Seaside sensations. By Caroline SCAVENNEC & Clara MARTIN

Little French paradise next to the sea

Big villa by the sea

The environment in which we find ourselves influences our feelings and thoughts. We visited a town on the French Riviera and one on the South Carolina coastline…

Cassis, on the Azure Coast, is about 20km from Marseille, on the most touristic coastline of France. It has a charming harbor typical of the coastal villages of the south of France. We took this photo last summer. We chose not to use black and white because we wanted to bring out the beauty of those lovely colors: the bursting blue of the shining sky and clear water and the flaming colors of the little houses in the background. We chose a landscape format. The sea and boats are in the center of the photo. In the background, each pretty house has its own style. It was like a little paradise, restful and warm, bathed in light. It was a real pleasure to take photos. 

The second photo was taken during a February school trip to Charleston, USA, a town in South Carolina, on the East coast of the USA. We chose to frame this photo like that because to show the “bulk” of this splendid villa. The environment is verdant. On the right is a palm tree, which shows that the climate is subtropical (warm and wet in summer, fresh and dry in winter). There are several floors in this impressive villa next to the sea. How different from the little houses of the French harbor town! The colors are less present on this picture, it seems less jolly than the French landscape, but Charleston is not a tourist destination like Cassis. The colors are quite cold: stone grey, fir green, pure white. The light of the sun gives a calm atmosphere to the scene.

Source of inspiration. By Pauline CHAPPON & Mathilde MARCILLIERE

A fountain for peace

A fabulous fountain

The first picture was taken on a windy sunny Sunday in a small town in the Auvergne called Les Martres de Veyre. I like this fountain, built in 2008 to celebrate the twinning with Arcozelo, a small town in Portugal. It is built in Volvic stone. On the right of the fountain there is a fish. The little thing in blue  is a plaque where we can see the coat of arms of Arcozelo. In the background there are houses. This is the lower part of my town. In the foreground there are flowers. I love this small friendly park, it is a great place to relax. There is a river next to it. The sounds of the river and the fountain are very beautiful. Many of the townfolk, including myself and the mayor, went last summer to visit our twin town, as it was the 10^th birthday of the twinning. I love this fountain because of what it stands for: peace among nations.

  

The second picture was taken at midday, on a beautiful but nippy Tuesday, in Clermont-Ferrand. I was with my friends. In the background, you can see part of the historic center of Clermont-Ferrand and in the foreground there are lawns and benches. I love being near a fountain, listening to its soothing sound, just sitting on a bench among the flowers and trees. This grand fountain, in dark Volvic stone, is called the Fontaine d'Amboise and I'm fascinated by it. It is now in the Poterne square, having been moved several times over the years. Jacques d'Amboise asked a sculptor to make it in 1511. There is an inscription in Latin on it and the elaborate decorations are typically Renaissance, there are masks and garlands adorning it. At the top, there is a statue of a man wearing an animal skin. It is obviously a prestigious historical monument and adds to the inhabitants' sense of civic pride.

These fountains are in different towns; one is recent and the other is much older. They are proof that fountains have always been an important part of the urban environment.

Serenity and stress. By Juliette CAYLOU & Samuel JORGE

We wanted to take a picture of the Jardin Lecoq to show how beautiful Clermont-Ferrand can be. This 5-hectare park, designed by Paul de Lavenne, dates from 1912. Birds fly all around the garden, the trees are grand and there are flowers everywhere. People are happy in this place of serenity, after school or work, away from the cars; they can relax and try to forget their daily problems.

There is noise and pollution in the second photo. People suffocate in this city; smiles are rare, and everybody is always in a hurry. It sometimes feels like a prison. But, because people have to work and shop, stress is an inevitable part of city living.

City life is sometimes calm, sometimes busy.

Public vs private. By Mayssane BENHADID & Tessa CAZENOBE

The first picture was taken on the 15^th of October in a corridor of our high school. We wanted to go home; we were tired and worried about the amount of homework we had to do for the next day. It was very quiet. We could hear whispers coming from the classrooms. We smelt dust. We were cold; the central heating had not been turned on yet. We took this picture in black and white in order to emphasize our feeling of insecurity. Our school was built in 1849 and its corridors are gloomy: steel lockers, old-fashioned doors, blue and grey tiled walls. When we walk down the corridors we are afraid of how others might judge our way of speaking, dressing or behaving. Sometimes, the other pupils tease us. The photo reflects how we feel…

The bedroom picture was taken during the holidays in Mayssane's warm, cosy and comfy home. We smelt the chocolate cake that Mayssane’s mum had just made. We chose a colour to contrast with the black and white photo. The bedroom is full of colours: the bedspread and pillows, the big painting above the bed, and the wooden chest of drawers. Birds were tweeting in the garden. When we took the picture we were joyful and quiet. There are the basics things that you find in a bedroom: a big bed (for big naps), a desk (for the courageous pupil) and a wardrobe (for fashionistas). Bedrooms can be places to have fun or work in. This is our private environment, a place where we can do whatever we want, we can be ourselves without fearing others’ judgment. We feel free and safe there.

