Guillaume Jolly

Guillaume Jolly is a self taught photographer based in Paris. Inspired by loneliness and nature, his photographs are mostly about contemplation, about taking time to watch details, colors and people. Shooting with heavy analog cameras force him to work slowly. For his first trip in Africa, this constraint was not one anymore. It was a relief. For years, he has left the city alone to shoot nature mostly. But for once, even if he was in a city where the nature has mostly disappeared, the important thing is that he was meeting people who told him to take time. Time to talk, time to meet people, time to enjoy the fact of doing nothing. Everything you were planning would never happen when you’d decide to, and at the end of the day, all your plans would have changed. Creating unknown situations and unexpected pictures.

Dakar, Senegal

Invited by the International Festival of Graffiti in Dakar with two french artists. I’ve walked in Dakar for three weeks to find some spots to paint with my friends, but I did not want to show this part of the trip in those pictures. The amazing light of April, the iridescent and vivid colors you can see everywhere opposed to the pales tones of handmade breeze blocks, surrounding you everywhere you go in the city, were totally inspiring for us. In a country where no one is in a hurry, far from the frenetic speed of our European cities, the use of two analog cameras was the only choice I could have. Every single picture is a long pause, suspended in time.

The picture of the mute boy sat on a table on a rooftop took me ages to finally shoot it. Everything was ready very fast, the camera was ready to shoot, the settings were done. But there was something fascinating about him. The boy was not moving at all. I did not talk to him, because I did not want to disturb him. 10 minutes later, he was still here, like a statue, lost in his thoughts. Once he finally looked at me and smiled a little bit, I knew I could shoot him. I left the rooftop and he was still there, in the same position, smiling.

To view more of Guillaume’s work please visit his website.