#75 ISSUE
In the September issue of FujiXPassion magazine, I'm talking about my photographic workflow and the Kodak Portra 160 film simulation from FujiXWeekly that I tested during a long weekend in northern Spain.
Another big thank you to Hugo and Maurício for this new collaboration.
And if you are interested, you can find the magazine here.
Dans l’édition de septembre du magazine FujiXPassion, je reviens sur mon workflow photographique et la simulation de film Kodak Portra 160 de FujiXWeekly que j’ai testé lors d’un long weekend dans le nord de l’Espagne.
Encore un grand merci à Hugo et Maurício pour cette nouvelle collaboration.
Et si cela vous intéresse, vous pouvez retrouver le magazine ici.
SNAPS FROM A WEDDING
SHOW
MRS & MRS
It was a Saturday in February. It was hot like a beautiful spring day. They had brought together those closest to them because of the current health situation. For others, it will be next year. They said yes to the town hall.
And I was there to freeze this beautiful moment.
C’était un samedi de février. Il faisait chaud comme une belle journée de printemps. Elles avaient réuni les plus proches à cause de la situation sanitaire actuelle. Pour les autres, ce sera l’année prochaine. Elles se sont dit oui à la mairie.
Et moi, j’étais là pour figer ce beau moment.
X-T2 | XF23mm F1.4
PIRENEUS | LAC DU PORTILLON
THE BEAUTY OF EVERYDAY LIFE
In June I was interviewed by FujiXPassion magazine about a series of photos I had taken during the lockdown period.
With their kind permission, I share this interview on this journal.
The Beauty of Everyday Life - Interview with Yoann Buetas
Thank you, Yoann, for opening the doors of your home ! Could you start by introducing yourself to our readers.
My name is Yoann Buetas, I’m 38 years old, I live in a small town in the south of France near the Pyrenees.
I have 2 daughters, 8 and 14 years old.
Photography is not my main job and I thank those around me for giving me so much time for this passion.
I started this practice seriously in 2016 with the acquisition of an X-T10.
How did photography come into your life, and what role does it play ?
Even though I always liked the photo and the image in general, I remember a very precise moment when the "click" was made.
I had just received my new iPhone 6 and I had created an account on Instagram and VSCO. During a family mountain walk, in a winter atmosphere, I focused for the first time on the composition to feed my new social networks. I started editing some shots with VSCO. Seeing the result, I quickly created a blog on this application and started looking for cameras on the internet.
A few months later, I bought my first Fujifilm camera.
Today, I found a kind of second language in photography. It allows me to show what I see and feel. To express feelings. It is a kind of therapy for me. It is my outlet.
This series of photographs that you're presenting today has a very well-defined reason, a particular time-window and place for being. Could you explain ?
In France, we were confined for almost two months. And even though my work never really closed, I stayed home for about a month with my children.
I was finishing a small photo project when the lockdown started : 50/50 project (50 pictures for 50 days with a 50mm focal length) that I published on my website. This series of photos on lockdown came quite naturally thanks to this 50/50 project. I continued to take pictures every day like I did during the 50 days. I continued this naturally because a sort of routine had been set up.
Was capturing life at home during the lockdown a way of maintaining contact with Photography, or does it serve a higher purpose, of recording such an unprecedented event for future memory ? Or a bit of both ?
Usually, I take a lot of photos of my daily life. I am constantly looking for subjects or stories to feed my journal.
When we were confined, the subject seemed obvious to me.
I just had to figure out how I was going to present this series on the blog.
I also felt a need to document this very special period. A kind of mission, a little work to be done every day so as not to lose touch with reality.
I also said to myself that the pictures of this strange "break" in our lives will remain engraved for my daughters when they grow up if their memories fade a little.
Today, this series has turned into an interview in your magazine and I hope that people will recognize themselves in these photos and this atmosphere.
A substantial part of your photos represents candid moments of everyday life during the lockdown. How were you able to become "invisible" and capture these unstaged, genuine moments of your loved ones ?
I am a fairly discreet person. I like to go unnoticed. My entourage is now used to seeing me with a camera always around my neck or in my hand.
The people around me no longer pay too much attention to this or to me when they see me with this object. They go back to their activity right away and it allows me to take this kind of moments of intimacy without them realizing it and without it disturbing them.