The contrast between our photos makes us think about how, living in the city, we move between the private and the public spheres. Our bedrooms are private “safe” places where we can be ourselves, whereas the bleak corridors of a school are “dangerous” public spaces where we are afraid to be ourselves…

The best of both worlds? By Camille FERNANDES & Camille NIGON

The daily to and fro

The peaceful path

We took the first photograph in Malintrat. It was a cloudy, nippy, mid-September, morning. We could feel a slight breeze and it was wet. We chose black and white to emphasise the negative aspects of the scene. We see a road with lots of traffic. We were tired and the noise and pollution put us in a bad mood. Drivers were impatient and used their car horns. It was grey and ugly. In the background is the ‘Poste RTE’, founded in 1950. It has a high voltage (up to 63,000 Volts) so it is a little bit noisy too. It both produces and distributes electricity so it is an important service provider of the area. Our title for this photo is: The daily to and fro because it shows a moment that lots of people repeat each day; they go to work, take their children to school, whatever...

In the evening of the same day, we took the second photograph; it is completely different though it was also taken in Malintrat. We gave it the title: The peaceful path. Even if it was still cloudy with a little bit of wind, the temperature was now unusually mild. Nature’s greens and browns dominate. We felt free and happy and could hear the birds.  This is a nice place to go for a walk to. You can relax  there after a hard day’s work.

Malintrat is a place of contrasts; you can have negative or positive feelings there, depending on the spot you are in and the time of day. Malintrat is a dormitory town; it has both rural and urban features. That is why we like our town.

A tribute to an innocent man. Mathilde JOUVE & Aurore PAILLER

Tribute to an angel

The way to heaven

The first photograph was taken on October 2^nd 2015 on Edouard Michelin Avenue in Clermont-Ferrand. We took this picture without any effects, directly in front of the subject. It shows a graffiti tribute to a boy called Wissam El-Yamni who was killed by accident by a policeman. When we took the picture, we felt touched, curious, cold and astonished. We heard many cars because it was on the side of a street. We called this picture “Tribute to an angel” because of the manslaughter of this young boy. It's a black and white graffiti. We can see an old man, who seems worried, holding a young, naïve-looking, boy with long black hair. We also see the slogan "Vérité, justice" on the left; this means that Wissam's family wants to know the truth about what really happened. "Wissam" is written on the right. This beautiful work of art is by Vinci Vince.

The second photo was taken on October 9^th 2015 on Victory Square in Clermont-Ferrand. We took this low-angle shot of the cathedral's west front without any effects. There were people all around. We felt good, warm and happy. It was a sunny day and it put us in a good mood. We chose to entitle this picture “The way to heaven”. This church was built by Hugues de la Tour in the 13^th century. The architect was Jean Deschamps. For us, it's a religious building with a beautiful and pure architecture.

The common title of these two pictures is “A tribute to an innocent man” because, though there is a contrast in scale, both pictures show how people express their pain for someone who has disappeared: the graffiti is a tribute to Wissam, the cathedral commemorates Christ. 

A city’s public art and great buildings give the city its “colour”, its particular character. A cityscape is surely largely defined by its memory space (“lieux de mémoire” in French), that is: places that make us remember people and events that were (and often remain) important for us, the inhabitants. They are often calm places where we can go to remember and to feel better.

Time and tide. By Maxime AUDIGIÉ & Anja RALAITSIZAFY

 

Rest

Movement

The top picture, taken in April, shows a panoramic view of Monaco with lots of buildings and a harbour with dozen of boats and yachts. We added a black and filter to make the picture look “old”, to emphasize the feeling of solitude, and to make the people who look at this picture feel that time has slowed right down. It was a sunny and warm day but there was a bit of cooling wind which made the moment nice and relaxing. We could hear the sound of the waves and the seabirds, and smell the flowers (we took this picture next to a beautiful garden). We were really feeling good at this moment: it was so calm because of the distance between this place and the centre of the city where there is all the activity.  The distance adds to the sad calmness of the picture. 

The second picture, of a large Washington street, taken in July on a hot and sunny afternoon, shows people, numerous parked cars and many buildings, including a church. It was such a noisy place: the cars were making so much noise and I could hear lots of people talking. There was so much going on; the photo captures well the hustle and bustle. The smell was not unpleasant. The heat was unbearable.

