The news in images, and images making news…
Tag: photography
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Fire And Ice
Most of these locals were selling firewood on the famous market of Chichicastenango. Since it was already pretty hot on this Spring day, we were more interested in what another of the K’iche” vendors, of Mayan descent, was offering: deliciosos helados de crema, ie. “delicious ice cream,” as is written on the cart.
To be honest, with such strange feet, I’m not surprised Buddha preferred to lie down … To give you a rough idea of the size of this reclining Buddha in the Wat Pho temple, there’s a man at the bottom left corner of the slide.
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Brick By Brick
Things were getting heated in West Berlin in the summer of 1967. The conflict was escalating between the government and the West German student movement, peaking with the police shooting dead a young protester just one month before we went there. This photo shows the ongoing construction of the Berlin Wall, six years after the […]
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Fresh From The Bosphorus
In 1968, Istanbul’s Galata Bridge was already famous for its throngs of fishermen. They would present their catch on the bright red trays you can see in the foreground. We bought two (don’t ask me to remember what kind of fish!) and had them grilled nearby.
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No Words, No Harm
I took this picture of Jain women, who had apparently taken a vow of silence, near the famous Taj Mahal. But what I remember best is that, since their religion advocates non-violence and deep respect toward all living things, several women used a straw broom to sweep before them so as not to crush insects […]
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Le Grand Charles
In 1950, Charles de Gaulle, head of the Free French Forces during World War II and for a brief period provisional president of France, was still trying to figure out how to transform himself from military leader to peacetime politician. He made this speech in Sochaux near my hometown. And though “le Grand Charles,” by […]
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Old Square, New Orleans
One of my biggest regrets in life is to never have learned to speak English — my comments here are translated by my grandson. This means that over the years, we had to find solutions to visit English-speaking countries: In 1992 for instance, we travelled with the France-Louisiane Association, and were guided in French through […]
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Next Turn, Paradise
Driving back from Switzerland to Montbéliard, where I’m from, you have to go through “heaven” — Le Paradis being the name of an isolated Swiss farm.
Presidential guards in Tunis take five during a cabinet meeting at Bardo Palace.
Newsmaking images that caught our eye.
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Strange Rocks International
From the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland to Arizona’s Grand Canyon, we’ve seen our fair share of geologic wonders over the years. These fairy chimneys in Turkey’s Central Anatolia region are more modest, but still as baffling as the rest.
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Vintage Vehicles
Our brand new Citroën BX may look like an antique to you now, but it was definitely more comfortable than a donkey to visit the dry but picturesque rural Alentejo region, in central Portugal.
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Comic Relief
This little village in County Kerry is nicknamed “The Little Whirlpool,” and it’s so peaceful it’s no wonder it was a favorite holiday destination for Charlie Chaplin and his family.
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Let It Slide
Some of you won’t know what I’m talking about — but when you’re using a projector, sometimes you come across a slide that was misplaced in the carousel, or a photo that was taken vertically. Which means that your audience (family members in my case) all tilt their heads sideways at the same time. And […]
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The Little Reindeer Girl
Had this adorable young girl really come down from her remote Lapland to sell her reindeer hides in Helsinki? I suspect that even 46 years ago, Finns understood that folklore sells well with tourists.
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Meaningful Lake
Sure, Italy’s Lake Como is beautiful. And Hungary’s Lake Balaton is impressive too. But nothing compares to Guatemala’s Lake Atitlan and its three volcanoes. Its name comes from the Mayan language this fisherman’s ancestors spoke, and means “the place where the rainbow gets its color.” As if that weren’t poetic enough, locals call the lake […]
Newsmaking images that caught our eye.
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Rolex Religion
I like the symmetry in this photo, taken on the doorstep of a Hindu temple in Kathmandu. The subjects are so kindred — except for the fact that the statue isn’t wearing an expensive-looking watch.
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Bored At The Border
I remember the border between Mexico and Guatemala as being very, very quiet. This was a bit surprising considering how close it is to Tapachula, a bustling Mexican city where the state of Chiapas’ Ruta del Café (“Coffee Route”) begins.
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Pottery For The Ages
Continuing our discovery of Thailand’s inland wonders, we spent some time in Chiang Rai, where we watched local artisans make and decorate plates, bowls and vases in a traditional way.
