Hi and welcome to AdoramaTV's Out of the Darkroom.
Joining me today is photographer Joseph-Philippe Bevillard.
Joseph was born to French parents in Boston
and he started drawing and painting at the age of three
after he lost his hearing. He then later picked up photography in school
and started his own unique way of communicating with the world
through photography. AdoramaTV presents
Out the Darkroom with Ruth Medjber. Thank you for joining me today.
It's my absolute pleasure to have you here.
Can you explain to me, just tell me
in your own words, what it is you photograph. I like making a
black-and-white portraits of people
square format using
a medium format camera. So it's always medium format,
black-and-white. Yes, most of the time I use medium format. I like the format, I like the square format.
You, you keep it completely original
with your borders. Why
is that so important to keep everything in the picture?
I don't like cropping my image.
No. I like to include
what I see through the viewfinder of my camera.
honest imagery. Ok,
So, you, it's important for you to show
exactly what is there. Exactly, yes.
And I like to keep it consistent
with the rest of the work. So everything,
black border. Yeah, you've been photographing
for years and years in Boston in Paris in
Ireland and all the pictures have the same
format. They're all extremely
consistent so. And sometimes I do
architectural work or I do still life
and still with the same format. Ok.
So you were never tempted to shoot
digital color, no? I've done digital, but
it's not the same. Not the same.
This is Ruth Medjber for AdoramaTV.
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Tell me then a bit about your subjects because I've been looking at your work
and you look for people that may not be
represented in normal society.
People who were on the outskirts shall we say.
I mean, is that right? Do you feel that? That's right because
I'm attracted to people
that, you know...That are just different from you?
Yes, different from me and
interesting. Interesting. When you arrived in Ireland
and the taxi was bringing you from the airport,
you come from Boston and it's your first time in Ireland
and you see travelers on the side of the road
maybe with their horses and their caravans and the taxi man told you
about them and something about that went off in your head and...
It was embedded in my head and I didn't ever think
when I was moving to Ireland
my former teacher from my college told me about the
Irish...I had some understanding
where travelers mean. What they are. But to me they're like the
gypsies, but they're not. Yeah, they're not actually...they're not gypsies.
They're there own ethnic group
Yeah, absolutely. It took me years to understand them before I started photographing them in 2010.
In 2010, ok.
So you were learning about their culture
before you started photographing them. Travelers here
they live kind of a secluded life
very much in their own community and
it can be quite difficult for someone who's not a traveler
to visit and to make friends and to photograph. How
did you do it? I had a neighbor who
were travelers and I'd see them and I spoke with them.
I'd see them all the time in town when I was living in Ennis
Ok. And
and then I found out about
the Ballinasloe Horse Fair. The Horse Fair, yeah, that's a big traveler event.
One day I noticed a lot of travelers and a lot of caravans.
I went there in 2009 with a digital camera and I took a few pictures with the digital camera
but I didn't have the film camera with me
and the following year, in 2010, I brought my camera and I started photographing them.
And for the past five years
I've seen the same people every year and I give them photographs.
So you, you take their photograph maybe one year,
keep in contact, and then revisit them with prints...We did the following year
and then I give them the photograph from last year.
Ok. So they're very happy with it and then they say,
Come on I want you to take a picture of my sister...take a picture of my...
They bring you around. Yes, they bring me around.
The project that you've been doing since 2009
really, do you see yourself doing another type of project like this?
Or are you going to stay and work with the travelers some more?
I'm doing different projects at the same time.
At the same time. I'm doing the travelers project,
I do the street people project, I meet people in the street.
Just meet people in the streets.
What do you do? What's your process? Sometimes I see a group of
teenagers...punk teenagers...
new wave...or I don't know what you call it now.
And I hang around with them. You hang around with them?
No, I don't talk to them, but I just get involved in their territory...
standing next to them, or watching them
and sometimes I look for the person I want to photograph
and I see the background just looks...