I don't particularly like to make them pose and, to be honest, they don't like it either. Sometimes my daughters can hide a little bit when they see the camera. I quickly understand that this is not the right time and I do not insist.
I also turned to mirrorless for this sort of thing. Their small size compared to an SLR allows them to be more discreet, less intrusive.
And their lightness means that I always have it with me, in my bag. It accompanies me in everyday life.
To develop this documentary project, did you have a camera and lens setup that was always ready to use, or were the focal lengths selected according to the mood of the moment, or the subject to be photographed ?
The first photos in this series were taken with the XF35f2 because my project with the 50mm was not finished. Then, I set it aside to continue with a 35mm.
I wanted to change my vision after seeing the world at 50mm during the 50 days of my previous series.
The XF23f1.4 is ideal for those moments in my apartment in low light.
This lens allows me to have a little more perspective to recover the atmosphere and the decor in this fairly small space.
When I needed a little more privacy on the images, I mounted the 50mm on my X-T2.
I bought this device two years after the X-T10.
Even if the X-T10 and the series that followed (X-T20, X-T30) are perfect devices to start the practice, small projects made that I wanted and needed to move to the model a little more "Pro".
After having hesitated for a long time between the X-T2 and the X-Pro2, I chose the X-T series two years ago.
I also occasionally use a Canon FD 50mmf1.4.
For this series and my indoor photos in general, my settings are almost always the same. The aperture is set between 1.4 and 2 to properly highlight the subject. Automatic speed with a limit of 1/125 as my minimum shunter speed. I also let the X-T2 manage the ISO. They can vary between 200 and 3200 during the day, and in the evening from 200 to 6400.
The XF23 and XF35 complement each other quite well, but if you had to choose just one lens, which one would it be and why ?
I always come back to the 50mm very quickly. For me, this is the ideal focal length and the one that suits me the most. The most versatile for my photographic style. It allows me to capture the moments of intimacy, the details.
For many people, the 35mm is more versatile. Of course, I also like this focal length for photographing in somewhat "closed" places, for taking the environment around the subject but my eyes see life in 50mm.
I have the XF35f2 model and I have been thinking about replacing or completing it with the XF35f1.4 model for quite some time. Some people would say that this idea is a little "weird" but I find that these 2 lenses are complementary. The f1.4 for its very particular rendering and for the photos in low light and the f2 for its weather sealing and speed.
What software do you use to edit your photos, and what is your usual workflow ?
I have been a Lightroom user since the start of my practice. I have been trying Capture One for some time, but I do not have enough time to know this software. It’s quite complicated to change your work habits when you have a little mastery of a tool and you don’t have time to change it.
I shoot all the time in RAW + JPEG and I use JPEG on more than 90% of my work.
I basically use three profiles with the X-T2. ClassicChrome for color, Acros + Yellow when I'm indoors and Acros + Red when I’m outdoors for black and white. I directly modify the light and shadow on the device according to the light conditions.
After importing the photos into Lightroom, I often select a series of photos to which I try to apply more or less the same tones and settings so that the series is consistent in color and mood.
Finally, you will certainly agree that inspiration can come from observing the work of others, be it the great classics, or contemporary photographers. If you had to identify the photographer who most influenced your work, who would it be ?
A photographer counted a lot and inspired me enormously at the very beginning of my practice. I continue to follow his work and his blog regularly. Patrick LaRoque showed me that you can take beautiful and very interesting photos in everyday life. That our daily life and our intimacy could add captivating elements to the images.
I didn’t dare to buy a camera too much for fear of not finding exciting subjects to photograph. When I discovered him, I realized it was just the opposite. Magnificent photos can be found there, right under our noses, in these mundane moments and in our routine.
His blog is full of wonders, and it’s true that I envy him a bit about his ability to tell stories and write. An entire artist.
Finally, I would like to thank you very much for this interview and for giving me the opportunity to present this particular series.
LOCKDOWN
I have not been too active in recent weeks here ...
There are several reasons for this.
Lockdown took up quite a bit of space in my head. The opposite happened to what should have happened. When I had more time in front of me to do things I love, I just wanted to wait for time and life to pass, and do nothing. Of course I continued to take my camera and take pictures. But they remained on the SD card. I didn't feel like the whole process that comes after the shot. Transfer to iMac or iPad, edit, write ...
