What best to celebrate the passage of a New Year with a few photographs that commemorate love, life and quintessential Paris. Robert Doisneau has been a great source of inspiration over the years. I had the great pleasure to meet him in 2000. I won a street photography award curated by Ilford and he was a member of the jury. Years later I got into the habit of photographing couples in love in Paris over a private portrait session for their pre-wedding or engagement, even during their honeymoon while they are enjoying the city of light. I have always looked at Doisneau for inspiration. He is best known for his street photography, his most famous example being ‘Kiss of the hotel de ville’ (1950). But he took thousands of romantic photographs of couple in Paris, striving to capture the romance of Parisian life. Like his contemporary Brassaï, Doisneau liked nothing better than to walk the streets in search of the perfect fleeting moment.
Doisneau’s work has been enormously influential on many photographers and film directors.His talent lay in his ability to capture a moment of poignancy, absurdity or just plain strangeness. Whether it was a sailor staring up at his pinups, ‘Pinups’ (1952), a dog with wheels replacing his hind legs, ‘Dog on Wheels’ (1977) or a portrait of Pablo Picasso with loaves of bread for hands, ‘Picasso and the loaves’ (1952), Doisneau’s work shine with a distinctive sense of humour and a strong empathy for his subjects.
I hope to capture many private portraits of couples in Paris this year again keeping in mind Doisneau exemple of tender, romantic and happy moment that two lovers may share under the Eiffel tower or sitting down at the terrace of a cafe in Paris.
Happy New Year to friends, family, past and hopefully many future clients, in love in Paris!
Olivier
