Photography is, at heart, a trick we play on time. A fraction of a second is fixed, made eternal. Yet outside the frame, time keeps moving.

The last post here was in August 2019. I thought it was yesterday, it was six years ago. In the language of photography, that is not a pause but a long exposure. So long it could blur entire experiences, let certain pieces and people fade, and leave only what was always meant to remain. 

Back then, when I wrote “What Fashion Stands For,” a photo I took gave me a revelation about the meaning of fashion. It also gave me a new friend. And a reminder of one of the reasons why I do this:

When I think about my photography, I may aspire to “The Decisive Moment” described by Henri Cartier-Bresson, that instant when all the elements of a scene align perfectly. Yet, for me, it is just as much about the moments that lead to the shutter, the story held in that fraction of a second, and perhaps even more, the infinite possibilities of moments it sets in motion after. The connections. The opportunities. The hopes, the friendships, the experiences it fosters.

And in the end, what I hope* for, is that the image I create makes you feel what it was to live that moment, to travel to that place, to be with that person, to see that scene with your own eyes, and perhaps inspires you to live more of these experiences. I hope it teaches you to notice the beautiful moments you already have, even if they sometimes last no longer than 1/1000 of a second.

And the miracle of photography is this: it makes time last. It bends it, ignores its laws and softens its faults. And in the end, photography resurrects all these moments and magnifies them. An image does not care if it was captured yesterday or years ago. It remains present, whispering its story, patient enough to wait for us to look again.

François-Xavier Watine

*I also hope it inspires you to reach out and create something with me, from a timeless portrait to the most ambitious and beautiful campaign.