I also collaborated with a photo magazine that I buy regularly. Writing an article for their website and an interview took up a lot of my time.
The magazine with which this collaboration was made is called Fuji X Passion. It’s a magazine specializing in this brand that I love so much. There are many reports and interviews there. There are many photo documentary and interviews there. The quality of the images and the photographers I discover there very often leaves me in awe. And I personally find a lot of inspiration there.
We got in touch with a photo I took during lockdown, which I posted on their website as a comment.
With the many photos I took during this period, I was thinking of creating an article or two for my blog. And then these articles turned into an interview that you can find today in this magazine accompanied by my photos.
I’m not hiding from you that it’s a great pleasure to see my name on the cover of a magazine.
Below are some photos accompanying this article.
You can get this edition by following this link.
Je n’ai pas été trop actif ces dernières semaines sur ce journal…
Il y a plusieurs raisons à cela.
Le confinement a pris pas mal de place dans ma tête. Il s’est passé le contraire de ce qui aurait dû se produire. Alors que j’avais plus de temps devant moi pour faire des choses que j’aime, j’ai juste eu envie de regarder le temps et la vie passer, de ne rien faire. J’ai bien sûr continué de prendre mon appareil et de faire des photos. Mais elles restaient sur la carte SD. Je n’avais pas l’envie de tout le processus qui vient après la prise de vue. Le transfert sur l’iMac ou sur l’iPad, la retouche, l’écriture…
J’ai aussi collaboré avec un magazine photos que j’achète régulièrement. La rédaction d’un article pour leur site web et d’une interview a pris le pas sur la tenue de mon blog.
Le magazine avec lequel cette collaboration s’est faite s’appelle Fuji X Passion. C’est un magazine spécialisé autour de cette marque que j’affectionne tant. On y trouve beaucoup de reportages et d’interviews. La qualité des images et les photographes que j’y découvre me laisse très souvent admiratif. Et j’y trouve personnellement beaucoup d’inspiration.
Nous sommes entrés en contact grâce à une photo que j’avais prise pendant le confinement, et que j’avais posté en commentaire sur leur site internet.
Avec les nombreuses photos que j’ai fait durant cette période, je pensais créer un article ou deux pour mon journal. Et puis ces articles se sont transformés en interview que vous pouvez retrouver aujourd’hui dans ce magazine accompagnée de mes photos.
Je ne vous cache pas que c’est un grand plaisir de voir mon nom en page de couverture d’un magazine.
Ci-dessus quelques photos qui accompagnent cet article…
Vous pouvez vous procurer cette édition en suivant ce lien.
X-T2 | XF23mm F1.4
TEMPORARY
Sometimes life is a great plunge into the unknown. And it’s very strange when it’s the first time you dive at 38…
There is a lot of panic. Why ? Why am I here ? How ?
What is this new place called « provisory » ?
And then we try as best we can to get our bearings, we are looking for new habits, new landmarks. We find more or less, especially less.
So we try to find things that have been obtained hang up, objects that we know, smells. And then we think about after. We are trying to think about where to find « definitive ». And especially on wonder if it really exists…
« Come on, this is all temporary. »
But temporary, is it long ?
And then tomorrow, what is tomorrow ?
Parfois la vie est un grand plongeon dans l’inconnu. Et c’est très étrange quand c’est à 38 ans la première fois qu’on plonge…
Il y a beaucoup de panique. Pourquoi ? Pourquoi je suis là ? Comment ?
Quel est ce nouveau lieu appelé « provisoire » ?
Et puis on essaye tant bien que mal de prendre ses marques, on se cherche de nouvelles habitudes, de nouveaux repères. On en trouve plus ou moins, surtout moins.
Alors on essaye de trouver des choses auxquelles se raccrocher, des objets qu’on connaît, des odeurs. Et puis on pense à après. On essaye de réfléchir où peut bien se trouver « définitif ». Et surtout on se demande s’il existe vraiment…
« Allez va, tout ceci est temporaire. »
Mais temporaire, c’est long ?
Et puis demain, c’est quoi demain ?
X-T2 | XF35mm F2
THE WEDDING
It was my first wedding as an "official photographer".
It was the wedding between beautiful Argentina and France.
It was a perfect day. They were beautiful, they were happy.
