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r.e.
16-Feb-2014, 09:27
This is terrific (English subtitles): https://vimeo.com/86108264

The interview was apparently done on January 7th in conjunction with an exhibit of his work at the Grand Palais, organized with Magnum, called Un moment si doux. In the interview video, that is translated as A Sweet Moment, although I'd be more inclined to translate it as A Gentle Moment.

In the course of the interview, Depardon also talks about his 8x10 La France project, which is the subject of his film Journal de France. There is a thread on Journal de France here: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?111207-New-Film-Raymond-Depardon-s-Journal-de-France

In the interview, Depardon addresses the following questions:

Why does the exhibition focus on colour? :30 mark

So, was your colour work a sort of recreation? 1:27

What was your approach? Did you accept the diktat of “peerless” black and white photos? 2:11

Which you didn’t use (an 8x10 camera) for "A Sweet Moment”… 2:45

Did you already have an idea for the title (A Sweet Moment)? 4:29

What makes a good photo? 8:13

Is your work influenced by the colours of your childhood? 12:41

Do you notice the colours in your photos later, or do you deliberately look for them in your travels? 14:34

In the La France project you mainly focussed on what you see as you drive around France, but you also demonstrated that what initially seems quite ugly can in fact turn out to be quite magnificent... 17:45

Do you think these colours reflect a quest for a certain douceur de vivre, a certain quality of life? 20:01

Your photos from around the world transmit a certain empathy... 23:50

And there are also photos of working class people in the exhibition… 25:40

r.e.
16-Feb-2014, 11:03
In the interview, the translation is a little ragged in places and omits nuance.

I thought I'd mention specifically the 20:09 mark, where there are a couple of blatant errors. It should be "pretty unappealing photos", not "appealing photos", and "debasing for the photographer", not "debasing for the photograph".