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Rising From Its Ashes
Tunisia’s economy was flourishing in 1970, a time when the country was opening itself up to tourism. This was particularly clear in Sfax, the country’s second city, a large portion of which had been destroyed during World War II.
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Coal Hill, Sooty View
The view of the Forbidden City from Jingshan Park’s Coal Hill is stunning. That is, when the Beijing pollution allows you to actually see something.
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Two Men In A Boat
In contrast with the imposing river that flows through Vienna and Budapest, the Danube Delta is sleepy and accessible. It was noon and the sun was high, so this Romanian fisherman decided it was as good a time as any to open a bottle — and who was I to disagree?
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Old But Gold
Considering the remarkably preserved state of these stone elephant bas-reliefs, you would never guess that Anuradhapura, one of Sri Lanka’s ancient capitals, is actually among the oldest cities in the world. Perhaps that’s what this Buddhist monk was thinking about too?
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See You Later, Alligator
It’s a small crocodile — and a small world too: We had already crossed paths with this lady handling a baby crocodile at Victoria Falls’ nature sanctuary, four years earlier … in Ecuador!
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A Champion’s Demise
This may not be the Tour de France, but the atmosphere was definitely comparable. One of my best friends (on the right) and I were watching this unfortunate cyclist struggle with a flat tire, right on the street where I lived then, which is just one block away from where I live now.
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Custodians Of Style
At the height of Greece’s economic crisis, Syntagma Square was the site of mass protests, but it is also where the presidential Evzones perform their peculiar changing of the guard. Watching their exaggerated movement as they marched around in kilt-like fustanella and red shoes with black pompoms was indeed a treat.
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Looks Can Be Deceiving
These conical hats, or capirotes, and white robes were worn by Spanish penitents during Easter celebrations long before the white supremacist Ku Kux Klan began donning them. But they’re still spooky.
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Istanbul, USA?
In 1965, Istanbul’s Galata Bridge, which spans the Golden Horn, was still a floating bridge. And the cars and street signs made the whole scene look like we were on U.S. Route 66. Istanbul was just an impromptu part of our trip to Romania and Bulgaria with our 6-year-old daughter Cécile. In the lobby of […]
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Meet The Photographer Beloved By Meerkats
If you ever wanted to be friends with Timon from The Lion King, Will Burrad-Lucas will make you jealous.
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French Prestige
“Restaurant,” “haute couture,” “cuisine,” “raison d”être…” There are many examples of the linguistic prestige of the French language worldwide. But in Denmark, the perfectly acceptable Danish word for urinal, “pissoir,” is also tacky French slang for the john.
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Postcard View
The Taj Mahal mausoleum is, to me, the most harmonious building man has ever designed, which is why I have a large version of this photo framed in my home. The shape of the domes, the colors of the marble ornaments, and the views through the refined archways make it second to none.
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The Jacaranda City
It’s no wonder Pretoria is known as The Jacaranda City. The streets lined with thousands of jacaranda trees are definitely a sight worth seeing. The beautiful purple blooms tend to coincide with year-end exams at the University of Pretoria, and legend has it that if a flower drops on a student’s head, it’s a sign […]
Photographs that have caught our eye and captured events.
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A Peruvian Painting
Strong foreground, nice depth of field, striking colors, llamas … What more could you ask for in a picture?
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The Solemn Sweeper
When we went to Thailand, we chose not to go for the usual touristy spots along the coast, exploring instead the beauty of the country’s inland regions and their adorned buddhas. Upon rediscovering that slide, I couldn’t help but think: What did this devoted sweeper do with the gold leaves he picked up from the […]
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Time Travel With A Top Hat
This picture is not as old as it seems. Back when I was a philosophy student at Besançon University in eastern France, we put a great deal of effort into our Carnival costumes. In 1951, the theme for the festival was “the 1900s.” That’s me on the left, in my father’s wedding suit, on my […]
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International Presents
Wherever my wife and I went, we always tried to bring something back for the rest of the family. We bought one of these little wooden acrobats for my grandson Bertrand in Brazil, although musical instruments were his favorite. He still has a large collection that includes a pan flute from Peru, maracas from Colombia, […]
Images that made news, the news in images … around the world.