But I want them to know my presence before I can photograph them
and so I can make it easier for me to
photograph them. If they know...Otherwise I go up to them right away
and say can I take a picture. Yeah. And I take it.
Just hang around with them like I did with the punkers in
from twenty five years ago. Ok. So, I hang around with them
and sometimes I talk with them a bit
and sometimes I look for one person that would say yes.
So you pick someone
that looks like they're willing. Yeah.
And then after I photograph them they tell their friends
They're cool
and then I photograph their friends.
So, I mean, what's reoccurring in all of your pictures is
eye contact that's very important to your images
so I'm trying to think how difficult it is to do
street photography, but get everyone to
to look at you in the same way
seems to be really confident and posed
and they're looking straight at you. I mean, is that...is that...
one of the key features in your photographs or is that
just a coincidence. How does that happen?
The people are photogenic like the transvestite
that they're used to photographers all the time. Because people are attracted
to them because they put on a show. Because
they're in show biz. They're in the show business. And they're used to it.
And they know how to pose. They're very photogenic.
But people on the street aren't in show biz. They're
just ordinary people, so the man on the bus
in Boston, I think it was 1995,
he's not in show biz, he's not on the outskirts,
he's not used to people, but there he is
and he's looking straight at you and he's
very posed and relaxed.
How do you get him to be so...
I ask, can I take a picture of you and then he says, Ok.
And then I compose my camera
I mean composed, and then when I'm ready to take a picture I have him
look right in the lens of the camera and they just look at it.
Yeah. Most people, they smile.
Yeah, and they just don't smile. Just relax.
Relax your lips. Relax
and just stare right into the camera. That's it. So you tell them
don't smile just relax. Some people
smile so much that they...relax.
And if they have problems smiling or laughing because their friends are making them laugh
I tell them to go away.
So you'll tell people go away. I'm taking a photograph.
Not in a mean way, but politely.
And then I'll tell them to
look at the camera. If they have problems calming their lips I'll tell them to look
down at the floor
and count one, two, three then up
then look right at the lens and I'll take their picture.
Wow, so that's your good tip on how to get a natural kind of
natural expression not a gimmicky...
If the person has problems relaxing their lips or if they're smiling...
Look down and count.
For that to happen...
Most of the time people just, when I say the words
just look in the lens
their mind focuses on the camera. You've moved from different
locations, not, not through the world
but in a club and then on the street and on a bus...
Yeah, and at the parties...
Yeah, so, I mean, you're in these parties and
not very many people are are using
a medium format camera indoors at a nightclub.
So can you tell me a little bit about the camera and the
flash that you use. So it's a Hasselblad, right?
Yes, that's a Hasselblad camera. Normally I use a normal
lense. 80mm. 80mm, yeah. Sometimes I use a 50
millimeter regular lens because if you keep it focused
then you get more depth of field. With the
50mm you can capture the moment
faster.
Because with 50mm you don't have to focus much.
With 80mm it's more sensitive focusing.
You have to focus constantly before you take the picture. But with 50mm
you can have more depth of field so you don't have to focus much.
Cause it allows for a bit of space, that's a good point. And with the flash
I can preset the camera to f/22
with the flash and then I
can get the focusing range. Of what it is.
It's simple. You have infinity mark.
So you set it to infinity. I set it at f/22.
F/22 at infinity. From f/22 there
and then to the other end.
From there on from eight feed to infinity.
So you know once you have this lens set up
and on f/22 you you know that from a distance eight feet
it's going to be sharp so I mean on f/22 it would be.
But you're saying that's with flash.
So you're like flash, look at this, this is fantastic.
The dome here...it diffuses almost.
Perfect for
the square format. It's quite big
It's like picking the center of the square format
and then a slight vignette sometimes...in the corners.
And then sometimes it's bouncing off the ceiling
but softer lighting, through the wall or through the corner.
So you don't see a lot of photographers
anymore using 120 film
on a flash like this so it's really nice to see, thanks for bringing it.