These two pictures are contrasted: black and white quiet and calm, versus colour noisy and busy; slow versus fast.

Lonely city. By Elodie BALDET & Wyame AMAZIGH

Losing myself...

Getting lost...

The first picture, of the Color Me Rad event, was taken on the 4^th of October 2015 in Clermont, in the Place de Jaude. It is a 5 km charity run followed by a concert. The runners and spectators throw coloured powders at each other; here, there's a lot of pink!

This is a happy crowd scene with crazy people laughing and dancing and having fun together. Everyone is looking in the same direction. Most are wearing sun glasses. You want to be part of the event, even if you do not know the people in the crowd. You want to enter the picture and join in because happiness is contagious. But, all these people can also be a little scary too; you might get lost in the crowd…

We took the second photo on the 28^th September 2015, in a Clermont street not far from our high school. It's a black and white picture, with many shades of grey. It is dark and rather sad. This silent narrow street is lined with flats. The shutters are closed; you feel lonely here, unwelcome, lost. In front of the balcony, there is emptiness, darkness. It is a melancholy atmosphere.

Both these photos are about the feeling one sometimes gets in the city: feeling isolated. In a crowd of people you do not know, do you belong? In an unfamiliar setting, are you not out of place?

Dirty old towns. By Flavie CHAZEAU & Jean-Baptiste PEYRAT

Rubbish (i.e. not very good!) management...

Belching trashcans

Rubbish management is very important in a city; a dirty city is unpleasant for the people who work and live in it. Holidaymakers won’t be interested in visiting a city which is not clean; cities will then become poorer if they are not kept tidy.

Both pictures are about how rubbish is managed in cities. The color picture illustrates the problem, and the black and white one the solution.

The top picture was taken during my holidays in Naples (Italy) last October. I’ve enhanced the colors of the pile of rubbish to highlight the different types of waste (plastic bags, etc.) and also to show the fact that it is unpleasant to see. The colors don’t look natural and they contrast with the garden behind. Moreover, the low camera angle shows up the large quantity of rubbish. The smell was very bad. It was a sunny afternoon (strangely, the street lamps were on). The large plastic containers were almost completely covered over in trash. Behind, the garden was deserted, probably because of the smell. This city’s waste management is not, apparently, very efficient! This picture makes us think about how to improve our environment…

The second picture was taken on a Sunday in early afternoon in a street of no particular interest near my house. The choice of black and white is to signify the seriousness of the subject. The bins are nicely lined up, standing in front of a residential area. The rubbish is sorted by type. The weather was sunny and mild. They was nobody in the street. At the moment the picture was taken I could hear birds and the noise of people nearby. The unpleasant smell was of rotting food. Otherwise, it was interesting to see the attempt to impose order on the potential mess. We French like to impose order and we tend to respect our environment. In France, it is compulsory to sort rubbish; every house needs to have at least two bins (one green and one yellow) and you can have a third (brown) one too. The dustmen pick up the trash to be recycled every two weeks. This recycling system is good from an economic, environmental, and social point of view.

The first photo shows the chaos when rubbish is no longer managed properly; it contrasts with the second one which shows relatively good urban waste management and the resulting cleanliness.

Waste bins are present in different places in the city, mostly near living areas. The bins are made available to all the citizens but some people don’t use them correctly; they do not bother to sort their rubbish. The cleanness of cities depends on citizens but also on the dustmen; when the garbage collectors go on strike (as was the case in my holiday photo), the city becomes very dirty and the citizen cannot do anything about it...

Choose! By Orane MAUTRET & Léa BAUDRILLARD

Insecurity

Everyday life

The first picture was taken on the 26th September in Rue Prévioté. We added a filter to make the picture look "old". There was no sound and it really didn't smell nice. We were cold and it was a little windy. There was a lot of light above and it was disturbing. We didn't feel safe, we were a little anxious and afraid of getting lost. In this squalid street, with its dirty walls and old shutters, no one can feel safe. Everything we look at (the windows, doors, drainpipes, street lamps) seems to be old, dirty and in need of repair. We gave our photo the title "Insecurity" because what people feel in this dark place is insecurity; something terrible could happen to you and noone would know about it! For us, the paving stones represent the old Clermont, and the old shutters and walls mean poverty; the place has been abandoned by people. When we took the picture, there was a lot of light but the photo is not very luminous...

The second photograph was also taken on September 26th but in Rue des Gras. We added a filter to give "warmth" and to bring out details. The place was noisy and full of life. We could smell food and perfume. It was a little cold but it wasn't windy. We felt safe. There was plenty to look at in the shops. The paving stones are all nicely aligned and clean. The shop windows bring modernity to the street. We entitled this picture "Everyday life" because people are here to do ordinary things: some shopping, meet up with their friends.

