October 25th 2010: two years. The newspaper is two years old. 24 months ago, 3 mad men (Alex Kummerman, Naddermier Magnus and myself) started Le Journal (La Lettre at the time). The beginnings are epics, limit catastrophics. The baby refuses the French version for 7 weeks and displays only the English version. October 27, Yan Morvan (L’Œil du Journal) is thrown out of the Bibliothèque nationale de France “La Lettre, we don’t know.” The majority of the photography world ignores our emails or responds laconically “What’s La Lettre?”. Helped by a handful of collaborators and friends, we hammer away, cling, persevere, press on.
October 25, 2012, the baby has grown beautifully, beyond all our expectations. 17,000 unique visitors per day from over 100 countries, 91,000 per week and 600,000 page views a week. This still does not prevent some childhood diseases, but the result is there.
Le Journal brings together the heart of world photography: photographers, lovers of images, curators, journalists, agencies, galleries, collectors … This is a success: a community gathered around Le Journal.
Success is a concept but also a special team it is a daily happiness to work with , thank you Ericka Weidmann, Juliette Deschodt, Xavier Derache, Sophie Hedtmann, José Carlos Joaquim, Greg Hermann, Michael Orchard, Sylvie Rebbot Laurence Cornet, Séverine Morel, Bernard Perrine, Michel Puech, Cuenin Jonas Antoine Soubrier, Paul Melcher, Michel Philippot, Yan Morvan, Miss Rosen, Céline Chevalier, Eva Gravayat, Stéphanie de Rouge, Anna-Maria Pfab, Melanie Light, Molly Benn, Marine Cabos, Gilles Decamps, Wilfrid Esteve Auzou Pauline, Elizabeth Avedon, Christian Caujolle, Patricia Nagy, Sybile Girault, Stieven Alison Taylor, John Loengard, Christopher Lunn, Paul Alessandrini, Cindy Cyjo, Virginia Drujon Kippelen, and Emmanuel Paul Barrois Gryrnszpan.
Jean-Jacques Naudet