It was crazy.
Thank you.
C’était mon premier mariage en tant que « photographe officiel ».
C’était le mariage entre la belle Argentine et la France.
C’était une journée parfaite. Ils étaient beaux, ils étaient heureux.
C’était fou.
Merci.
X-T2 | X-T20 | XF23mm F1.4 | XF56mm F1.2
AN HOUR AND A HALF
PIRENEUS | AYGUES CLUSES
At first, the mountains and the head in the fog.
And then I walk.
I go up.
The sky is discovered then.
And the mind clears.
Up there ...
Au départ, les montagnes et la tête dans le brouillard.
Et puis je marche.
Je monte.
Le ciel se découvre alors.
Et l’esprit s’éclaircit.
Là-haut ...
This article is the 1st fully realized with the iPad. The photos have been edited with Lightroom and VSCO.
X-T2 | XF35mm F2 | XF14mm F2.8
PIRENEUS | LAC D'OURREC
X-T2 | XF14mm F2.8 | XF23mm F1.4
IT'S SHOWTIME
Like every year in April, excitement and stress rise before the curtain opens. This is the time of the school show.
Comme tous les ans en avril, l’excitation et le stress montent avant l’ouverture du rideau. C’est le moment du spectacle de l’école.
X-T2 | XF35mm F2
BGK | PART TWO
The cover photo of this article summarizes very well these three weeks of travel. The light, the colors, the atmosphere, there is everything !
We stay in Bangkok for this latest article. A few pictures of the street and floating market of Taling Chan, a walk on the klongs and a view of Bangkok from Wat Saket temple.
I already told you how much I loved this city ...?
In the following weeks I will try to update the website. Modify a little the appearance, the galleries. There are some small details that I do not like too much. I will also certainly add a "travel" part. To be continued…
La photo de couverture de cet article résume très bien ces trois semaines de voyage. La lumière, les couleurs, l’ambiance, il y a tout !
On reste à Bangkok pour ce tout dernier article. Quelques photos de rue et du marché flottant de Taling Chan, une petite balade sur les klongs et une vue en hauteur de Bangkok depuis le temple Wat Saket.
Je vous ai déjà dit combien j’ai adoré cette ville …?
Dans les semaines qui suivent je vais essayer de mettre à jour le site. Modifier un peu l’apparence, les galeries. Il y a quelques petits détails qui ne me plaisent plus trop. Je vais aussi certainement ajouter une partie “voyages”. A suivre…
TALING CHAN FLOATING MARKET
WAT SAKET
SIAM PARAGON
THE END…
… next trip : BERLIN !
X-T10 | XF14mm F2.8 | XF35mm F2 | XF23mm F2
PIRENEUS | GAVARNIE
X-T2 | XF14mm F2.8 | XF35mm F2
BGK | PART ONE
The trip to Thailand ends...
And I kept the best for the end.
Back on the first days of our trip when we arrived in Bangkok.
What to say about this city...? Apart from that I could have stayed there the three weeks of our stay !
Bangkok is immensely crazy and it's a pleasure to get lost (with a bottle of water in the bag !). Indeed it is one of the hottest cities in the world and it was almost 40 degrees when we arrived (unusual temperature at this time of year according to Thais.). It's a city where you feel good, safe. There must of course be neighborhoods a little less safe as in all major cities in the world but I have never felt discomfort, never a glance, never a word higher than others. On the contrary ! Just kindness, and even more with children !
But Thailand is not an isolated case, all of Asia has this culture of smiles and hospitality.
Of course we did not visit the city in its entirety, but we still could "impregnate" some neighborhoods
First of all, this old quarter of Chinatown immediately made me fall in love with "the city of angels" but that the children had trouble supporting. Our hotel was close to this very hectic area. There are a lot of people, strong smells everywhere, multicolored signs hanging on buildings, restaurants and street stalls. I have never been to China but it seems that Chinatown is a very good image.
There are also majestic and colorful temples scattered throughout the city. Everything about religions is not really interesting to me, but we had the opportunity to see three of the great Buddhist temples in Bangkok. Wat Pho and his giant reclining Buddha of 45 meters you can see the pictures a little further down in the article. Wat Saket (the temple of the Golden Mountain) we visited during our second visit to Bangkok and Wat Phra Kew (the temple of the Emerald Buddha) located in the heart of the royal palace that we discovered under the rain just before our return to France.
