Through the Eyes of Raymond Cauchetier

La Peau Douce (Rambouillet) Directed by Truffaut: 
Taken by Raymond Cauchetier, 1963



À bout de souffle, (Hôtel de Suède, Paris) directed by Godard:
Taken by Raymond Cauchetier, 1959



Lola (Nantes) directed by Jacques Demy:
Taken by Raymond Cauchetier, 1960

Baisers Volés (Paris) directed by Truffaut:
Taken by Raymond Cauchetier, 1968

In an interview by the UK's Guardian (Dec 2010) renowned, self taught set photographer Raymond Cauchetier describes the anticipation of taking an "uncontrollable" photograph.

"My approach to set photography was really that of a photojournalist. Stills photography then was purely for publicity purposes; I was interested in the film-making process. I didn't want to shoot what the movie cameras were filming".

Famous for his contribution to set photography during La Nouvelle Vague (or the French New Wave), an era during the 1950's and 1960's, Raymond captured both the iconic and the real elements in his ‘behind the scenes’ photos. La Nouvelle Vague was a movement lead by the likes of  François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and Jacques Rivette- these filmmakers portrayed the beauty in realism, as opposed to the glitz and glamour portrayed in American Cinema during the same period, La Nouvelle Vague was highly influenced by Italy's Neorealismo, a movement that focused on the raw elements of everyday life (be it struggle, work, family etc..). This often meant hiring non-professional actors, or shooting on cobble streets amongst the locals where the movie is being filmed.

I admire the subjects in Raymond's photography, because I feel like we live in an era that neglects the beauty in reality. Beauty within reality fascinates me, I believe icons are derived from their natural element, be it a building, or a person or an item; on its own and unadorned- makes each subject even more admirable, unique and beautiful. We see movies today and are uncertain whether they were filmed on a set, on the streets or in front of a green screen- similar to photographs, as beautiful as they may be, they have been endlessly re-touched and re-sized. And so when I came across Raymond’s images in the Telegraph, I was taken aback by the distinct uniqueness in the non-complex compositions.

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/dec/01/raymond-cauchetier-best-shot-photography
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/jul/11/french-new-wave-photographs-show-london
images courtesy of: The Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/7873509/Raymond-Cauchetier-and-La-Novelle-Vague.html