Is that a filter on the front?
Yes, that's the filter. I use a
yellow filter for the skin tones of the person.
For the skin tones...is it just to...
To protect the lens and also it
it takes out the yellowness of the skin
otherwise the face would be more...
more muddy, gray. The yellow filter
helps to unhide the look of the skin tones.
Does it brighten the skin tones...like clear?
It brightens the skin tones and also it lightens up
blonde hair.
So you know obviously we're still shooting in black-and-white
but it kind of just brightens up the skin a bit. That's a good tip.
Yeah it does and also it increases the contrast a little bit.
Does it? Overall contrast. Like, for example,
if you have a sky with clouds, if you're using this filter
it gives more separation between the white of the clouds
and the blue sky. Ok, punchier.
Stronger. But without them it'd be more
more blended. Will you ever
move to digital? If
If a Hasselblad can make me a digital back with a film border...
So it's just the film borders you want to keep?
Yes. We can put them on in Photoshop. No.
Ok, so you might go for a Hasselblad. The real thing.
I'm a purist. You are, you're very much a purist.
So after you've scanned your images, you have your image
in the computer, I know you just said you're a purist,
but do you do any Photoshop then? Yes, only
the same way I do it in a darkroom, like burning and...
Control, contrast...
So only everything that you can duplicate
in the darkroom you'll do it in Photoshop. Exactly.
No adding or removing anything from pictures. No removing?
No. Cause... I'm old school.
The images that you take, let's say, all the travelers
and down in the halting sites, you know, by their caravans.
They look like they've been shot sixty
seventy years ago. I don't put that in my mind when I do that, no.
Because then you have time to think it's timeless or try to make it look old.
I just have time to
focus on the person's expression before I take the pictures.
And the staging and the background
you don't have time to think about "timeless", you know what I mean?
Cause they look gorgeous, they look old, they look...I know they do look old.
The cars, the problem is the black-and-white film. It is probably just the tone of it.
That we all think that it's old.
It's Film Noir. You know Film Noir? Yeah.
So what's next for you? What more do you want to do?
Is there anything in particular that you want to go and photograph?
Or are you just going to continue with the travelers?
Yes, I will continue with the travelers for as long as I live probably.
Haha, ok.
Meet people. Keep going.
Nightclubs. If I could, if I have the time, go to nightclubs.
So what will happen
when they stop making film?
I will have to stock up all the film and put in the freezer...
and buy from other photographers.
So there's no chance you're going to digital.I don't need much film. I do maybe
20 or 30 rolls of film a year. Is that all?
Yes, that's it. Wow. So you just see what you want, take it,
and you don't...Sometimes I photograph one person.
Just once, perfect. And sometimes I do a
few more times. But I never do a whole roll of the same person.
Maybe three or four is plenty. I try and take my time.
Fix the background,
get the right person, and then get the picture.
A lot of our viewers are amateur
kind of learning photographers. Do you have any
advice to give them if they wanted to
start in film or start taking portraits?
What would you say to them? I would tell them to
start photography family,
relatives, neighbors. Just everyone.
And if they're still nervous
they can have a glass of wine. I have told some of my
students in the past, drinks some wine.
So that helps, have a drink. Get your confidence up.
Pick up confidence. Put down the shyness and then photograph.
And then they thank me. Cause that
helps. Ok. I used to do that when I was
starting in college. And I'd go to nightclubs,
and I'd be shaking.
I'd have wine.
Half a glass of wine and the shakes stop. So you don't want camera shake
on your camera, do you? Right. That's brilliant. Thank you so much.
Joseph-Philippe, I've really enjoyed speaking to you today.
Thank you. And I hope we get to see more of your series from the travelers issue.
Thank you, thank you very much. That's it for this episode of
Out of the Darkroom on AdoramaTV. Join me again when I'll be speaking to some
more great photographers and we'll be learning about
all their tips and tricks that they've learned along the way. Bye for now.
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