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27/03/2017

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Spectators

 

Spectators

I’ve discovered rally back in 1988, at the age of 8, in a cold, humid and dark December morning while living in Paris.At that time the Dakar started in Paris and before departure there was a showdown with big trucks, 4WD cars ans motorbikes equiped from another galaxy… People gather together to see and feel and touch bolids that they will see in TV the following days. A mix of curiosity and gossiping at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower.

In these dyptics, a close relationship between spectators and cars is created. Every spectator creates its own world…

Nowadays as a sport-documentary photographer I still have that curiosity, voyeurism but above all photography brings out(in a inconsious way) our most deepest souvenirs hidden in ourself.

Monte Carlo Rally Championship, Southern France, January 2012

GoldSprint

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27/03/2017

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Freakness, passion, commitment but above all an infinity love for bicycles. GoldSprint is a 2 x 2 bikers who performs a quarter mile race in steady bikes generally in a bar with a lot of beer…

Bikes are fixed and connected with sensor to a software which measure distance and speed simultaneously and these two factor are projected into a screen. GoldSprint is completely cardio; No thinking at all, just brainless power to the legs and pedals.

I’ve shoot bikers from a pedal point of view, when they do not have anymore stamina, but instead, their muscles still burn the extra gram of glucose to finish the freaky quarter mile race.

Lyon, France, February 2010

 

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27/03/2017

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Telepathic Horseman

If there is such a thing as animal magnetism, then Jean-Francois Pignon has it in spades. With a mere flick of his hand, the Frenchman gets his horses to perform the most amazing tricks. From instructing them to stand elegantly on their hind legs to riding bareback on not one, but two horses at the same time, it’s little wonder that Pignon’s shows have become a hit with audiences worldwide.

The veteran performer, who appeared in the London International Horse Show at Olympia in December, has been training horses since when he was a boy. “I started really young with (my first horse) Gazelle,” Pignon told CNN. “I was 11 years old and she was a year and a half. My first goal was not to do a show, but to communicate with my horse and play with them.
“And then I had the opportunity to perform in a small village to do my first show and
I immediately liked it. I was very shy but I felt on this day that I really liked this job.”
More than three decades later, the 47-year-old — who lives in Calvission in the South of France — still puts in hours of training, although he is ever mindful of his horses’ welfare.
“The most difficult moves are when the horses are tired, which is rare, and also when the horses are excited,” he explained.
“My role is to be the maestro in the middle, and to use them a little bit more, a little bit less, depending on their mood.”
Audiences are amazed when they see Pignon, says Jo Peck, who manages the marketing and communications for the annual Olympia event where the Frenchman has appeared four times. “He can get horses to do things that other people just can’t get them to do,” Peck told CNN.
“He has this almost telepathic conversation that goes on … it’s almost like a communication with his horses. The way he asks them to do things is very different from the way a show jumper would ask his or her horse to do something,” she added.
“It’s not just one horse, he controls several horse at the same time. The skill is just incredible.”

Interview by Matthew KNIGHT – CNN

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27/03/2017

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Bike Polo

“Biking is about rhythm and flow. It’s the wind in you face and the challenge of hammering up along hill. It’s the reward at the top and the thrill of a high-speed descent. Biking lets you come alive in both body and spirit. After a while the bike disappears beneath you and you feel as if you’re suspended in midair. ”

Gary KLEIN

Bike Polo was invented in County Wicklow, Ireland, in 1891 by retired champion cyclist Richard J. Mecredy. Towards the end of the 19th century the game reached Great Britain, France, and the United States and the first international match was played in a grass surface, between Ireland and England in 1901.

In recent years, an alternate form of the game known as “Hardcourt Bike Polo” has grown in popularity. In this variation, teams composed of 3 players compete on tennis courts, street hockey rinks, or whatever other hard surfaces are available.

The rules vary slightly by city… Generally this is a faster game with 3 members on a team, no substitutions, and all members are on the court at all times. A street hockey ball is used and matches are played until one team scores 5 points or 10 minutes time has expired.

