F.Berluteau Poetography Blog

Florence is going to PARIS!!!

Another exhibition has been scheduled at Espace Japon in Paris. Here is the detail:

Title: Japon – Couleurs vives

Date: du 29 septembre au 10 octobre

Place: Espace Japon  12 rue de Nancy, 75010 Paris

Opening: Mardi 29 septembre 2009 à partir de 18h

Website: http://www.espacejapon.com/expo/prochainement/florence_berluteau.html

The picture above entitled, “Geisha at a glance” was awarded Honorable Mention from the 2008 International Photography Awards, and will be shown at Espace Japon. There will be of course never-be-seen-before pictures also. So please everyone, especially those who live in Paris or near Paris, come to see the show!

By the way, this photo has an interesting behind-the-scene story.

This picture was taken during one of the new year holidays in Kyoto, Japan. It was right in front of Nanzenji temple. Florence was taking pictures somewhere, and I was just walking around and patiently waiting for her. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this Geisha* woman and possibly her proprietress of the house walked by right in front of me. You know, shooting pictures of Geisha is a photographers’ dream, especially Florence, but she was not with me at that time. They were walking really fast, most probably because they didn’t want to attract all those tourists’ attention. I didn’t have time to go look for Florence. I said to myself, “Too bad, Florence lost a great shutter chance.” Then there she was. Florence came running, chasing after the Geisha!

Go Florence! Go!!!

Florence was running and running after the Geisha woman with her heavy camera in her hands and her camera bag on her back. The Geisha woman was going and going REALLY fast with short steps.

You know, you can’t really walk with long strides when wearing Kimono. You have to walk with tiny steps. Not only that, how in the world could a person walk or run so fast with these sandals on???

These sandals are called Koppori and made of wood. Good ones are hand made like this and really expensive:

Anyway, Florence finally caught up with this Geisha woman when she was about to get in a taxi cab.

Then all the miracles came together:

A BEAUTIFUL GEISHA woman with RED Kimono getting on a GREEN car GLANCED at Florence for one second, and Florence was able to click the shutter at that MOMENT.

Bravo!!!

* This woman is not really a Geisha. She is a Maiko (apprentice Geisha) to be exact.

Okay, I said there would be a series of exciting news, and here is the big one. Sorry, it took me a while to make this announcement. I wanted to wait until at least Florence’s name would appear on the website, and finally the time has come.

Florence’s “Water Works” has been selected to exhibit at the 2009 VISA OFF festival in Perpignan!!!

The “Water Works” exhibition includes “Water Colors I” that received an Honorable Mention from the 2008 International Photography Awards.

VISA OFF is sponsored by the prestigious International Festival of Photojournalism, VISA POUR L’IMAGE, and these two big festivals will be held concurrently in Perpignan, France.  So photographers from all over the world including famous photojournalists will gather in Perpignan, and local restaurants and shops will become instant galleries for Visa Off exhibitions during the festival. I don’t know how they decide which shop to exhibit whose pictures, but Florence got lucky. Her exhibition will be held in a book store, Bébé en Bulles. I just don’t think her pictures would go well with a meat store… VISA OFF website has an interactive map, and Florence’s exhibition at Bébé en Bulles is number 29 on the map. Here is more detailed information about Florence’s exhibtion at Visa Off:

Title: Jeux d’eau  (2009 Visa Off exposition 29)

Date: du 29 août au 12 septembre

Place: Bébé en Bulles  10, rue de la Cloche d’Or,  66000 Perpignan

Website: http://www.visaoff.com

The official Opening of Florence’s exhibition will be on September 1, 2009. Also there will be a screening of her pictures on a humongous screen in the evening of September 9 at place de la République.

Florence and I are very excited (yes, I’ll be there) about this event and look forward to seeing you there!

One of the Florence’s water works, “Balloon DNA” has been published for an article in the first issue of ADT magazine. It was used to illustrate how to be creative at the time of this economic crisis. The magazine is  about art, culture, trend, sports, etc., and a quarterly publication.

