Encounters with my Childhood

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Photographer

Jean-Marc BARA
Prize

2nd Place / Special/Other
Jury Top 5 Selection

I found myself returning to this series again and again — the careful positioning of the characters, composition of each image, and timing of background elements demands a longer, closer look at each frame, and the story being told in each is clear.
Date of Photograph

Various, I started making this series in 2018.
Technical Info

Made with iPhone. Fixed aperture at f 2.8
Socials
Website

https://www.jmbaraphoto.com

One of my fondest childhood memories is when my father would bring me a new book from “The Adventures of Tintin” series. I would read the new book voraciously. My mind would wander off to the far lands Tintin and his dog Snowy (Milou) would visit. Now, when I visit nearby New York or travel, I may bring small plastic figurines. I carefully position them in real-world settings and often patiently await for the right pedestrians to populate the frame. By reimagining these childhood memories through photography, I hope to evoke a sense of nostalgia and spark the viewers' imagination.

Biography

Photography is more than an art form to Jean-Marc — it’s also a tool for understanding, structuring, and simplifying the world around him. In his street photography, Jean-Marc enjoys capturing candid moments that are interesting, funny, or have the viewer ask questions. He likes American photographer Alec Soth’s wording of the key ingredients: Light, Moment, and Magic. While street photography remains his central focus, Jean-Marc's work expands to other genres. However, the human element is a connecting thread in all his photography.
Awards

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FINALISTS AND AWARDS Tokyo International Foto Awards – 2024 TIFA – Honorable Mentions for “Three Ways of Seeing” and for the Series “Ghosts of the Streets”, both in the Category Street Photography, and for "Fishing for Brown Trout", in the category Minimalism. Paris International Street Photography Awards – 2024 PISPA – Gold Medal for the series “Order in Motion” in the category Golden Hour (series), Grand Winner for “Reflections of the 50s”, also in the category Golden Hour (singles), and Honorable Mentions for the three singles, “Missed,” “Skaters,” and “Will he Make it?”, as well as for the series “The Art of Conversation”. B&W Photo Awards -- B&W 2024 – Special Mention for “Self-Portrait”. This image was also selected to be projected at the “Les Nuits Photographiques de Pierrevert” festival. Also, three Honorable Mentions. International B&W Photography Awards Contest – 2023 B&W PA – Bronze Medal for “Woman in Armchair”. Pisa International Street Photography Festival – 2023 PSPI – Finalist for “Glow and Flow” Paris International Street Photography Awards – 2022 PISPA – Silver Medal for “Stuck in Traffic” and Silver Medal for the series “Encounters with my Childhood”. Also, four HMs in the categories B&W, Reflections Water and Windows, Urbex and Minimalism, and Sports Dance and Events. Miami Street Photography Festival Finalist - 2022 MSPF – “Counting the Money” was Finalist and and exhibited at the HistoryMiami Museum during Art Basel Miami.