Baptiste Lignel - Face à La Vie

Baptiste Lignel, who's book Ce Qui Demeure I have featured before, is raising money for his next book which will support a very important cause. He has spent the last year, following a small magazine assignment, photographing in the pediatric cancer ward at the hospital in Garches. The images show the daily struggles, routines, fear and pain, punctuated by moments of laughter; "a place where life is happening."

There is a show on right now, until March 4th in the Cité des Science in Paris, where the images are accompanied by interviews.

The ultimate goal is to produce a book, the profits of which will go to support Regarde la Vie, a charity organization which works directly in the children's ward.

Follow the project on his specific site. www.facealavie.org to pre-order a book and help support the cause.

all images: Baptiste Lignel, 2010-2011

Baptiste Lignel - Ce Qui Demeure, vol. 1

Baptiste Lignel is now shipping his latest project Ce Qui Demeure, which was announced as a pre-release special edition last year. Covering 10 years of his children's life, a mixture of still-lives and portraits in color and b/w, it's a beautiful project that has been successfully brought to print.

I don't know how direct the reference to Sally Mann's What Remains is intended but the slight reference, if only in the title, is fitting as Baptiste doesn't shy away from surreal moments but, as Roger Ballen says in his text to the book: "...his approach is spontaneous and perceptive.." and I would add "personal and intimate".

This is claimed to be volume 1, so I assume, and hope, that a second one will come someday. As father and photographer, I am a bit jealous of this archive he has created for his kids. Unfortunately, and at the critique of my wife, I never seem to make enough photos of my kids, always associating the camera with "work" and not wanting it in the way of just hanging out with the kids. But also as a father of a 7 year old girl going on 14, I will be curious to see how long Babtiste and his camera will be invited to the days at the lake, pillow fights and birthday parties. I am taking a group of 9 giggling 7 year-old girls to see "Rapunzel" in the movie theater on friday, and I think I will seize the chance to photograph, or at least give it a try.

Thanks Baptiste.

The book is published by the photographer-run co-op Otra Vista.

Here at Photo-Eye.

Baptiste Lignel - Ce Qui Demeure

I traded books last year with Baptiste Lignel for his Coney Island book, a collection of details of the objects and the people who made the famous, fated amusement park an icon.

He is following it up with a book about childhood, including only images of his own children. As it seems to becoming common practice in the self-publishing world, Baptiste is offering a pre-sale version of the book in the form of a special "shoebox" edition.

« The photographs that Baptiste has produced of his children are emotional, sensitive, and personal. The images capture a universal experience that brings forth childhood memories from years past. His approach in photographing his children is spontaneous and perceptive. It reflects a deep relationship not only with his children, but with an element of childhood that is part of the human experience. Baptiste has taken upon himself to record in a poetic and touching manner, moments that will last. »

Roger Ballen

He has put up a nice video, displaying the entire book.

As with Coney Island, it is being published by Otra Vista, an on-line store with a nice selection of prints, books, and special editions.