As a photographer and bike lover, since I met Lyon (France) city team, I was struck by the passion of these guys. They breathe, talk, eat and live for two words: Bike Polo

A mix of madness, commitment, struggle, intensity, friendship, but above all, joy for this particular sport, who gather together at the end of the summer 2015, at European Championships in Zaragoza, Spain. As time goes by, this kind of venue is turning pro, with better bikes, sponsors and medical assistance among others.

Current champion, “Call me daddy”, from France, won the finals, defeating 5-3 Octopussy  (GER) after an epic and intense final game. Defeat is hard to handle when losing the final in the last couple of minutes… Mental strength is the key in this situations.  

 

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27/03/2017

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Sainté-Lyon

“Un homme qui monte un escalier, n’a pas la même pensée que celui qui les descend”

Saint Etienne – Lyon, 5 Décembre 2015, Minuit, 72km, 14 000 coureurs.

La 62ème Sainté-Lyon, une course dans les monts du Lyonnais, renommée dans toute la France pour sa dureté, défie le dépassement de soi entre la nuit et le froid, la montagne et la fôret.

Ce trajet en solitaire ou en relais de quatre personnes, n’est pas un marathon mais plutôt un Chemin de St Jacques à travers la montagne. Une lutte interne entre l’âme et le corps. Une promesse d’affrontement, depassement et de solitude.

Un apprentissage de soi-meme ainsi qu’un rêve sur l’engagement. A travers les sentiers, la course permet une méditation et connaissance de son propre corps jusqu’au bout de l’epuisement tant moral que physique.

Le simple fait de terminer est ultime récompense. Le moment de vaincre la nuit lors du lever du jour. La brume, les arbres, les couleurs, les oiseaux, le soleil,  des simples que on ne l’arrivée commence à se voir dans le lointain horizon

“Le corps est une grande raison qui traine l’esprit à la remorque” DESCARTES

Cette série est dédie à tous ceux qui trouvent dans la souffrance le plaisir de se découvrir en âme et en corps de la façon la plus intime et personnelle.

The Wall

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27/03/2017

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The Wall, a space the same size of an apartment, is an oasis of tranquility within the heart of chaotic and hectic central Buenos Aires.

Here, leaving behind their daily routine, people gather in the evening for their shared passion for mountain-climbing, for the struggle, the adventure and the eternal fight between the soul and the body. This particular type of climb, called “bouldering” without ropes and not higher than four meters is held indoors basically as a training site.

The aim is to practice after-work and to prepare for incoming weekends with mountain fellows. Climbing is comparable to any artistic activity, wherein each chooses their own route to reach the summit. In front of the cliff and multicolor pitches, ideas as well as mountain projects are discussed and exchanged.

The simple philosophy of exerting oneself and get rid of everything else that is superficial, is what draws me to this type of activity.

The entire set of pictures was made in February 2014 at the indoor boulder of the “Centro Andino Buenos Aires”, Argentina.

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06/04/2016

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Yellow Ball

Tennis is one of the few sports that can be compared to a life course: a match can be short, or very long. There is no buzzer-beater. The longest one, in Wimbledon 2010 between Frenchman Mahut and American Isner, it was finished on a 70-68 score in the 5th set after 11 hours and 3-days play.

As a former player and now photographer I’m interested what’s behind the game, what are player’s feelings.

The player has to travel to worldwide tournaments alone or with a reduce team. They must create the game, think, dare, manage stress, regain confidence, nurture his motivation, suffer fatigue, face adversity and regain control of the game. Players fight alone with the opponent but mainly with themselves, with their minds. Being focus and mentally high is as important as hitting the ball. Shiny moments could be followed by dark periods or vice versa. 

Tennis is about feeling the ball, and when it happens, the racket becomes and extension of your arm.

As a professional photographer I found a strong similarity between tennis and photography. Taking pictures is mainly looking for the right feeling above all. Getting to the point, shoot, control and create the ‘game’, being mentally connected. The camera is an extension of the body – physically and spiritually speaking.

These set of pictures were taken from Marseille ATP 250 Championship (2016-2017 and 2019) and is a chapter of an ongoing project on what’s behind sport values.