I had dreamed of it all my life. I had seen so many reports on Africa during my childhood in the cinema of my village that I was convinced to go home on this first trip to Senegal.
Nothing could really surprise me. The colors, the sounds, the smells, the atmosphere, nothing would be foreign to me, everything would be familiar to me.
As far as I can remember I always experienced this atmosphere in my dreams …
Not decidedly nothing could astonish me. The bush villages, the savanna, the wild animals, the dances, the African rhythms, all that I have known for so long in my dreams …
What could be this first trip to Africa if otherwise my dreams come true ?
Undoubtedly it was a Polaroid Land Swinger camera that my father had bought when I was about 12 years old who inoculated me with the virus. The magic moment of seeing a picture in 10 seconds under my eyes is out of doubt the source of my passion for images.
During my teenage years, a second decisive event that furthered my love for photography was the creation in the village where I lived, of a photo club where I was introduced to the development and printing of photos in black and white.
A few years of regular practice, diligent reading of all magazines dealing with photography, study of the great post-war masters who inspired me such as Doisneau, Cartier-Bresson, Ronis, then suddenly a certain weariness and a break of 25 years due to the constraints of life.
In 2006 a specific event that I experienced during a difficult family time caused my return to the photography. I was walking with my wife when I saw on a wall the inscription: “My youth fled and life too!”. This message gave me the idea to take a picture to illustrate the time that passes. With my son I returned a few days later to this place to make this picture and since then I live my passion daily. [Official Website]
