Hello everyone,
I had the chance to talk to some of you in the short time between my arrival and the start of the coronavirus saga, but I was offered to write this newsletter telling you a bit more about me, so here is a little presentation of my photographic and personal adventures that led me to join Penryn Camera Club at the beginning of 2020.
I was born in the South West of France in Dax, in a town relatively looking like Falmouth, and then moved to a bigger city to go to University. I spent 7 years in Toulouse, (minus an exchange semester in Austin, Texas), firstly studying to get my degree in computer science, and then working in the telecommunications field. When my partner got a chance to apply for a position in Cornwall, I knew that this would be quite a huge change, but the place looked beautiful, and most of all, I loved the idea to live so close to the sea. Everything started quite well, even though Cornwall winter was not very appealing to discover the outdoors, I was enjoying working from home and the small-town life, bought a horse and joined the Camera Club.
Even though I was prepared for lockdown as it happened 2 weeks before in France than in England, I was a bit disappointed that my plan of meeting new people was on hold.
Lockdown has not been a very productive period for me in terms of photography, I was a bit frustrated not to be able to capture the beautiful Cornish landscapes so my camera didn’t come much out of its bag… I was really lucky to be able to spend a lot of time with my horse, so I really enjoyed those moments after work to be out, watch spring arrive and be happy about little things like riding between
bluebell hedges.
Since the restrictions have been lifted I have finally been able to discover some beautiful places, and got much keener to take pictures. Landscape photography is one of my favourite disciplines, and on that topic Cornwall has a lot to offer ! If you have any favourite places don’t hesitate to tell me as I love exploring !
Like many photographers, my interest in photography started with taking pictures of pretty much everything (mostly ponies though) when I got my first camera, and I grew more and more interested as the years passed. I repeatedly have been quite lucky, as my photography practice has frequently received little bursts of encouragement (winning a category at the local photo marathon, getting compliments from more experienced people I admired) which led me to often use photography as a way to discover new environments.
My most important influence so far has been joining a group of people organising concerts at my university, where I became the entitled photographer, spending the most amazing time taking pictures of musicians, singers and actors. To this day I know no better feeling in photography than holding your breath to capture this moment where you can feel the artist’s emotion.
After my degree I decided to join my city’s Camera Club to discover new horizons. It gave me wonderful opportunities, discovering studio photography, wildlife photography, and most of all allowing me to attend big events like important concerts or the city's carnival, for which I will be forever grateful. I also had a go at wedding photography, which I loved.
I think lockdown has led many people to question the role we have in society, and encouraged more and more people to enjoy their passions instead of waiting for the week-end to live the life they want. For myself I don’t think I am ready to give away the stability that provides a good job, but maybe one day I will divide my time between horse-riding and being a photographer, we are all allowed to dream right ?
Maly Pellerin