It is in French, and so I have no idea what this ad is about…

By the way, there is an interesting story behind this picture.

This Balloon series photos were shot at a swimming pool of Florence’s friend’s. Florence came up with this idea, and she bought a bunch of balloons and Florence and her friend blew up 70-80  balloons manually (using their mouths and lung power). I bet their cheeks must have hurt after blowing up so many balloons. Then they put all the balloons in the pool as Florence wanted. Everything was fine up to this point, as far as I was concerned. Then disaster hit.

Some balloons ran away from the pool and flown off all over the yard!

Florence and I chased after them and tried to rescue them, but unfortunately some balloons killed themselves by landing on stingy rose bushes. Sometimes we could hear the sound of pop, but could not see them. Pop… Pop… Pop… (just like a bag of popcorn is nearly done in a microwave).

We finally found a way to keep them together in the swimming pool, but the story did not end here. Those balloons did not want to stay together like Florence wanted! No wonder some of them ran away. They must have had a huge disagreement among them. Florence wanted them at one corner of the pool, but they didn’t listen to her. Boy, weren’t they obedient! I, as Florence’s assistant had to talk some sense into them and beg them.

“Everyone, come this way. Good. That’s it. A little bit closer. Yes. You can do it. No, no, no, no, not that way. Here, this way. You are doing great. Wonderful. Smile, everyone. PLEEEASE!”

Then after several shots, some of them started to get tired. I couldn’t blame them because they had been in the water for a long time. But I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw some of them just quit working by letting the air out of their body!!!

What a crowd…

Here we go! A series of exciting news begins with this announcement.

This year’s exhibition #3 will be held at the prestigious bookstore, Ombres Blanches. Florence will exhibit pictures from Japan including some never-seen-before pictures.

Above image is the cover of Ombres Blanches’ free paper (June edition). Yes, Florence’s picture made the cover! The photo was shot at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in Kyoto. I’ll post another entry some time later about Florence and Fushimi Inari. Click the image above and you’ll see the article about Florence and her exhibition.

Title: Pas à pas au Japon

Date: du 04 juillet au 16 août

Place: Librairie Ombres Blanches  50, rue Gambetta, 31000 Toulouse

Website: http://www.ombres-blanches.fr/

l’instant Japon 2009 is around the corner (May 15, 16 & 17), and Florence’s newest pictures of Japan will be exhibited again this year. This year, they are going to feature Florence’s modern architecture photos from Japan as a special exhibition, in addition to her regular exhibition at a booth, which means the excitement is doubled!!!

Most of the pictures exhibited there are not on her website. So be there and be the first one to see Florence’s newest pictures from Japan!

Click here for more detailed information about l’instant Japon 2009.

Tarifs entrée Hôtel DIEU :
Vendredi 15 Mai : Ouverture à 17h30 – entrée libre.
Samedi et Dimanche : 7 € la journée, Enfants : gratuit jusqu’à 12 ans.
PASS week-end : 12 €
Spectacles en soirée : 10 €

Florence’s “Colors of China” exhibition at MJC ANCELY appeared in the newspaper, La Dépêche du Midi. You can click on the above image to view the whole article or click here to see the article at www.ladepeche.fr.

Florence didn’t know there would be a reporter and a photographer from La Dépêche du Midi at the opening reception. What a surprise! Not only that, she was also very happy to have found the nice decoration and Chinese appetizers that MJC prepared for her exhibition opening. Thank you, MJC!

If you have not gone to this exhibition, please stop by MJC ANCELY by May 4. Those of you who have gone there, THANK YOU!!!

P.S. I have no idea what this newspaper article says. Please somebody translate…

Florence’s first exhibition in 2009 will be coming soon!

MJC ANCELY in Toulouse is going to be the 2nd stop of Florence’s Yunnan Photo exhibition (first stop was at Fnac Toulouse-Wilson in 2008).

Those of you who missed the exhibition last year, now’s your chance to enjoy the strikingly beautiful colours that the country of China has to offer.

