Magali Kermaïdic, born in Brittany (Brest), North-West of France, in 1973 and living in Bordeaux, South-West of France for about 25 years.
I’m computer engineer, photography is an hobby for me. I’m autodidact.
Photography is magical for me. It opened my eyes to details all around me that I didn’t see before. It made me see beauty in things or places that I would never have suspected. It made me SEE. It made me appreciate all the seasons and all the weathers too. And it gave me the feeling to be more alive (and more not eternal too…), more closed with the life around me because street photography requires to observe life. It made me see people in the streets like people who share my time on the earth and not like people who use my space.
For many years, I had a very eclectic photography and I needed much time to find my way, until discovering some b&w galleries of very good photographers which have particularly moved me. They made me realize how much b&w photography is powerful for giving emotion. And for me, it became an obviousness it was my way. So, for some years, I’m a b&w street photographer and certainly for many years again.
As a simple b&w street photographer in a calm country as I am, my sphere of impact is reduced. I just want to show life as I see and feel it. I like to look for poesia and emotion in the streets and showing streets like a place of life and not like a crossing place as we often consider it. Please take time to observe, take time…
I like to catch instants in streets, to stop life and to show it like a succession of precious instants. Photography has the power to freeze the time and to remind us how precious it is and how much ephemeral we are.
The best feedback I can have on my photos is when people tell me that my photos give them emotions. I’m more interested by the emotion than the esthetic. Emotion is a witness of our existence.
In practice, photography is also a game for me. Like the travel games we had when we were children. I remember games given by gas station on the road, going for holidays, which consisted in finding key elements like a windmill, a train, a plane, an ecclesiastic, a bicycle, etc (a way to keep children calm in the car). When you were the first to see the bicycle, you won 10 points, for a train you won 20 points, for an ecclesiastic on a bicycle and on a bridge 1000 points ! I loved these games and photography is a similar game according to me. Same excitation. Sometimes I stay more than 3 hours in a place where there is a good potential for waiting the Human who will make the difference because the character makes always the 70% of the photo or for waiting the good light. Street photography is a matter of observation and patience according to me, no need to have a good technical knowledge on photography.
I love to travel, to discover the world, the people, new cities and their lines. As soon as I have free time and money, I travel, it’s vital for me. To take time to watch life because I wouldn’t like to arrive at the end with the feeling to have seen nothing, to not have taken advantage of my life.
Why « penhad » as name for my website . Pen-Had is a beach at Camaret-sur-mer in Brittany, my roots, an important place for me, one of the most beautiful place in the world for sure. My wish would be to have as many wonders in my portfolio as that place allows to see.
My photos are dedicated to my Parents. Thank you for all you gave me. Miss you so much.