INTRODUCING CHILL: ANONYMOUS FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER Originally posted December, 2011. All photos courtesy of Chill.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Hey there! First of all, thank you for the interview, that's cool. Well, I'm Chill, a French photographer attracted by cute and natural moments. I love to capture particular instants I like, spontaneously or not. Always looking for things which make me feel something different and special. I like to define my works in two main parts. On one side I love photographing unique and intimate moments, trying to capture an emotion or a particular ambiance. And on the other side, I appreciate observing and capturing what is happening around me. Whether it's the place where I am, orthe people I am with.
I didn't study photography, my studies were about computers and networks… But I have always been fascinated by uniqueness and spontaneity of photography. And one day (six years ago to be precise) I had the chance to get a little bridge camera, which allowed me to learn the bases, and most of all to develop and experiment with a lot of different methods and concepts. A few weeks later, I met a girl (who is one of my best friend and also a wonderful model) with whom I learned more and more. It was during the summer, and I think that's why I have a bunch of colourful shots. Later, I bought my first and actual DSLR, and since I’m continuing to evole in photography. And I freaking love this!
You have a wonderful series of photographs entitled <<Another Dimension>>. Could you tell us a little about the concept behind that and how it came about? Thank you for enjoying it. It all began at a party. Moreover, it often begins at a party! I met Anna, who knew my photographs and she told me she wanted to make a photoset for a well-know alt-porn community. I agreed, and she came in my apartment a few days later. At the end of the shoot, I told her about a photo project I had with projected images on the skin thanks to a video projector. She totally loved the idea and we met again a week later to develop this concept. Once you’re in the dark and you’ve chosen the pictures, you just have to « apply » them on the skin. Even if some images are very bright, a tripod is a nice friend in this case.
Every pictures brings a different ambiance. We used psychedelic patterns, drawings and movies pictures. I like how colors and details are added on the skin. In this way, it’s easy to show or hide what you want. It was a very interesting experience, to redo!
How did it come about that you spent a week shooting in Romania?
It was an impulsive act ! It had been a while since my last vacation, and I wanted to discover another country. Eastern Europe is so different, then attractive to me. Romania was very interesting, it’s a very recent democracy and the shadow of communism is still there. By the way, the word vacation is clearly inappropriate here cause I travelled a lot in towns and I took many photographs. I spent four days exploring the capital, Bucaresti; visiting huge parks, destroyed empty streets and popular downtown squares. I spent the three last days in the Romanian countryside. I rented a car and I made a long trip, exploring regions such as Transylvania and Wallachia. It’s a very interesting country, with many social and architectural contrasts. It was one of my favourite trips.
You recently did a collaboration with Brazilian indie/blues band Quartro Negro. Could you tell me about the process of how it came together and how the shooting went? Yes, it was a fantastic collaboration! One day, Eudardo (Quarto Negro’s singer) found my Flickr page and he loved my photographic style, my colours and the part of mystery which several shots had. He quickly contacted me and told me his band was going to release their new and first album « Desconocidos ». Eduardo and his friends wanted me to create the album cover. I was surprised and very flattered, coming from a band on the other side of the planet. So I exchanged a lot of mail with Eduardo, he’s a pretty cool guy. We were on the same wavelength about initial ideas. The two main directives were : retro style and something strange.
Few days later, I was in an isolated and secret grove with my model. We were in a sloping path, so I asked my model to naturally let herself fall forward. I wanted to take pictures before she took a step forward, just not to fall for real. I know, I’m nice to my models ! I sent the band four photographs. And they totally crushed on the first one, my favourite. The three other ones were still chosen for the album booklet. It’s my first big project, I’m so glad to have came up to their expectations. A true friendship was born between members of Quarto Negro and me. Pure pleasure. We should meet up soon for real.
Few weeks later, Quarto Negro asked me to realise their first video clip from their first single « Vesânia II ». I have filmed with a DSLR many short sequences in a french hotel room, and Quarto Negro proceeded to video edit. But it’s another story!
Are you optimistic about the future?
It’s a very particular question. What should I answer? Perhaps my future in photography? Or the future of photography? Or else the future of our strange lives on this planet that we hurt a little more each day? Hard choice. But I think we should stay in the photography topic.
Personaly, I hope to develop methods and get better in my style, to improve some things, to explore and try new concepts. I made my first photo exhibition few weeks ago, and I frankly loved it. So, a new one in another city should be nice. To conclude, I especially want to continue to take pictures and moments I love, pictures and moment which « talk to me ». And if you love them too, it will be so great!