The common title to these two pictures is: “Choose!”. It is people's lifestyle choices which determine if they decide to go to a street like the Rue Prévioté or to one like the Rue des Gras. We can clearly see the contrast between these pictures. In the first one, we have a narrow, squalid, dark, abandoned street, whereas in the second, we have a friendly, clean street full of busy people. It shows that people reject the old and prefer the new (or, at least, the modernized).

Today, we do not have the same values as before. We are more materialistic and appreciate large, anonymous, crowds. We have forgotten the old, secret, silent Clermont... Our second picture expresses what cities should be like today: lots of shops which give us the feeling of not lacking anything and people in the streets making us feel safe. We choose progress!

Buildings, some brilliant, some sad. By Thiefaine MERCIER & Cindy HONG

The globe of my city

Sad grey building

The first photo was taken in the afternoon of the 14th of September after class. It was sunny and a little wind made the trees dance and the leaves fall. I was quite happy to be out, because the week had been awful. I raised my head, and was blinded by the sunshine reflected on this enormous building in front of me. The IFMA is a mechanical engineering school founded in 1991 in Aubière. The shiny globe is surrounded by the several parts of the school, which is in the middle of many houses and green space. “This is my town!” I thought, proudly. This building expresses confidence; it is a good example of modern architecture. I added a filter effect to show up the light, and the reflection of my city that we can see on some parts of the globe. I entitled it The globe of my city, because, in Aubière, we all consider that the IFMA is the most attractive part of the town. The globe, which refers to Earth, makes us think of the beauty of our planet and the joy of being alive, but also about the progress of technology. Technology has been the cause of lots of pollution, but is now the means by which we will protect our environment. We are all proud of this building.

The second photo I took on the same afternoon. I see this building in Anatole France Street every day and I often ask myself why it is there. It's modern, but it's also very sad! It is surrounded by less ugly buildings, so it really stands out like a sore thumb. These apartments are not attractive. I feel sorry for the people who have to live in them. Though modern, it is just a grey and unlovely block of flats. I call this photo simply Sad grey building because that is what it is! It is a very ordinary and ugly building. To accentuate this I used a black and white filter which reflects the atmosphere of the place. 

The urban environment should be fun and exciting. Luckily, some buildings have a story to tell and their architecture shows faith in the future!

City sounds. By Guillaume BECKER & Armand PRADIER

The sound of silence

The sound of speed

These two photos were taken on different days in mid-September 2015. Both of them were taken in Clermont-Ferrand.

The first photo is of Notre Dame du Port. We took the picture to get a wide angle effect because it was the only way to be able to see the entire building. It was taken in colour to bring out the lovely beige colours. On the right is a Latin cross. There are several small and medium-sized windows.

The weather was pretty cold with a greyish sky and we could feel a slight breeze. There were few visitors. Surrounded by silence, we could only hear our own voices. Some people were smoking cigarettes close by. We were both in a good mood.

Notre Dame du Port is a Romanesque church built during the 11th century, destroyed by the Normans and rebuilt. It has been classified as a historical monument since 1840.  Romanesque churches are characterised by a simple construction and the use of stone.

A church is a way to escape negativity and represents tranquillity, hope and peace to us.  It can also be a place to remember loved ones. The building has such a simple and different look from any other church in the area and blends so well into its surroundings.

The second photo is of Clermont-Ferrand train station and we didn’t use any form of effect. However, we took the photo from a certain angle because it revealed what the area is like. We chose colour because we wanted people to see the different elements in the picture as well as the main colours dominating this picture. Originally constructed in 1855, its latest renovation was in 2014-15.

The weather was cloudy with some clear sky and a temperature of about 20°C. There was a lot of wind as can be seen by the movement of one of the trees. It was busy and quite noisy due to the cars passing by and the people around us talking on their telephones. We both felt bored because we didn’t know what to do during our lunch break. There was a pervading smell of kebabs and car fumes. We can see the road and a bus stop showing that this place is a high-traffic area. One can also see the station’s escalator and main entrance with a large clock at the top of the building. The level of air pollution and noise is high.

The way sound informs people has changed. In a church, people know when a service starts due to music being played and the bells ringing. At a train station, however, people hear announcements transmitted through a loudspeaker. This shows that technological evolution changes the way sound is heard. A church is often quiet whereas a train station is always noisy because of the traffic, people’s conversations and the trains.

Both of these building are part of the urban landscape but while one is a cultural place, a place of worship, the other is purely practical and part of the transport infrastructure. Both have different purposes: the church is a place to pray and reflect and the train station is a place to get to or to leave.