It was a rainy day in Normandy at a quarter before sunset, I have begun to see the clouds leaving the seashore letting some dark blue sky visible. The temperature was like 10 degrees and the air wasn't very humid and not smelling salty at all, the tide was low and thus the wave sound can be hardly heard from the road: the grey feeling wasn't what I would expected at all.
How to produce top-notch pictures worthy of my pro photographer level with this dull and common situation? The task won't be easy, but photography is an adventure and my experience has fully prepared me to do it!
Nonetheless, I followed my instincts by going to the most famous place of Deauville for photos: the "planches de Deauville" with their famous "parasols" umbrellas. The American film competition takes places in the city for decades and even the most international Hollywood visits the event: from the flashy actor of Iron Man one of the most paid actor in the world, to the brightest beautiful maidens of American films.
Soaking up myself in this special atmosphere of cinema stories and stars, I have to run from an extremity of the large beach to the other. And at the early season, it's really quiet at sunset time in a normal day. Let face it: i wasn't prepared to be alone in this immensity.
Almost alone, I was using my black and long telephoto lens >375mm to see what looks like an original scene: I could see one kilometer away a woman wearing a blue Ralph Lauren polo riding her horse trying to make him wash his legs in the sea. She was wearing one of this round helmets and the horse had a brown hair and an elegant look! And little later, a 50 year-old man with a large light grey jacket and a small grey hat just walked pass me alone with his thoughts, staring the ground: I was interested to imagine his life or his motivation to make this walk: is he lonely in life? A rich guy who retired at an early age? Who knows...
Alone again, i tried different angles with different lenses (wide, fixed focal, telephoto lens) in the planches of Deauville to capture the last colorful rays of lights on the historical wooded path of the beach. The lodges entrances have been named with famous American actors and actress, film makers (some old one and most recent too) including Harrison Ford or Spielberg. But the time to shoot the place is very short and i have to be shift to change mount in 5 sec before switch in on my camera and shoot again.
The little barriers with green names are so recognizable, and their alignment quite perfect.
So i decided to make some pictures for a Vitamin Well brand (since I am brand ambassador) playing with the inner design of the barrier and its repetition.
And I took quietly a minute to look at the beautiful and original result: I was so surprised and pleased by the outcome especially color contrast and composition.
Michel Lim
Parisian Photographer