Bangkok is also nicknamed the "Venice of the East". It is called because of its network of canals that used to be used for transportation, trade (floating markets) and sewers. They have been transformed over time into concrete streets, but there are still a lot of them left. Many poor people live at the edge of these canals and walking on these khlongs is a great opportunity to enjoy the life of the Thais and discover the floating markets.
We also spent a lot of time in the modern district of Bangkok. A hyper noisy and overpopulated neighborhood that seems to live a few levels above the street where skyscrapers, walkways, skytrain and gigantic shopping malls coexist.
Welcome to the future ! Welcome to the past ! Welcome to Bangkok !
Le voyage en Thaïlande se termine...
Et j’ai gardé le meilleur pour la fin.
Retour sur les premiers jours de notre voyage lors de notre arrivée à Bangkok.
Que dire de cette ville...? Mis à part que j’aurais pu y rester les trois semaines de notre séjour !
Bangkok est immensément folle et c’est un plaisir de s’y perdre (avec une bouteille d’eau dans le sac !). En effet c’est une des villes les plus chaudes du monde et il faisait presque 40 degrés lors de notre arrivée (température inhabituelle à cette période de l’année selon les Thaïs.). C’est une ville où on se sent bien, en sécurité. Il doit bien sûr y avoir des quartiers un peu moins sûrs comme dans toutes les grandes villes du monde mais je n’ai jamais ressenti de gêne, jamais un regard de travers, jamais un mot plus haut que les autres. Bien au contraire ! Que de la gentillesse et de la bienveillance, et encore plus avec les enfants !
Mais la Thaïlande n’est pas un cas isolé, l'Asie toute entière a cette culture du sourire et de l’accueil.
Nous n’avons bien sûr pas visité la ville dans sa totalité mais nous avons quand même pu nous « imprégner » de certains quartiers.
Il y a tout d’abord ce vieux quartier de Chinatown qui m’a tout de suite fait tomber amoureux de “la cité des anges” mais que les enfants ont eu du mal à supporter. Notre hôtel était proche de ce quartier très agité. Il y a énormément de monde, des odeurs très fortes partout, des panneaux multicolores accrochés aux immeubles, des restaurants et des stands de rue. Je n’ai jamais été en Chine mais il paraît que Chinatown en est une très bonne image.
Il y aussi ces temples majestueux et très colorés éparpillés dans la ville. Tout ce qui tourne autour des religions ne m’intéresse pas vraiment mais nous avons eu l’occasion de voir trois des grands temples bouddhistes de Bangkok. Le Wat Pho et son Bouddha couché géant de 45 mètres dont vous pouvez voir les photos un peu plus bas dans l’article. Le Wat Saket (le temple de la montagne d'or) que nous avons visité lors de notre deuxième passage à Bangkok et le Wat Phra Kew (le temple du Bouddha d'Emeraude) situé en plein coeur du palais royal que nous avons découvert sous la pluie juste avant notre retour vers la France.
Bangkok est aussi surnommée la “Venise de l’Orient”. Elle est appelée comme ça à cause de son réseau de canaux qui servaient avant pour le transport, le commerce (marchés flottants) et les égouts. Ils ont été transformés au fil du temps en rues bétonnées mais il en reste encore pas mal. Beaucoup de gens pauvres habitent au bord de ces canaux et se balader sur ces khlongs est une superbe occasion d’apprécier la vie des Thaïs et de découvrir les marchés flottants.
Nous avons aussi passé pas mal de temps dans le quartier moderne de Bangkok. Un quartier hyper bruyant et surpeuplé qui semble vivre à quelques niveaux au-dessus de la rue où se côtoient gratte-ciel, passerelles, métro aérien et centres commerciaux gigantesques.
Bienvenue dans le futur ! Bienvenue dans le passé ! Bienvenue à Bangkok !
STREET
WAT PHO
STREET
X-T10 | XF35mm F2 | XF23mm F2
THAILAND | KO SAMUI
" Koh Tao or Ko Samui...? "
Day 13, eve of our departure from Krabi to one of these islands on the East coast of Thailand, and we can not decide.
It is ultimately by seeking a home that we make a decision.
