Interview: Jean-Charles Neufcoeur
Luca Curci talks with Jean-Charles Neufcoeurs, winner of PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH – DECEMBER 2023.

Born in 1956 in the Paris region, I trained as a computer engineer and became interested in photography very early on. Rather than self-taught in this field, I practised a lot of black and white film which I developed and printed myself. Then around the age of 16, I got into photography and color film printing. I also had the opportunity to work on set photos for a feature film in the 1976s. Very busy with my studies and then with my professional life, I temporarily put aside my passion… Driven by a deep need to express my sensitivity and my sensations, I returned to photography by training myself in digital techniques and starting with a minimalist approach, focused on reflected light, the grain of materials, the oxidized and rusty shells of the ships docked in the port of Rouen. My favourite subjects are the passage of time, and the functioning of memory… how our memories come back to us in successive waves, and how past events overlap and create new images from vanished moments. and I find that photography is an ideal medium for transcribing these emotions… It is this approach that we can see in the “Réthymnon Memory” series and the “Le jardin extraordinary” series.

LC – What do you think makes a good photo? What details do you focus on?
JCN – Big question… can we say that there are good photos and bad photos? Above all, there is a signifier (the photo object with its technical limitations) and a signifier (the sensitive content of the image). When the two meet simultaneously there is truly a successful expression. As far as I am concerned, the most important element is light, I need sunny days to obtain maximum contrast and saturated colors… I am a fan of strong colors, I find that they are essential and express themselves forcefully. Then comes the framing of the subject, at the moment I am focusing on the reflections which are very mobile and unique… the framing allows me to give even more presence or distance to my expression.

LC – When you take photos, are you usually inspired by the situation or do you find inspiration within yourself?
JCN – The images presented are part of a long-term project. This is my guideline, I apply it in the maritime domain, and I travel to many ports to develop and enrich my photographic expression. I photograph by looking for the most beautiful traces, the most beautiful shapes, marked wear, rusty or abandoned ships, I am very alert for the traces of time past.

LC – How do you choose your subjects? Is it a reasoned or instinctive process?
JCN – It’s a bit of both at the same time, I have my project in mind, I know what I’m looking for but it can also happen that it’s more instinctive. It is the combination of the subject, the environment, and the distribution of light in space that pushes me to trigger. It also happens that I don’t find this set of conditions and as a result, I don’t take a single photo all day…

LC – Do you use art to express something in particular? Is this your means of expression?
JCN – Yes absolutely, for several years I have developed a form of obsession with everything related to the passage of time. How do we perceive time? What traces have our predecessors left? Can we imagine their lives through the objects used? How does our memory work? Can we really remember past moments? Yes, it’s my favourite means of expression, it allows me to construct images of a world that is going to disappear, and also to ask questions to visitors who see my images in exhibitions.

LC – How do you feel when you see your work finished?
JCN – Always very calm at first, because I think I have succeeded in synthesizing the questions that concern me to transcribe them in a colorful image. Then in a second step, I think I will obtain a better result, even more concise, more inquiring, which leads me to go back and look for an even better shot… In the end, I don’t think I would ever really finish…