Caution wet floor!
by Aurélien Bomy
« Caution wet floor ! » is a series I shot one rainy night in the street where I live « Le quai de la fosse » which is located on the old commercial port by the Loire river, downtown Nantes (FR).
In my photographic practice, my interest is focused on capturing cinematic scenes and atmospheres and this street is one of my favorites for night shoots. It offers a great environment of light (traffic lights, street lamps, neon lights, store signs...).
With time and experience I have learnt where to stand and how to move to get a better point of view and how to find the good spots with the good lights and reflections on showcases, frames and compositions.
One year ago I made a series in the same street called « Le quai des brumes » on a foggy night, capturing people in a misty atmosphere, created by the muffled lights.
This time with « Caution wet floor ! » I wanted to capture people in a more sparkling environment of light offered by the reflecting wet floor, on a rainy night.
These photos were taken in my neighborhood, so I know it well and the more I practice, the more my presence is assured. So I feel more secure standing in front of strangers and shooting pictures of them in this environment, with the best attitude. They seem to accept it rather well and sometimes they play with that situation like spontaneous actors.
There is something somewhat paradoxical in this practice: Two different and opposite ways of being present and holding the camera are in conflict every time I have to trigger the shutter:
The first is to hide, to disappear, to try to be invisible to prioritize the scene as it is with the least incidence or influence on it.
The second way is to be visible, to assume an unavoidable presence, sometimes by standing in the middle of the sidewalk as an obstacle in the path of passers-by and ostensibly holding the camera to provoke surprise, a change of attitude, a detour, a visual contact...
These two orientations are both necessary and I have to compose with them. Work in progress ... On my way to make life a story...
