Chris Archinet Interview

Friday, August 1st, 2008
by Greg

Photographer Chris Archinet just moved back close to his home town in the South of France this past July. Right between Avignon and Lyon where he was born. I think the best way for me to describe Chris would be that he’s a Single Frame Cinematic Explorer of our World. I think that pretty much sums him up. Chris would also like me to add that he is not that familiar with the English language and that he’s not used to talking about his images and how he works. He accepted the interview because he respects the talented people behind the site. With that, I’m pleased to bring you my interview with the Single Frame Cinematic Explorer, Chris Archinet. Enjoy!

Photos

How long would you say on average that you spend working on a single image before you present it to the world?

I guess I spend about ten minutes to one hour retouching in some cases, when necessary. Of course I spent a long time walking along the lanes; before finding an interesting thing to shoot.

You shoot with Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200 a point and shoot camera. Give us a short review on why you shoot with this camera?

This is a very average quality camera, actually. Part of the choice was according to my budget. But it has advantage to have all in one, many little options very useful. Good image, good video, good settings, but nothing exceptional. This is part of the reason that I have to retouch almost every images.

Actually, I almost decided to not produce any more photos this year. Recently, I was at a wedding and a friend let me try his camera for a few minutes, a Nikon D300. I had just needed a few seconds to understand how my Minolta frustrated me for the last few years. Therefore, I decided to stop shooting for a while, not accepting working with a such average production/translation of what I see in front of my eyes. Another friend on Flickr said to me that I should be able to take good pictures even with a cellphone. That’s a compliment but a good point also, and i agree. “The perfect is the enemy of the good” said Voltaire.

In the future, where do you see your photography taking you?

I have to order a good camera for Christmas before to think about that.

Tell us how you got started taking these wonderful pictures that inspire so many people comment on them?

I think everything comes from my passion for the motion picture films. I was very young and fascinated by this art. Itself providing with many other arts included: pictures, colors, music, narration, light, and stories. My first experience was when I was 12 years old. I borrow my friend’s Silent Super 8 camera that he kept in his cupboard. This tool gave me an astonishing power of artistic creation. This was the starting point for production of many little films. I thought about making movies all the time. I have to say, silent movie production is an excellent school. My love for the art of photography comes from the movies. The first good movies you see in your life, mark you forever. Citizen Kane, Fritz Lang’s movies, many films from the black & white period. Brought me so much understanding and learning of the play between light and shadow.

Light and Shadow were key for me, color came a little bit after in my experience. I had an opportunity at 20, to produce and develop photographs myself in a small laboratory/studio. I understood there some basics regarding the retouching process on pictures, much before the rise of computers. Today with Photoshop, you save time and it’s always a tool that help you to show what you wanted to show. Particularly, if you don’t have a great camera.

Name the photographer that inspires you to go out and shoot?

Again I would notice great masters and artists from the motion pictures. What inspires me are the Cinematographers; their images and visions have helped me to build my own experience. Vittorio Storaro, Philippe Rousselot, Dante Spinotti, Emmanuel Lubezki, Nestor Almendros, Jordan Cronenweth, Alex Thomson and Bruce Surtees just to name a few.

I learned from them the work with natural / real lights. How to take advantage of a window, the sun, or a tree, etc… Some of them own really great sense in colors. I don’t forget Dreyer, Tarkovsky, Welles, Chaplin, Leone, J.P. Melville, H.G. Clouzot, Ridley Scott, Hitchcock … for their visions and their legacy.

Your photos mainly deal with nature and buildings; why do you choose this type of photography over another?

Nature is a main subject for me. First, because I think that showing beauty of this nature could sensitize people on this subject. Basically, nature today is in danger and we need it to stay alive. We should continue to develop ways to help protect it. Also, nature and landscapes offer large opportunities to deal with color, Light and shadows.

When I was student I really loved to be in the city. It was a terrific subject for photography. Mainly if you live in a very old city with many ancient buildings and when you capture this. It makes for a mix of historical, architectural, esthetically fascinating photographs on many points. The top location in my photographer experience, was to visit Venise/Venezia, Italy. This city is so rich that you will never have enough time to see everything. This is truly a time machine, a unique experience in my life. I went back 3 times and I never tried Gondolas. I was to busy running in every long and tiny street; these were the hidden treasures of for me with Venise such a contrast between light and shadow.

This is quite hard to explain why you shoot this or that. Like many photographers I don’t apply rules or lessons. It’s much more instinctive and spontaneous. Does it come from artistic feeling or so ? Maybe yes. But how to explain artistic ability ? I am not sure anyone get the right response. I think my next step is to find something about people, capturing instants of life. But it’s also a question of ethic/policy to post pictures featuring people on public sites. I am not very comfortable with that idea.

Where would you like to travel after you get your new camera this Christmas?

For sure I would like to go back to North America first because, I have many cousins over there and because it is a such a large amount of country. That creates very many different in different types of landscapes in one continent. But we could say the same thing about countries I don’t know, like Russian or Asia. I’d like to explore more of my country also; the historical legacy offers so many opportunities to catch a highlight of ancient times. Sometimes, the mix between ancient building and nature gives a great source for photographers.

If you can leave one lasting impression on the viewers of your photographs what would that be?

I think I wish that people traveling through my photos end up at the places I took them. The images I like to share are perhaps a free advertisement showing beautiful places in the world I visited. I haven’t traveled much and I regret that. That is why I like to travel through photos that I discover online, including pictures from good friends on Flickr. Discovering unknown places is great but getting to know each other is much more important in my opinion.

Linkage:

• Chris’s Photostream ( on Flickr )

I want to thank Chris for allowing us to find out a little bit more about him. I think my favorite thing about Chris is that we both share a passion for Cinema and the people who create it.