New Official French Presidential Portrait shot on film with a 1962 Rolleiflex TLR

Lionel1972 · Jun 4, 2012

This aftenoon has been just released the official new French President's portrait by famous french photographer Raymond Depardon. He chose to shoot film (apparently negative color film) with a vintage Rolleiflex TLR from 1962.
The picture makes quite a buzz on the French corner of the internet already as the esthetics of the photo chosen is far from the usual official type of photographs.

http://www.elysee.fr/president/les-...elle-du-president-de-la-republique.13332.html

Richard S. (rich815) · Jun 4, 2012

Very cool. My favorite cameras.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jun 4, 2012

I did not like it , guy looks small at the picture , I did not like the trees bokeh and distorted highlight buildings at non focus area. I did not like colors and zeiss shadow tan color of the face.
Why photographer not used an French lens and camera ? Or big format french lens ? I think if the right wing would win , they would do what I say.

Richard S. (rich815) · Jun 4, 2012

.....

Lionel1972 · Jun 4, 2012

At first glance on the web I thought this was a bad portrait, awkward pose, awkward composition. But the more I look at it..., it kind of grows on you especially in high-res (pdf downloadable from the website linked).

Laurent · Jun 4, 2012

France shows the way...

The official portrait of our new president was shot on film with a Rolleiflex !!

The story is here

Not sure the image is the best Depardon made, but I like the symbol.

blansky · Jun 4, 2012

Wow, how holidaysnap-esque.

Blown out background, head too large.... at least no fig leaf pose.

This looks like one of those, "well the President can only give you 5 minutes so...."

Don't know if this photographer is any good or not but if he is, this is not his best work.

Don't speak/read French so I found this:

Dead Link Removed

lxdude · Jun 4, 2012

..."photo hyper simple."

I don't know French but I think I agree.

amsp · Jun 4, 2012

I wish I could say that I liked it, but to me it's just flat and boring. Also, the subject is in desperate need of some fill light.

Dan Henderson · Jun 4, 2012

The preceding negative comments aside, it is still cool that a photographer well enough known to photograph a head of state chooses to use film and a classic camera.

CGW · Jun 4, 2012

Gosh, I thought Sarko and austerity were voted out of office?

Alex1994 · Jun 4, 2012

New French President's official photo shot on a ... Rolleiflex!

Francois Hollande, the new French President, has had an official portrait done. The photographer first used a dSLR, then a 35mm Leica, before switching to a Rolleiflex, which gave him the right result.

Interestingly the photo was done in natural light and handheld.

http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/art...n-d-il-a-la-photo-amateur_1712447_823448.html

Google translated: http://translate.google.com/transla...-la-photo-amateur_1712447_823448.html&act=url

More detail on the film cameras: http://translate.google.com/transla...officielle-de-francois-hollande-devoilee.html

BrianShaw · Jun 4, 2012

Seems like the French are always on the cutting edge.

TexasLangGenius · Jun 4, 2012

BrianShaw said:
Seems like the French are always on the cutting edge.

Woot! The French are one of my language peeps and were among the big early pioneers of analog photography (if not the pioneers of analog photography)!

Vive la France!

Poisson Du Jour · Jun 4, 2012

Another reason to hoist up the tri-colour. Viva la film!

film_man · Jun 4, 2012

It is a head of state photo. It needs to be a bit flat, a bit boring, a bit conservative and generally something bland enough to fit well on the cheap frame on a civil service wall. On the other hand, I kind of like it, it is nothing spectacular but he looks like he is about to speak or do something, not distant nor majestic, not "presidential" or high-above but actually about to engage with the viewer.

zsas · Jun 4, 2012

I like it, it is sure better than the prior French president's portrait:
http://farm1.staticflickr.com/222/510820973_e36774e9ef.jpg

mike c · Jun 4, 2012

zsas said:
I like it, it is sure better than the prior French president's portrait:
http://farm1.staticflickr.com/222/510820973_e36774e9ef.jpg

100percent improvement.

Mike

Richard S. (rich815) · Jun 5, 2012

I think it may have been a Tele-Rolleiflex that was used. Looks like one in some of the photos of the shoot I've seen online anyway.

ooze · Jun 5, 2012

I'd rather have my official portrait taken by Depardon than Leibovitz. Her portrait of Queen Elizabeth is ghastly: http://obamapacman.com/2010/01/annie-leibovitzs-mac-has-seen-a-certain-golfer-topless/annie-leibovitz-queen-elizabeth-ii-official-portrait/

j-dogg · Jun 5, 2012

Not bad, not too bad at all.

The French get a pass since they kind of invented photography as we know it today.....I would have been real impressed if they had done a Daguerreotype.

pekelnik · Jun 5, 2012

I'm slightly annoyed by the building growing out of his head. There is separation, just maybe not quite enough for me.

Laurent · Jun 5, 2012

blansky said:
Wow, how holidaysnap-esque.

Blown out background, head too large.... at least no fig leaf pose.

This looks like one of those, "well the President can only give you 5 minutes so...."

Don't know if this photographer is any good or not but if he is, this is not his best work.

Don't speak/read French so I found this:

Dead Link Removed

The "well the President can only give you 5 minutes so...." attitude is Sarkozy's (the previous one), this one seems (we'll see in a few years) to listen more and to give more time. He also seem to know more about culture (not too difficult) that his predecessor (the previous photographer was a people-ish one).

I tend to think Depardon is a good photographer, not sure this is his best work, but what I like in his work iis more the sense of "continuity" than the "greatest hits" he produces. His work about rural France is something I love. I really like "La terre des paysans" (could be translated to "farmers' land"). The fact that he was born in a farm and his parents were farmers shows in the images.

Look here

Finally, I'd say that what I prefer about the image is that it is shot on an "obsolete" media with an "obsolete" camera...

Diapositivo · Jun 5, 2012

Besides choosing better his official photograph, Hollande could have chosen better his official tailor!

Nice to know he likes human beings. His hand are cut at half though, so it's the first president with half hands on a portrait.

I like "Elizabeth II as Dracula" portrait though. Could also be used for Republican propaganda

Richard S. (rich815) · Jun 5, 2012

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

New Official French Presidential Portrait shot on film with a 1962 Rolleiflex TLR

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