The Dark Rooms of... Alain Astruc
The Dark Rooms of... is an interview series in which a photographer talks about his or her darkrooms, the digital and the mental, or technical and inspirational. What makes you click?
In this edition of The Dark Rooms of… we focus on French photographer Alain Astruc. Alain is the author of the Substack Seasons, a - as he describes it - photographic diary and written essays from a french artist and film-maker. Worth a visit!
By the way, if you haven’t read the previous four interviews, you can find them here.
Here we go.
Who are you?
My name is Alain Astruc, I am the father of two children and I live in the South-West of France. I am an artist and an educator, using primarily photography and film making, but I always had a strong interest in writing and music as well.
Technical
Do you think technique is important?
Yes, technique is important in the sense that photography being technological in its essence, it is necessary to master the technical aspects required to achieve what you want to do with it. But as far as I am concerned regarding my photo diary, I have very limited needs, intentionally. I have been doing the same technical things for a long time so that I never have to think about it. I want to take photos in the most intuitive way possible.
What equipment do you use?
I use a Canon 6D and 50mm, sometimes a 35mm lens, nothing else.
I have used many different types of cameras, medium format Mamiya cameras and many analog 35mm cameras, Polaroïds, 16mm and Super 8, DV, Digital Cinema cameras, etc. I also often use a Canon C100mkII Cinema Camera for video.
The transition from film has been long for me but I now absolutely love digital photography and video and I have no intention of taking a film photograph ever again.
And what software?
Affinity Photo, Lightroom and Da Vinci Resolve.
How do you edit your photos?
I keep image editing to a minimum, I don't want them to have any specific look. I pay very close attention to the sequencing of my photos though. I show a lot of photos, selections are very important and meant to be seen in a linear way.
Inspirational
Where lies your heart?
The language of photography seemed like a second nature to me when I started seriously, unlike some other forms of expression which I had some difficulty with at the time, like writing. I think I am mainly a diarist, even if I do other things too, and if I have often shown some edited selections of chronological sections of my archives, I have yet to make them accessible as a whole. I am working on it.
Do you have your own style?
I am trying to achieve it in a non obvious way, I intentionally use very standard equipment and minimal image editing so that my style resides in the photographs themselves and their sequencing, and the technical aspect of it is nothing more than a testimony of the time I live in.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
The passing of time in life and seasons in nature. The fragility of life and the nature of photography. I love cinema, music and literature. I think the most important thing for me is the fact I am still amazed by photography itself after a long time practicing it.
Does your project start with an idea or with a loose image?
For my main diary work, neither. I am in a fight against ideas. To me ideas and intent are for writing, photography is witnessing. It's a daily practice. But I sometimes work on other projects because I also use photography in conjunction with video, music and art.
When is your project finished?
My main diary project is a lifelong one. For the other ones, it's very variable, but I'd say it's like cooking, at some point, you know it's ready.
During your project, do you already know how it ends?
I hope the diary project's end will be a happy end.
What is your favorite photo and why?
I chose a photo of a horse I made in 2005 on a Mamiya c330, next to Albi. A print of it has been bought by a very well known gallery owner and collector in Paris, so I guess it's one of my good ones.
Future
What do you want to achieve
I want to be able to present my work in a more comprehensive way and I think I have to write about the photos as well as edit the photos themselves. I hope I'll be able to do that in the near future. I also make films and I would like to be able to show photos and films together.
What do you want to know from others? You may ask one photographer one question. What would that be?
If I met Bernard Plossu, Rinko Kawauchi of William Eggleston, I would ask them if they think they've ever managed to photograph the invisible. I met Plossu but didn't ask him.
Where can we see more
Best thing to do right now is to subscribe to my Substack and follow me on Twitter for updates. I am currently working on a new version of my website and hope to have it running in the next few weeks. I'll have a very peculiar exhibition in June in my hometown. I don't want to spoil it because it's something very specific but it's something new and I'll document the making of it in Seasons in the coming months.
That’s it for this newsletter
Do you like this interview? Do you want to see more? Send my some suggestions for photographers you like to see interviewed at Darkrooms. Of course you can suggest yourself if you have an interesting story to tell.
Thanks again for the interview, Marcel! I like Alain's answer on the 'have your style-question'. Focusing on the photos themselves and their sequencing, instead of having the edit determining the style.