
LAURENT BERTRAIS
much of his photographic time seeking interesting subjects in highcontrast lighting situations.
He has a natural instinct for light and the feeling of an artist thatserve him well on the street. In only a year he has become highlyproficient at the technical aspects of photography that enable himto forget about the gear and focus on the image.
Whether an old pro or a newbie anyone can learn from Laurent’sapproach and philosophy. In the following interview Laurent givesus a revealing glimpse into how he thinks and what he sees as heshoots.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I live in Guerande, a medievalcity in western France nextto the sea. I've been workingin food distribution since1994 and my training andinternational trade, an areain which I have neverpracticed, nothing to do withphotography. I practicephotography in general and
have been doing street photography since December 2012. Aftermy separation I had the urge to explore the arts in order to escapeand forget the worries of life. I tried sculpture and I also tookphotography classes online. I quickly realized that I likedphotography a lot and I devoted myself entirely to what wouldbecome a passion.
I had never done photography before except for family photos Istored them on a Flickr account opened in 2007. The training that Iattended on the Internet had created a group for its Flickrmembers, so I enrolled in this group and I posted my photos there.
I think that to have fallen in love with photography this fast is notan accident. As a child (and still being one) I was always very lonely,contemplative and dreamy. I loved walking and observing people,for hours, as well as shapes, the beauty of my surroundings andfound this sensitivity when I put my eye to the viewfinder of mycamera. I became aware of the opportunity to put in the box allthese images I kept in my heart.
How would you describe your style of street
photography?
I like to put in my pictures as much as I can, meaning, poetry andemotion. I have a sensitivity to loneliness because it is a topic thatwe often experience in street photography.
I mostly use black and white which goes well with this style. I usecolor only when it is strictly necessary. I love the strong contrastsin my photos, so I like scenes where the light is in strong incompetition with shadows. I also like structures that break andscatter light and give texture to the composition.
My favorite times are morning time or late afternoons when thelight is low and it penetrates buildings. I also shoot at night, whichis more difficult but very interesting because I can play withartificial lighting.
I attach great importance to the characters, their looks and what
they can offer in terms of meaning and emotions, but I also givegreat importance to the background, the scenery. They areelements that reinforce the meaning of the image. I avoid taking apicture when part of the frame simply does not suit me. I rarelycompose my pictures because a scene caught my attention, insteadI wait for a favorable light and interesting characters to appear.
Sometimes I shoot portraits but Ihave not yet mastered it. I'mworking on it and I hope toimprove in the future. I like to takea step back from the identities ofthe street in order to include themin a convincing setting and get asatisfactory result. By beingdetached I do not interfere withthe characters, and get a naturalpicture.
My personal opinion is that street photography is not limited totaking pictures of people in urban environments…it extends toobjects, buildings and lights. Scenery is a part of the street.
Where do you typically shoot on the street?
I like dark places, places with high contrast where the light isbroken and scattered by the buildings. At night I like remote placeswith few people. I also like train stations, airports, large spaces andmodern architecture.
But I force myself to photograph everywhere because it is goodpractice to learn to look in places do not seem suitable. It is
important to change our way of seeing and to look closely at thingswe normally ignore… searching for something specific limits thepossibilities.
If someone were to visit your city where would
you tell them are your favorite street
photography locations and why?
I live near a port city, St.Nazaire, and it is theplace that I photographthe most. Saint-Nazairewas completelydestroyed during theSecond World War. Theplace I love the most is abig bunker of severalhectares, which was a
former German submarine base during the war. It was transformedinto cultural center. The light here is amazing and I never get tiredof it. I always find inspiration for new photos here. It’s made ofdark concrete with very large windows which let in the sun 360degrees. But it has very sharp edges which gives it a rather murkyatmosphere for high contrast images.
What other types of photography do you enjoy?
I like to observe the work of other photographers of manydifferent. Portraiture is one of my favorites but I have yet to masterit myself."
Where do you get your inspiration and what
drives you each day?
My inspiration comes while I randomly walk through the streets. Ilisten to music in order to isolate myself from the world and to bein harmony with what I am doing at the moment. I photographalone because it is very important for my concentration. I aminterested in light and imagine its possibilities.
What motivates me is my passion, my desire to capture a beautifulscene and share it with other photographers and those whoappreciate my pictures. Photography is an act of love and ofsharing, simply to give pleasure.
On a personal basis it is a need to express myself through photosrather than through words. It is a passion that demonstrates itselfin the ordinary, a need to witness life on the streets. That is also theessence of photography.
What do you do when you get the feeling that
there's nothing new to shoot?
I think that happens to all of us. In those instances, I go to the farreaches of my imagination since it may indicate that I haveexhausted my capacities while in fact the possibilities are endless.It is perhaps an opportunity to give a new start to our cliches bychanging the way we work.
It may also be useful to go for a walk and observe without using thecamera. Observing is obviously very important. Focusing on whatwe observe may be a means to deal with a lack of imagination.Otherwise simply take a break.
Who is your biggest influence in terms of your
photography?
Since I just began last December, I cannot say that there is aparticular influence. My photos are quite personal and are inspiredby my imagination. I am just learning about the history ofphotography, its trends, the styles and the famous photographers.Obviously I like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Doisneau, Willy Ronis,Brassai but I have an entire culture of photography to discover andit is very exciting and motivating to discover this new world.
There is a photographer I admire, Thomas Leuthard whophotographs life on the streets. I like his images and his photos areof very high quality.
What is the creative process you go through to
create your work and what tools do you use?