Most of the accommodations on Koh Tao were already booked and it is on Ko Samui that we find our happiness. Three days in a small house with swimming pool.
So we leave early in the morning Krabi by bus, thanking again and again our host who will have pampered us during these few days.
After a few hours taxi bus, here we are in Surat Thani where we take a boat to cross to Ko Samui and our new home...
« Koh Tao ou Ko Samui…? »
Jour 13 , veille de notre départ de Krabi vers une des ces îles de la côte Est de la Thaïlande, et nous n’arrivons pas à nous décider.
C’est finalement en cherchant un logement que nous prenons une décision.
La plupart des logements sur Koh Tao étaient déjà réservés et c’est donc sur Ko Samui que nous trouvons notre bonheur. Trois jours dans une petite maison avec piscine.
Nous partons donc assez tôt le matin de Krabi en bus, en remerciant encore et encore notre hôte qui nous aura chouchoutés durant ces quelques jours.
Après quelques heures de taxi bus, nous voilà à Surat Thani où nous prenons un bateau pour faire la traversée jusqu’à Ko Samui et notre nouvelle habitation...
To be perfectly honest and although we spent three days pretty awesome, this island was the place I liked the least during this trip to Thailand.
It's only my feeling but this place is not "authentic". We wonder if the temple of Wat Plai Laem is real or if it is a place built for tourists. There are many restaurants and residences run by Europeans. Transport is more expensive and a bit more complicated.
And above all we feel the Thais a little more tense than in the rest of the country, as if the island no longer really belonged to them...
Pour être tout à fait honnête et même si nous y avons passé trois jours assez géniaux, cette île aura été l’endroit que j’ai le moins aimé durant ce voyage en Thaïlande.
C’est seulement mon ressenti mais cet endroit ne fait pas “authentique”. On se demande si le temple de Wat Plai Laem est bien réel ou si c’est un endroit construit pour les touristes. Il y a de nombreux restaurants et résidences tenus par des Européens. Les transports y sont plus chers et un peu plus compliqués.
Et surtout on sent les Thaïlandais un peu plus tendus que dans le reste du pays, comme si l’île ne leur appartenait plus vraiment…
Big Buddha and Wat Plai Laem Temple
NORTHERN BEACHES
Now is the time to leave Ko Samui to find Bangkok !
The girls are sad to leave the beach and the pool, and I excited to return to this great city.
Back to Surat Thani where the plane is waiting for us with a bonus of a big storm in flight (I really do not like the plane !) that will take us back to the capital for the last days of our trip.
Voici venu le moment de quitter Ko Samui pour retrouver Bangkok !
Les filles sont tristes de quitter la plage et la piscine, et moi excité de retrouver cette grande ville.
Retour vers Surat Thani où l’avion nous attend avec en bonus un très gros orage en vol (je n’aime vraiment pas l’avion !) qui nous ramènera à la capitale pour les derniers jours de notre voyage.
X-T10 | XF14mm F2.8 | XF35mm F2 | XF23mm F2
A GIRL AND TREES
A few months have passed since I had submitted the idea to go make this photo shoot. She's called Marine, so it would have been more logical for this photo shoot to be done at the seaside rather than in a forest... but I had noticed this place several times going to the mountains and every time I passed there I told myself that I absolutely had to come and take pictures with her under these trees. A late afternoon free during the holidays, an evening behind my computer and that's the result. Next photo shoot in 2019, in the snow...?
Quelques mois se sont écoulés depuis que je lui avais soumis l’idee d’aller faire ce shooting. Elle s’appelle Marine, il aurait été donc plus logique que ce shooting se fasse au bord de la mer plutôt que dans une forêt... mais j’avais remarqué cet endroit plusieurs fois en allant en montagne et à chaque fois que je passais là je me disais qu’il fallait absolument que je vienne faire des photos avec elle sous ces arbres.
Une fin d’après-midi libre pendant les vacances, une soirée derrière mon ordi et voilà le résultat.
Prochaine séance photos en 2019, dans la neige...?
X-T2 | XF35mm F2 | XF14mm F2.8 | Canon nFD 50mm F1.4
THAILAND | KRABI
April 2018.
Three days in Krabi…
KRABI
KOH PHI PHI
KRABI
X-T10 | XF14mm F2.8 | XF35mm F2 | XF23mm F2