Au Cochonnet Marin

I just watched Jean-Paul Belmondo’s national homage on YouTube and I am not ashamed to say that I was moved to tears. And I was not the only one… many people, men, and women alike were seen wiping their eyes while listening to President Emmanuel Macron’s eulogy.

The ceremony which took place in the courtyard of the venerable Hotel des Invalides in Paris was attended by family, friends, and hundreds of adoring fans. A military band and various branches of the armed forces were present and added a somber solemnity to this poignant ceremonial. I was particularly impressed by the slow, steady roll of drums accompanying the public appearance of the actor’s coffin.

Bebel represented to perfection the quintessential image of the devil-may-care French man. He was loved by the common folk for his simplicity, friendliness, and great sense of humor. He could, and would, talk to anybody and even have a drink with total strangers. He was athletic (he did all his stunts himself), self-deprecating, “gouailleur” (cheeky, a typically Parisian trait) and loved by all, men, and women alike.

He was also an improbable leading man. It is usually an asset for a male protagonist to be good-looking, and it did help his rival Alain Delon to some extent, but Bebel’s broken nose proved more effective than Delon’s Roman profile.

Belmondo was a versatile actor and did some theater before (and after) devoting most of his time to cinema. Starting in the late ’50s, in a career spanning 6 decades, he made over 80 movies, some thoroughly memorable. Among them, “A bout de souffle”, “Un singe en hiver », “L’homme de Rio”, “Le Professionnel”, and « Les miserables ».

Bebel was a man’s man adored by millions of women. He was “Un héro au cœur tendre » (a hero with a tender heart) and his memory will linger with us for a very long time.

Adieu Bebel… you were second to none, and you are already missed.

Alain

“Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.” Orhan Pamuk

When I think of it, I must have been a dog in one of my former lives… because, even though I never studied that dialect, I spoke doggie fluently from birth. It is a blessing that I deeply appreciate. Upon seeing a dog anywhere, I have to stop, shake its paw and enquire about its health and family. And I don’t care if the beasties are black, brown or yellow… they are all simpatico.

We should actually say “shake his or her paw” because these lovable creatures are not inanimate objects. Like us, they are made of flesh and blood, and as such they deserve our respect. By the way, if you did not know, dogs smile with their tails… and I have rarely met a dog who didn’t greet me with some vigorous tail wagging.

Throughout my life, I have had a few girlfriends… and some fibbed. Dogs never do that; and that is why that you have more dogs than women in Paradise. Dogs, unlike humans, never lie and never talk about themselves. They are just content to listen and smile benevently at your jokes.

They [dogs] never talk about themselves but listen to you while you talk about yourself and keep up an appearance of being interested in the conversation.” – Jerome K. Jerome 

 Dogs incidentally are excellent romance ambassadors. If you spot anybody walking with a four-legged companion, it is extremely easy to start a conversation. Any dog owner will respond favorably when you engage him/her about his/her pet. They might not want to talk to a stranger, but a dog lover is no stranger. He is kin and therefore safe to talk and socialize with.

Dogs are incredibly smart and capable of extraordinary feats. They have been working side by side with humans in a variety of fields. Military, law enforcement, space, medicine, therapy… and they are always welcome and accepted with open arms. The same cannot be said for all bipeds.

Unlike humans, I have never (or very rarely) met a dog I didn’t like. Even though I was raised to “vouvoyer” the people I just met, I can instantly “tutoyer” a dog. I know that they won’t take offense and give me the cold shoulder. Instead, they are more likely to lick and kiss me.

Despite my fondness for hounds, I never had the pleasure to live with one. I have cohabited with cats (still do) but never with dogs. This might have something to do with the fact that cats require less maintenance… and exercise.

Occasionally, when I contemplate adopting a pooch, I cannot help but think about our cat. She is a princess and very conscious of her lofty status. She does not tolerate any four-legged intruder and throws temper tantrums whenever she encounters one. Introducing a canine (however friendly) into her kingdom might prove iffy.

Before departing I will leave with this heartfelt thought:

“If I could be half the person my dog is, I’d be twice the human I am.” Charles Yu

Alain

“Once photography enters your bloodstream, it is like a disease.”
– Anonymous

I agree with that. There is practically not a single day when I don’t photograph something. It can be a tree, a flower, a bird, or a person. For wherever I go, I always carry my iPhone or a small camera to be ready for any opportunity. And because of this uncontrollable addiction of mine, I have collected thousands of snapshots.

The last time I checked, I found 25 627 pictures on my hard drive. That’s significant, especially when you want to retrieve a particular shot. The key to this problem is to carefully identify each picture after each photo session… but sometimes, due to fatigue or any other distraction, I neglect to do this… and I later pay a price for it.

I recently started to gather some shots for a new photobook, and I became painfully aware of this problem. Finding a particular shot in my stash is almost like looking for a needle in a haystack. Apple does a fairly good job with its photo application, but it is not perfect.
Among other constraints, the program is supposed to recognize and identify any familiar face, but it doesn’t, or seldom does. It seems to be partial to just a few people and if I don’t do it myself, a particular shot will be buried forever within a multitude of anonymous people.

My latest (almost completed) project deals with “visages” (faces)… relatively recent and preferably interesting faces. The difficulty is finding such shots. Not everybody photographs well, and I am not inclined to include a bland face in this book just for the sake of political correctness.

Since I usually operate from a distance, I infrequently manage to catch well-defined faces, especially in poorly lit areas. So instead, I search for a well-focused picture and carefully crop the face I am interested in.

Putting a book together is relatively complicated and time-consuming. But I don’t really mind since I have plenty of time on my hands, and since it is something that I enjoy doing.

Now, who gets to be in my book? Most of our club members (if I have good pictures of them) or familiar faces from other clubs. The number of pictures is also a factor, because the more pages in a book, the higher the cost of it. And cost unfortunately is always a consideration…

The chosen title of this book is “Here’s looking at you kid” (wink) and if you are interested in acquiring one, please let me know.

Go forth and photograph!

Alain