Suspended moments, improbable scenarios, Matthieu Raffard relates the sweetness of the present at the pace of his emotions, brought together by natural light, revealing the delicate emergence of the real. Born in 1981 in Paris, Matthieu Raffard now lives in New York. After studying at the Esag Penninghen in Paris, he left to take pictures in China, Ukraine and the Balkans. Nourished by classical culture, he carefully composes each of his photographs to transmit his emotions.
Where does your photography come from?
M. Raffard : I started shooting with an old reflex camera during trips with my family. I loved the feeling of looking through the viewfinder eyepiece. It was like turning the world into cinema. I enrolled in the photo club at my high school and took pictures of my friends in their daily lives. Then I went to art school and traveled a lot. That’s how I became a photographer.
When is your decisive moment for taking photographs ?
M. R : The decisive moment took place in New York on the streets of Brooklyn. I was living there four years ago and suddenly I realized that I was seeing differently than other people. It was like a click. And since that day I’ve kept using the ways of seeing I discovered over there.
What inspired you work/your series ?
M. R : During my studies I spent a lot of time looking at the German photographers of the Düsseldorf School. I also liked American photographers and how they were able to tell the story of the landscape. Otherwise, I mainly like painting, like the oil landscapes by Cortot, and the beach scenes by Eugène Boudin.
What is the link between your commercial work and your personal work ?
M. R : For me commissions and my personal work are closely related. I don’t really distinguish between the two. What’s important for me is that the miracle of photography occur.
Which is a bigger priority for you : a great ad campaign or an exhibition at a famous gallery ?
M. R : My work has always been geared towards exhibitions and galleries. Commissions are there to allow me to work on my personal projects.
What are the current photographic trends for you ?
M. R : I feel like there is a return in photography to the decisive moment. After falling briefly out of favor, French humanist photography in the tradition of Henri Cartier-Bresson is making a comeback. As for art photographers, there’s lots happening around photographers like Roe Ethridge and Viviane Sassen.
The world experience has changed drastically. Its representation has evolved. Has digital become inevitable in the photographic creative process ?
M. R : Digital will never be indispensable. It’s a medium like any other. I think a good photographer should keep his or her distance from technical matters and focus on the question of how to see.
Interview by Séverine Morel
REPRESENTATION
Cendrine Gabaret – www.cendrinegabaret.com
BOOK
Daily Fiction
ISBN : 978-2-36224-033-1
Author : Matthieu RAFFARD & Albéric d’HARDIVILLIERS
17×23 cm / 192 pages / published : October 4, 2012
