Blog
Category: Reportage
All the Fun of the (Trade) Fair
As I write, the Cannes Film Festival is under way. But this is not the only event that brings people flocking to Cannes every year. Le Palais des Festivals hosts a number of international trade fairs. A dazzling array of acronyms beginning with ‘M’ give titles to these business events. MIDEM is for the music industry, MIPCOM , MIPDOC & MIPTV the TV business and MAPIC for retail property, among others. MIPIM is the one of the biggest events, and it is devoted to large-scale real estate.
Constellation Cookfest in Monaco
Alain Ducasse is known as the Godfather of French cuisine. A fortnight ago, he did his reputation proud. Michelin-starred chefs flew to the South of France from all over the world to help Ducasse celebrate his 25th anniversary at Monaco’s Louis XV restaurant. They ate, drank, cooked and made merry, all 240 of them. And a certain photographer managed to squeeze in one or two tastings between frames…
Marseille? Done.
For a travel guide to short breaks in cities across the world, the New York Times sent me on assignment to Marseille recently. I was to photograph a selection of places that would give a good idea of what France’s second largest city is all about.
I followed in the footsteps of the journalist, Seth. He had come to the South of France a few weeks before and written what was effectively the ‘to do list’ for the photographer. Driving down from Nice one morning, I had 24 hours to photograph two beaches and a swimming pool, three restaurants, two bars, a hotel, two shopping districts, a spa and a boat cruise.
Truffle Hunters
Its all in the nose, I discovered, when I spent the day with truffle hunters Max and Jean-Claude. A well-trained dog and noticing the smallest clues in the landscape, vegetation and insect behaviour all help a hunter locate a truffle’s whereabouts. But once the digging starts, it is the scent that leads a trufficulteur to his trophy. And boy, does a truffle smell strong.
Provence is not as well-known as the Périgord region for its truffles, but actually 80% of French production of the black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) comes from southeast France.
Le Chocolatier
The French know a thing or two about food and chocolate is no exception. France might have its share of big brands and chocolate factories, but independent chocolatiers also thrive. Thousands of qualified specialists across the country develop recipes and make their own chocolate products for sale. ‘Entre mes Chocolats’ in Vence is the only chocolate shop in southeast France to have a working kitchen fully open to the shop.
Taking Time
Precision of time is a watchmaker’s raison d’être. So I was suprised to be told by watchmaker Florian Wulleman during my recent production of his audio portrait, that a minute is not necessarily a minute. And that we are better off relaxing and not clockwatching at all.
I spent the day alongside Florian in his atelier in Vence, a medieval hilltop town between the Côte d’Azur and the French Alps. Working alone, he repairs and sells watches and clocks, most of which have been in service for some time.