Aurélien Buttin

Amiens, France

flickr

How old where you when you started to engage in photography? What did you find attractive about it?

I started very early. I remember, when I was a child, my mother used to buy me a disposable camera every month so I could take pictures of everything I wanted to. That was really awesome. After some time she stopped buying me a camera, I don’t know why. I think that, becoming a teenager, I started to have other interests and priorities. Two years ago, after ten years of not shooting pictures, I started to engage in photography again. For me, taking photographs feels like stopping time and catching it, capturing a unique moment and freezing it forever. I find this really attractive. The memories might go, but the photos don’t.

Would you say that you're still in it for the same reason(s)? 

Yes and no. Of course, I’m still in it for the same reason, but there is more now. Photography is like a drug and I’m an addict. I always want to shoot a better photograph than the previous one.

You have been traveling recently; where have you been this summer, and where are you headed still?

Yes, I love to travel. Photography and travelling are two important things for me. In March, I was in Morocco, in April in Germany, in July in Italy, now I’m in Indonesia and the next month I’m going to Albania. After that I’ll take a little break for several months, I think that my first destination in 2014 will be Israel, but it’s just an idea for the moment. I visited 40 countries and I wish to never stop.

The images and portraits you take most of the times are not blurry but very clear, and although I can't quite put my finger on it, there's often “dreaminess” to them. Is this something you aim for?

I like it when pictures are clear and sharp; because I want and try to capture each moment exactly the way I see it.  When you’re looking at my photos it’s like seeing those moments through the photographer’s – my – eyes. At the same time, I feel that every moment is beautiful in itself and has some “dreaminess” to it. So in that sense we could say that capturing clear images and dreamy moments at the same time is in fact something that I aim for.

Are the people you take portraits of your friends? Do you ask them to take their photos and plan the images or do you simply shoot away?

Depends. The people that I shoot are not all friends of mine. Sometimes they are friends, or friends of friends, and sometimes it’s somebody on the street whom I had never seen before and whom I’ll probably never see again. About the planning of the portraits: This depends on the photograph as well. Usually I prefer to shoot away. I try to do this as often as possible, I think that it’s more natural and spontaneous, that I can capture the subject how he or she really is it. But for some photos, I have a precise idea of the result, you know. Then I plan the image, because I then have to, in order to achieve my goal, even if the subject will appear less natural in the end.

How would you describe Amiens, your hometown, to somebody who has never been there before? What do you like most about the city?

Amiens is a quiet and small city in northern France, one hour by train from Paris. It’s neither a big city, nor a village. You can try to hang out alone, but you’ll always meet somebody you know on the street. You don’t need a car or public transportation to move in the city, you can walk across the city quite quickly. The architecture is interesting, I think, it was an important city 200 years ago: it was Napoleon III’s favourite city; it has one of the biggest cathedrals in Europe; Jules Verne lived here, you can visit his house now. The city is surrounded by countryside – when I say countryside, I mean real countryside. And if you have a car, Amiens is a good place to live in, because you can go to London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Luxemburg, the beach, the cliffs in 4 hours or less. So you don’t really have the chance to get bored.

Have you ever tried to engage yourself in more/other forms of art? 

Yes, I was is a rock band before started to engage in photography. It was called “Violent Scaredy Cats”, but unfortunately it’s over now. I think you can still find it on Youtube.

If you were to constantly work at a company/magazine or with somebody for the next 5 years straight, where or with whom would it most preferably be?

It’s a really good and difficult question. If I have to work with a company or magazine I’d want that it’s a job that allows me to travel and take photos, so maybe National Geographic? I don’t know. A lifestyle magazine could be really good option, too.

In rough times, when it's hard to get by with freelance work or you seem to lack inspiration, what is it that keeps you going?

I don’t really think about it. I wait, I do other stuff, I travel.  Someday the inspiration comes back.

Do you have any goals, personally or professionally, that you still wish to achieve this year?

I don’t think about future. I live from day to day. If I start to have goals I’d go crazy. My only goal is to be happy. And this year, I’d just like to do more photography.