BOXERS

I like to photograph boxers/martial arts people; when I do, I want their relationship to their bodies to be more important than their bodies themselves in the image. I want to show what it means to be boxing, to be pushing oneself to do this, for an individual. From what I've seen, I think that what they are looking for -and what they obviously get from it- is a deep balance, a calm and "soft" sort of strength, that makes them confident and open to others. Of course I guess there are exceptions to the rule; but for me, I have always felt privileged when they let me take their pictures.

PAUL SCHIEK

For some reason, it is very rare for me to be truely moved by black and white photographs. Once you take out Arbus and Avedon of course, all my favorite photographers shot/shoot in color. It is especially true for contemporary photography. But yesterday at Stephen Wirtz Gallery I fell in love with Paul Schiek prints and especially this one. The movement, the mystery, all the shades of grey, the texture and the amazing minimalism of that image impressed me. So simple and so sophisticated at the same time. After this, J. Meyerowitz underwater shots seemed tasteless and "easy"...

CHINATOWN NY

It's very difficult to describe the magic of chinatown in NY. The first thing that struck me was the size of it -it just seemed endless, so vast. For some reason I never spent that much time in chinatown in SF; but in NY I spent hours getting lost in the canal st/grand st area. I especially loved it at night. I had very interesting food experiences there -I'll always remember the special teas I had in the humid heat of the city.

ELLIOTT

I like the sunlight in the Mission. Thanks Elliott for letting me working with you. Smooth process... I definitely want to come to your school, see what all these crazy kids look like!

CHOSES

J'adorerais savoir vraiment dessiner, quand meme...ca fait partie des petites frustrations de la vie, vous voyez? Souvent les filles veulent savoir jouer du piano -ca entre dans la meme categorie. Moi je joue un peu de piano mais je souhaiterais savoir dessiner. Je m'en fous je les mets la quand meme.

TRAVIS

It's easy to find people that I want to photograph. It is not that easy to find people I want to photograph again and again. I wonder what happens with the "models" that I connect with, those that I need to shoot again, in different places and contexts. Is it only the natural connection between us? Do I identify with them? The funny thing is that I always know almost immediately -after 2 or 3 shots- if it's going to "work" or not. When it does, everything is simple, I don't even have to really look for the "right angle". It happens. These are probably my favorite moments as a photographer.

ON SET

When I started assisting Jordan I really hoped I was going to have time to shoot my own pictures of this whole "fashion circus" while on set. Yeah, sure. I worked way too much to do this seriously but I still managed to take a few images, grabbing my camera for 2 seconds -when I had a moment to breathe. We shot this for 125 Magazine, in a tanning salon close to Union Square in NY.

LOUISE

One day I was sitting at one of my favorite cafes in Paris and I saw this girl. I thought she had an interesting face/attitude so when she went outside to smoke a cigarette, I took her notebook and wrote the address of my website inside, and a quick note saying I would like to photograph her. Then I left. She sent me an email a few days later saying "sure". I took these pictures too late (she could not find me on the island, or maybe I did not give the best directions...), and there was not much light anymore. But I am still happy I met her, and with the feel of the images. This helps me remember that in the end, I am taking pictures to meet people. Thanks Louise.

PS: sans Gaen cette rencontre n'aurait jamais ete possible. merci Galou.

L'ILE SAINT LOUIS

For my last evening in Paris, I went to this island on the Seine with some of my friends and I photographed them with a Mamiya RZ67. During my summer in NY I realized that I needed to photograph people I am really close to. I have always studied photography far from France, and I've spent a lot of time taking pictures of "strangers" -and I enjoyed it. But I am happy they let me do this, and can't wait to pick up the rolls of film at the lab tomorrow.