Coupe du Monde

I have always found street photography to be very intuitive. It doesn't always or necessarily require a pre-conceived idea or plan. Though on certain projects, I have an idea or a concept in my head, the fact is, I never really know what I am going to find. The Coupe du Monde photos are a perfect example of intuitively knowing when something incredible is in front of you - of revealing something unexpected and wonderful. I just happened to be working in Paris during the World Cup (on a non World Cup related job) - I had my still camera with me - the streets of Paris erupted as France won game after game, and the city unfolded onto the streets. I can now look back at these pictures and say that each of them is a story unto itself, and the series as a whole, speaks to broader narratives: fanaticism in the world of football, the loss of inhibition in crowds, national pride, and most importantly to me, the power and magnificence of shared, public joy. I can also see connections in the project to my work as a cinematographer – the use of haze, strong back light, my sense of composition, etc… Likewise, I can see the influences of some painters I love (Peter Paul Rubens - Wolf and Fox Hunt) and photographers that I admire (Paolo Pellegrin, Alex Webb, Trente Parke). However, I can also say that I never intended to make these images – they happened and I reacted. "I had a cinematography job in Paris last summer which happened to coincide with France’s run to the World Cup Final. I love soccer (football) and was excited to sit with the Parisians and watch France play in the quarter finals with the plan of heading back to my hotel after the game. I luckily found a seat at a café, had a beer, and watched. It seemed like the whole city had shut down to view the match. Little did I know that a victory would lead to an outpouring of public celebration. I was caught off guard after the final whistle blew and the café immediatley emptied into the street flowing into a river of elation (clearly, I wasn’t going back to my hotel – it was too incredible). The city shut down, bus drivers left buses empty on the streets, traffic was jammed, crowds everywhere... An unorganized festival as fans partied, danced, cheered, chanted, climbed on buildings, scaled light posts, jumped on cars... France continued to win – the semi-finals - the finals - Parisians continued to take to the streets – and I continued to photograph.