Sylvain Collet, one of the press photographers representing his profession on this day, held a workshop at the Palais Nikaïa. His workshop was located right at the entrance of the palace; it was impossible to miss. Intrigued, the team from the “La Feuille de chêne” school journal of “Les Chênes” College (Fréjus, Var) was on site to share the details with you.
First of all, it must be said, we were very warmly welcomed. He began by talking to us about the importance of the angle of a photograph on the impression it conveys, and to explain this more concretely, he had us perform a simple exercise:
– Firstly, two of us had to pretend to fight (no actual hitting, just miming)
– Then, the others had to stand up and watch the scene while laughing.
– Lastly, he took photos of the scene we had created from different angles.
It was then that we realized that showing or not showing certain parts of the scene could influence the reader’s opinion, for example: By showing or not showing the audience, the scene could either be interpreted as a “simple” act of violence, or as a scene of inhumanity by the students who watch without doing anything as their peers fight.
All this thanks to a simple task of quick framing by the photographer, or to put it simply in the words of Sylvain Collet: “We photograph only what we want to show […] It’s the photographer’s power of exclusion.” That’s why a press photographer must always find out precisely about the journalist’s point of view before taking the photos. The photos that accompany an article have a real power over the reader’s emotions, which is why they must align with the idea of the article.
This brings us to the end of this article about the meeting with the photographer Sylvain Collet by the young but also journalistic students of “Les Chênes” College. Above all, if you should remember only one thing, remember this:
– The photographer can hide the truth, they can exclude, but most importantly, they can move the person reading the article.
A final note: If you want more information about Sylvain Collet and to see some of his photos, I invite you to visit his website: www.sylvaincollet.com
Vincent DEMONCHY and Matthieu CASSAR – 9th Grade
“Les Chênes” College, Fréjus, Var