Exhibition: le Yunnan “Couleurs de Chine”

Date: Du 14 avril au 4 mai 2009

Place: MJC ANCELY   7 allée des Causses 31300 Toulouse

Hours: de 14h à 19h (du lundi au samedi), de 15h à 18h (le samedi)

Phone: 05.61.49.05.74

Website: http://mjcancely.over-blog.com/

There will be a reception on April 15 at MJC ANCELY. Please come to meet Florence there!

Un vernissage aura lieu le 15 avril à MJC ANCELY. Venez nombreux pour rencontrer Florence!

Florence was on local TV news yesterday!!!

Click on the above image or from here you can watch Florence’s segment.


For those of you who are non-French speakers, here is the translation of Florence’s segment:

Reporter (Nicole Honold) – Florence Berluteau  describes herself as a “poetographer ,” in other words both a photographer and a poet. She works at Blagnac airport. Her pictures can be seen at Fnac Wilson, in Toulouse downtown.

F.B. – “Attention please, passengers traveling to the Yunnan Province are invited to proceed to the Forum gate, departure level, for an immediate boarding. Thank you.”

N.H. – This voice belongs to Florence Berluteau & you have probably heard it at Toulouse-Blagnac airport where she works. By announcing flight departures, she ended up leaving to China, with a camera in hand, heading for the Yunnan Province that totally captivated her…

F.B. – I went there in order to capture colors & I was amazed by the kindness of the people.

N.H. – When we look at Florence’s photographs exhibited at Fnac in Toulouse, we feel immediately what she likes to capture : snapshots, details, no preparation & no color filters.

F.B. – Everything is so vivid in this part of China! You enter into the “color world.” To me, color means life & I felt the most comfortable there despite the language barrier.

N.H. – Florence is not only inspired by the far end of the world…

F.B. – (Talking to herself, spotting an interesting subject) This is quite unusual…

N.H. – Here, in the bamboo park of Gandalou, Tarn & Garonne area, Florence shoots the light, straight lines, graphic patterns & poetry; therefore, she is named the “poetographer.”

F.B. – I said to myself that the word “photographer” was appallingly trite, so I had to find something else. As I felt a true personal synergy between poetry, literature & photography, I came up with the neologism “poetographer.” Afterwards some people wrote me they had found some poetry in my work.

N.H. – Jean-Louis Carrasco, one of the organizers of “L’instant Japon” in Toulouse, has a collection of Florence’s pictures that is becoming richer. He even asked her to illustrate his next book entitled ” L’orient de soi- un voyage au Japon des gens d’ici”.

J-L.C. – The theme of the book is to find the basic things we import from Japan that are common to our own culture. For example, you are walking along the Garonne river & the sun is setting… Well, that’s the essence of Japan… but that’s not just in Japan, it’s everywhere…

N.H. – USA just awarded Florence Berluteau for 3 pictures : the geisha, the water reflections & the floating rose petal, with a little ant on board, traveling away a bit like Florence…

Two calendars are now available for purchase via Florence’s RedBubble site.

“Japan in the eyes of a French photographer”

“China in the eyes of a French photographer”

Unfortunately, calendar part is very basic (no holidays) and English only.

RedBubble is offering FREE SHIPPING on any order to anywhere in the world. Just enter the coupon code “100000masterpieces” during the checkout process. Offer ends October 30, 2008 at 23:50 (GMT).

Did you watch this year’s Beijin Olympic opening ceremony? If you did, you may still remember the power and beauty that China showed us through the ceremony. Now it’s Florence’s turn. She will show us the China she saw.

Florence’s photos from Yunnan, China will be exhibited at the famous fnac store! This is an opportunity to view the striking colors that China had to offer in print. There will be some photos that are not on her website. So be there!

Title: Province de Yunnan, Chine

Date: Du lundi 20 octobre 2008 au samedi 15 novembre 2008

Place: Fnac Toulouse-Wilson (au forum) 16 all F Roosevelt 31000 Toulouse

Web: Fnac Magasins