Interview with Pascal Renoux
Special thanks to Francesca Targows, who translated for us.
Pascal Renoux loves pictures in general — all sorts of pictures. He first did photography 25 years ago, then turned to painting and drawing, and returned exclusively to photography 5 years ago. A self-taught photographer who doesn't like photographic technique, he says he is searching for beauty, and for a beautiful light, because that's the real subject for him.
Mr. Renoux makes these pictures for himself, and he is very happy when viewers also like them. He began with portraits and landscapes, and currently shoots more portraits than nudes. Principally, Pascal's models are amateurs. He doesn't have any set rules, sometimes working two or three times with a particular model, and other times only once. He thinks that his nudes are not very erotic, and not sensual enough. He wants to do better in the future.
Mr. Renoux's equipment is minimalist: a window, natural morning light, and a camera. He places textiles over the window to create extra diffusion, and uses a small reflector. Pascal works mainly in his studio, but he also likes to do photographs on the beaches near his home. He stresses that it's always near his home: “I hate travels,” he says.
More of his work:
Q: Do you think that your prior experience with painting and drawing has shaped the way you see and think photographically? If so, how?
My prior practice with painting and drawing has certainly influenced the way I photograph, especially when it comes to composing images, which seems to me closer to the process of constructing pictures. More generally speaking I have seen a lot of paintings along the years in museums and galleries and I guess it has influenced my graphical universe.
Q: Do you consider yourself a particularly French photographer? What does that mean to you, and do you think that living in Nantes has any impact on the way you approach photography?
Yes and no. I’m French indeed; French Painting, literature and cinematography certainly influence my way of taking pictures. But on the other hand I’m less sensible to French photography than to the work of photographers from other countries. From a purely photographic point of view, being French is not really important to me. But if I consider the place I live in, the region of Nantes, I would say that I’m influenced by the particular light of the often cloudy sea side, where water, marshes and the ocean are strongly present.
Q: You mentioned that you like contemporary Russian and Polish photographers very much. Can you name some? What aspects of their approaches are compelling to you?
What touches me in theirs pictures is the particular quality of the light. The light is grey, heavy and sometimes dense. I especially adore their way of making portraits. But it is difficult to talk about them as a group as the have very different universes. The Polish photographers I especially admire are Zosia Zija, Marek Drohwicz, Jacek Gasiorowski, Agnieszka Motyka, Katarzyna Widmanska, and Andrzej Dragan, and the Russians are Andrew Polushkin, Evgeny Mokhorev, Maxim Chelak, Alina Lebedeva, Ivan Efimov and Vitaly Bakhvalov.
Q: In 2002 you switched over to working exclusively in photography. That's interesting because Henri Cartier-Bresson always related photography to drawing, and went the other way — retiring altogether from photography in the early 1970s to draw and paint, which he did until he died in 2004. What prompted you to embrace photography over other modes of artistic production?
I had difficulty painting; it is as simple as that. Slowly inspiration was abandoning me, and then my life partner offered me a digital camera. It was a Sony I have slowly mastered. And then I began to notice that the pictures I was taking interested people. I’ve never stopped using it since then.
Q: Daylight can be extremely variable. Does your window face north, south, or some other direction? My guess is that you work with a tripod. Can you say a little more about the challenges and benefits of working with available light?
The window in my studio is pointing east. Thanks to that I have a great light in the morning. But it’s true that light varies a lot depending on the weather and the seasons; this is sometimes a disadvantage. I’ve chosen to work with natural light because I like the result of pictures made in such conditions. And also because it fits with my choice of taking pictures with a the minimum of equipment: neither light box nor photoflash, an affordable camera, sometimes a reflector and of course, a window. I work without tripod in order to have a larger/bigger freedom of movement. Most of my pictures wouldn’t be realizable with a fixed camera; I need to move fast and to follow freely the changes of pose of the model.
Q: I'm surprised that you hand-hold with just window light. Your photos don't show evidence of camera shake, and your subjects appear pretty frozen, which suggests a fairly fast shutter speed. What ISO do you typically work at and what shutter speeds and apertures do you typically achieve?
I work with 200 iso, shutter speed 1/30 or 1/40 sec and f/2.8 or f/3.2 for aperture but I take a lot of pictures and they have not always a good sharpness.
Q: Your work shows a lot of formalism, and emphasizes the sculptural physicality of the body, but it also has a strong emotional dimension, which is usually absent in images that are so body-conscious. Can say more about what is important in your images, and what you're trying to convey?
In my work, there is a quest for beauty, grace, and elegance. I also would like to convey emotions: sadness, rage, pain, but also happiness and serenity. It’s difficult for me to precisely define what pushes me to take these pictures. It’s a need, a necessity that has always with me.
Q: You have said that you want more eroticism and sensuality in your images. Have you shot more erotic work that you're not happy with? Have there been other factors that have kept you from making more sensual photos?
Yes, I sometimes feel my work is too nice. I indeed would like to put more sensuality and eroticism in some of the pictures. I’ve already realized photographs that I like, such as those with two lovers embracing, or the cycle caresses. But I would like to go further with this theme, which I find difficult and delicate to explore. I don’t think they are reasons that have kept me from making such pictures other the limits of my artistic skills.
Q: It's obvious that you don't have one favorite body type, and you are also comfortable shooting male nudes. What qualities do you look for in a model, and how do you find them?
Above all what I’m looking for in a model is motivation and a certain sensitivity to pictures and more generally to art. It’s of course more interesting when models have an interesting physical appearance, not necessarily a stereotyped one but with some allure, presence, a true personality.
Q: There seems to be a lot of spontaneity in your images. How much direction do you give your subjects, and how much do you rely on improvisation? Do you choreograph what you're going to do before you begin shooting? Do you have happy accidents?
During a photo shoot, there is an alternation between moments when I direct the model and those when I allow improvisation. Both moments change over during 2 to 4 hours, which is the average time of a shoot. It allows me to give place to spontaneity, to the model’s inspiration, and also to successful or profitable accidents, which may happen during a shoot. If at any moment I see a pose, a graceful element, or a light which seduces me, I immediately start being directive. I try working on the base of this quite often furtive impression. There is no real preparation of the session apart from one or more conversations with the model aimed to know him/her better.
Q: Your work has already received a lot of attention; you have several solo shows, group exhibitions, and publications since 2005. How have these opportunities come about, and what are you doing to attract attention to your work?
Since I started photographing in 2002, I’ve displayed my work on Internet forums dedicated to photography and on my own website. I’ve made new contacts this way. Besides that, I can’t really say that I’m making much effort to communicate my work; and I am certain that's a mistake — I should be doing more.