For one and a half years, a group of students from the French Lycée Jules Verne in Johannesburg have been working on photography with a view to give meaning to ordinary features of life. This complex and fundamental task has enabled them to consider the different notions of this art and discover all its aspects.

Taking pictures is a way of involving the world and committing oneself in this world.

This commitment referred to in the photographs presented here under the title «In my lens / Objectifs» has enabled photographs of the club to acquire skills and develop knowledge of the history of photography and its great artists. They had to learn how to create a picture since the first shot until its development. The students have thus learnt silver photography and negative developing techniques, as well as the final printing in the photo lab. They were confronted with a very creative work starting with the practice of the pinhole camera until the printing where the light-sensitive paper goes through the developer to the fixer.

The objective was to suggest a point of view on South Africa and its diversity. These photos show different environments and locations, a kaleidoscope open on all possible images of this country and the town of Johannesburg where we are living. A reflection on our everyday life and our cultures. We have associated quotes from authors not only as a simple illustration, but we also wanted to build some sort of dialogue to throw light on these shots and raise questions on the photographs themselves and among the visitors. 

Joval Stephane

(merci Nawaz pour la traduction)