Collaborate
You bring the memory of the Second World War to life in the field. I fix it in silver gelatin so it can cross time a second time.
I follow Belgian and French living history associations devoted to the American presence in Belgium during the Second World War, re-enactments, commemorations, living history days on the very ground where the fighting took place. I am proposing a collaboration to associations I do not yet follow, to continue and enrich this memory work over time.
What I can bring
A black and white silver gelatin report is neither a disposable souvenir nor a phone photo among hundreds of others. It is an object made to last, produced with the same rigour you bring to your re-enactment work.
In practice, a collaboration can include: a full report of your event, prints for your association's own use (archives, communication, exhibitions), and your images presented to a wider audience, institutions, the press, or an American public interested in this memory.
My approach in the field
I work on film, without a motor drive or intrusive flash: I fit into your re-enactment without disrupting it, and I take the time to observe before photographing. The number of shots is deliberately limited; every exposure is considered, which also means I never try to catch you off guard or make light of your work.
No image is published without you having seen it first. If a photograph clearly identifies a member of your association, their consent, or yours as the person in charge, is a condition, not an option.
In practice
Access to your events (re-enactments, commemorations, training days) and a contact who can let me know your dates in advance. No requirement for staging or particular poses: I document what happens, as you bring it to life.
I am also looking for associations willing to share a little of their own history, how long they have existed, which units or episodes they portray, so that the captions on my photographs stay factual and true to your work.
Get in touch
If your association organises re-enactments or commemorations related to the American presence in Belgium during the Second World War, and this collaboration interests you, write to me. I travel across Wallonia, Brussels, the northern half of France, and French-speaking Switzerland.
"In a few years, what you re-enact today will itself have become a memory."