Jacques Revon sends us his images taken at the Rencontres in 1979 and 1980, they are accompanied by this text.
In 1979 and 1980, as a technical photographer of the french Ilford factory based in Saint-Priest near Lyon, now defunct, I was part of the staff of the Rencontres d’Arles, not far from Lucien Clergue. At night, while some of them slept peacefully, I developed their black and white film for the photographers, which they would come and collect in the early morning.
During that time, I was also able to photograph during the day some of the famous names who visited the Rencontres, many of whom are sadly no longer with us.
I hope this will bring back fond memories for those in this world, who will remember the settings, and for other enthusiasts who didn’t experience those moments, and have to imagine those times by discovering these images. Images captured and born from a passion for photography. Oh, I have other images from this unique era, of course, but in the life of a photographer and journalist, you have to know how to choose moments; you can’t show or tell everything, even if the desire is not lacking. Of course, these are always moments of special choice where we reflect on moments lived, felt internally, over time that have become powerful in a professional or simply personal life. So, I have chosen for you these few images that sincerely made me happy to be alive, the very moment I decided to press the shutter of my 36mm film camera. Unforgettable hours spent looking at and in contact of various sculptors of light.
Jacques Revon
