by Editor Michel Romaggi in collaboration with the author Patrick Dessureaul
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 5^th of December 2024

'Tic Tac,Toe'

Dear, Patrick, I was particularly drawn to your character photos in your portfolio: 'Tic Tac Toe', ‘Connected', ‘Burma'. Why don't you do more of them?

Pictures of characters appeal to me a lot, but I often find them difficult to take. I am rather shy and do not want to offend or disturb anyone. Ask ahead, explain why, etc. It’s all long and boring and breaks the spontaneity. The pictures of characters you talk about (Connected and Burma) are a good example. In both cases, I didn’t have to ask because the characters were busy doing something else! If I were an invisible man, there would be many more pictures of characters in my portfolio...

'Connected'

'Burma “Modernity” is coming...'

About the 'Tic Tac Toe', under what circumstances was it taken? What equipment, settings...?
If you use one, what post-processing did you use? (Especially for the nice colours).
Regarding the 'Tic Tac Toe' photo, I was walking down the street of the small town of Uspallata in Argentina when I saw this old man parking his old car. I felt the call of my heart. I went up to him and asked him with gestures (my Spanish is not very good) if he would allow me to take a photo in his car. He said yes. He went back to his car and I wanted to take the side shot first. I asked him to lower the window, but he signaled that it was not possible because it was broken (I still took a side shot through the glass, but I have not yet processed it). Then I went to the front of the car and that's where I took the photo that I have chosen to upload on 1x.
For this photo I used my Nikon D850 with a Nikon 24mm lens. I did not use a tripod or a flash (I never do). I put my camera in aperture mode and opted for f/8.0 to get a good depth of field. This gave me a speed of 1/125th of a second, which I thought was enough. I set the ISO to 200. My photos are still in RAW mode.
I only use an old version of Lightroom (version 6.0) for post-processing. I then cropped my photo to emphasize the car and the old man. I increased the overall clarity and specifically the brightness on the old man. I increased the vibrancy, especially the blues. I increased the contrast and reduced the highlights around the old man. I also reduced the brightness coming through the rear window. And that's it!
I dedicate this photo to the Argentine people, an amazing mix of resilience, honesty and kindness.

I see that you have many sources of inspiration: travel, birds, macro. Could you tell us what photography means to you and what you try to convey through your images?
I am very sensitive to the beauty that surrounds me and I feel the need to extract and share it. I like to think that wonder begets the desire to protect, and that is what I try to convey through my photographs: the desire to protect the beauty of this world.

To conclude this fine tutorial, could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us where you got your taste for photography, Patrick?
I'm 54 years old. I work as a pharmacist. I'm also an amateur but passionate photographer. The taste for photography comes from an artistic impulse, a desire to immortalise a scene of life that appeals to me. It is usually a call from the heart that makes me pull out my camera.

'Monkey stroll'

'Local gas station'

Patrick Dessureault, Québec, the 29^th of November 2024