I like to give my photos a high contrast and meaning, a soul, asensitivity. To do this I prefer areas that are dark, lit by smallpoints of light. Sometimes I’m able to take a picture that capturesthe moment and feeling but I also compose pictures where I haveto wait for the right elements to occur.
Since I often work in dark places, I use aperture priority mode toadjust my exposure. Depending on the light I am often betweenF2.8 and F8. I use the iso automatic mode which is convenient. Thatway, I’m able to concentrate on the essential elements of the scene.
For a long time, I used a Fujifilm XPro1 which was stolen during mytrip to Berlin. I remind my photographer friends to always watchtheir hardware, so this does not happen to them :-). I worked
mainly in still pictures. I had a 60 mm and 18-55 mm. The Xpro -1 isoutstanding in low light thanks to its xtrans sensor but in myopinion is not reactive enough for street because the focus is tooslow. After the theft, I moved towards the Olympus OMD1 which isremarkable, really perfect for street photography, focus is veryfast, I use it with a 12-35 mm from Panasonic with a constantaperture of F2 .8. I also use the Olympus 45 mm F1.8.
On the processing side I work with Llightroom, Photoshop andNiksoftware suite. I use a lot of the Niksoftware U Point technologywhich is very practical, fast and efficient. Since I work a lot in darkplaces or at night I need to enhance my photos so I use Dfine2 .
What advice or tips can you give to someone who
is new to street photography?
First of all, really get to really know your camera, It’s faults, itsqualities and become one with it. Then spend some time exploringyour environment, with love and tenderness . It is very importantto be consumed by the environment and the feelings it that it givesyou. To capture a strong image, you must feel what you see andperceive.
You have to be quick and responsive, you have to anticipate thepicture to come, feel the event, the light. You must love what youdo, which seems obvious, but is not always true. Express yoursensitivity, take pictures that you like in the places that you like.Have some audacity, courage and an appetite for some risk;beautiful pictures are not always the safest places. Travel light.Street photography does not require having heavy equipment , adiscreet camera and lens will suffice.
Do not hesitate to return to the same place at different timesbecause it’s never the same…the light, the time, the people change.
Knowing your camera allows you to anticipate. Watching acommon scene, one can imagine the creative aspects with thepossibilities of our camera, of the light and the post treatmentsolutions at your disposal.
Be innovative and imaginative. Take multiple frames and angles ofsituations . Feel free to take pictures.
Tell us about some of your favorite images
This photo was taken on the former German submarine base inSaint-Nazaire. I saw this group of young people who were doing a"street jump”, my eye was drawn to type of day it was, theperspective and the three silhouettes. I perceived the opportunityfor a great photographic prize. I positioned myself on the left sideof the first person with a focus at the center to increase the sense
of depth, so I had a lateral position and not facing the center of thegroup. I stopped down the aperture enough to increase the depthof field but not too much because I also needed it open enough forthe low light late in the day. So I had an lens aperture of F5.6 and1/400 at ISO 200. Which is more than enough for this situation.
This photo was taken in Strasbourg, France, it is the Europe Bridgespanning the Rhine. I wanted to get the impression of what it waslike to move from one world to another in a matter of minutes andit's really impressive. I was surprised by a downpour, so I tookshelter under the bridge. There was this lady that was in a greaterhurry than me who braved the wind and rain. I liked the scene and
took the picture.
I cropped in post-processing and reduced the darkness with Dfine2,my 35 mm lens did not allow me to be close enough to the portionof the scene that caught my eye.
I love this picture because it is timeless and beautiful. I took itduring my photo trip in Berlin in the tram at the end of the day. I
noticed this girl and I liked her allure. The old world scene provideda beautiful black and white picture and the neutral backgroundreinforced the portrait.
I wanted to capture her expression and had to be discreet so I didnot use my viewfinder as I was sitting in front of her and did notwant to disturb her. So I pretended to adjust my camera and usedthe retractable screen of my Olympus. It is very useful because Ihad my head down which did not show my intention to take herpicture.
This kind of opportunity, where everything comes together tomake a beautiful picture is quite rare. You must be prepared to useyour camera in a discrete way, like this.
I took this picture in Nantes, in western France. This photo is agood example of anticipation. I noticed a little boy, from a distance,who was walking with his grandmother near this red wall. Iapproached the wall and waited for the right moment, the childapproached and then passed by me, he turned slightly around tolook at me and then went running off to his grandmother, and“click” he was in my box ! I tried to capture the child and thevitality in his movements, his departure, and the colors.
I opened the lens to F/2.5 because I did not need a large depth offield. I was so close to the scene and needed light and a fast shutterspeed because a child like this moves quickly and I didn’t want thepicture blurred.
This photo was also taken in Nantes at the time I started to do somestreet photography. I still had my Xpro1 at the time, I regretted it alittle. That day I was mainly taking photographs of architecture. Inoticed this building that pleased me and I climbed up its outerstairs to get a good angle. I noticed this man who was looking atnothing in particular and the scene seemed mysterious to me. Itried to get this enigmatic character in the picture, leaving a largepart to the stairs in the frame and a smaller to the character.
Where can people go online to see more of your
work and to learn more about you?
For now I publish my pictures on Flickr and Facebook.
FlickrFacebook
I want to thank the team of Street Photography magazine forgiving me the opportunity to make my work known and share mypassion. I thank Bob for his kindness and curiosity.
To all my photographer friends, I wish them beautiful photos andto continue together this great passion and sharing together.
Laurent Bertrais [email protected]
LAURENT BERTRAIS
Laurent is a professional in the fooddistribution industry by day and an avidstreet photographer the rest of the time.He lives in Guerande, a medieval citynear the West coast of France. Much ofhis work is shot in and around thesurrounding area.
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