Cédric Raymond VIOLLET/april65

I was already 25 years old, and had a bit of money saved up. I checked out a couple stores, and bought a second hand camera, with no photographic knowledge whatsoever, apart for a four hour a week photo history class. It was a challenge for me: owning something I did not know how to use. Kind of like painting… The only difference being that the process seemed a bit more reachable, than say putting a brush on canvas. Since I am quite inquisitive, I bought some second hands books about technique (which I only understood a lot mater…) and some photographers. William Klein, Weegee, Robert Franck and Eugène Richard were a first source of inspiration. So, I started with black and white.
Soon enough, all my money was going into it, and my time also… Young photographers like Alex Majoli and Donovan Wylie were really motivating. I picked up that taking a picture could be a recording of a situation, a place or feelings. That a camera was just a tool… I soon saw myself as an invisible character, who could let actors and places drift by, keeping only what I wanted.
Skateboard photography kind of happened. You have to follow some rules, and I did. This type of photography allows you to travel the world, meet people who live something important to them. And it’s not the part the media will depict… Skateboarding is not a sport, more of a rhythm to your life, which creates unique individuals. I have been staff photographer for Sugar magazine (fr) since 2004, after freelancing for them along with Freestyler (fr) and Kingpin (eu)Skateboarder and Skateboard mag (usa).
It’s strange to just bump into something that turns into your work. And an eternal choice: click to freeze, or just look for yourself…