In the viewfinder of photographer Jean-Luc Petit

When he talks about Artist...

From the outset, his gaze captures you, his story captivates you. As the narration progresses, images of his adventures appear. Each anecdote clings to the snapshot of the moment like a photo gallery.

He is the official photographer ofArtist ; doing shoots with Brigitte and François for many years: he is part of the team with which he shares a sense of professionalism and an appetite for art. With complete confidence, he knows he is authorized to infuse new avenues of composition.

“No pretense between us. We are in absolute exchange. The success of our shoots is due to this: our penchant for difficulties, our complicit energy in the work, this wonderful understanding. Recipe ? The virtues of loyalty! » does he reveal to us.

For sure, in these recurring and high-intensity moments, no one is afraid! Each session unites them in the same search for evolution, the same desire to surpass themselves. “There are always more demands, we are gaining strength” he exults, insatiable to contribute to these creative advances.

 

 

" With Artist, we share the adrenaline rush. Everything is planned in advance, drawn up to perfection. Photo shoots require strong concentration. It is often physical depending on the typology of the places, the weather, the scenography. The timing is tight as the combinations of silhouettes multiply. Faced with imponderables, we are under pressure. » To hear him talk about these days, we feel that he also relishes all the hazards. Its undeniable ability to adapt matches the expectations of the wearable art brand. 

Aware of the needs and challenges of a company, he offers the right compromise and resists frustration. Jean-Luc Petit masters this moment of change where, surrounded by the entire reporting team, he is alone in front of his model. Each trigger engages it.

Whether it's Fred the makeup artist, Lila the hairdresser, Brigitte or François, each in their position, diligent and attentive, plays their role in mutual respect and goodwill. Together, they galvanize each other: reactive, agile, inventive.

A sportsman at heart and on the pitch, Jean-Luc has found his place at the heart of this winning team, a lover of the most improbable challenges. Their common denominator? Explore all the beauties of the world.

 

 

His panorama...

The feeling of protection provided by the lens in his hands comes from this solitary part of the job. “My intuition is heightened; this very subjective armor allows me everything, including confronting sometimes unbearable situations. »

To feel alive, our image hunter focuses on portraying people, his preference. Make contact, capture rarity, sublimate existence…

Face-to-face, he has the art of empathy and subtly invites others not to escape. Free expression, posture, body movement and capture emotion.

As a team, it is enriched by human, cultural and intellectual contributions. He likes to be called to look at what others see.

Since March 2020, he has captivated us with his unique imagery. First, he dared and left us on our butts! We all loved his series on “confinement asses”. Round or tattooed, these behinds will go down in history, just to keep a sense of humor and derision.

A little later will follow his “containment heads” who hide under expressive masks to better reveal themselves.

Continuing the magazine press remains relevant although the opportunities have diminished in this pandemic context. Nevertheless, the photojournalist will take more singular, more personal photos, imbued with differentiation: an assumed change of trajectory, the resolution of another mode of artistic expression. In support of mastered work, its future representations will shift the codes and provide material. Above all, no freeze frame!

Jean-Luc Petit now opens his field of vision to another photographic genre. Today, he reveals his interest in the vague, the lair of Impressionism

 Initiated by style exercises, he already experimented with this practice in 1990 in the dunes of the Paris-Dakar; he pursued it randomly in his urban wanderings here and there. The results are astonishing even in the studio. For example, the very latest portraits of Yan Pei Ming, famous contemporary Chinese painter.

In the Medina of Marrakech, the Boucharouite museum dedicated an exclusive “Safran” exhibition to him in 2017, renewed in 2018. Already, his impressionism successfully reflected the vibrations of his talented shots.

There will be a promising sequel. Morocco, so inspiring for its lights, its people and its treasures, promises a major project combining fabrics, colors, palaces, faces, to be displayed in large format... (as soon as possible).

« Being a photographer is a way of life, a way of being. Even if I don’t have a camera, I’m always photographing.” 

To our greatest delight !

 

This globe-trotter lives in Chalon-sur-Saône, in Southern Burgundy, his home port. For more than 35 years, on commission or on inspiration, his work has been widely published by various local or national titles (Bourgogne Magazine, Figaro Magazine, Point de Vue, l'Express...), and international (Orient-express mag, Medioevo, Hola, Dove…) - www.jeanlucpetit.fr -