Thibault Chasta and the Petzval 58 Bokeh Control: A Sensual Improvisation

Between Thibault Chasta and our Art Lens is a real artistic improvisation where the light melts with the grain, like a sensual melody on which Julie, the model, slowly becomes a dancer.

Hi Thibault, please introduce yourself to our community.

Hi I'm Thibault Chasta, 29 years old, I currently live near Paris.

Tell us about your love story with photography.

I met photography almost 10 years ago! It wasn't love at first sight! I played with flowers for a long time. I began going to an association that changed everything. I learned how to tell stories, to create series, from having the idea to its realization. For a long time, I only wanted to do portraits, I didn't care about the rest. And then I became interested in a whole lot of other forms, in particular when I began to travel. Now I would say that I've reached a point where I want and need to go out of my comfort zone. And I have thousands of ideas!

What was your first camera?

A Canon 400D! Then I had a 5D Mark II and today a Fuji Xpro1 and a Canon EA1 for silver halide photography.

How important is the analog process in your practice?

I have just started seriously getting down to it, enventually I'd really like to switch to silver photography altogether. At first I was a bit afraid, I was kinda lost, I had the impression I had to learn everything all over again and I found that great and exciting. I had to learn patience, take pictures, take out the rolls and drop them at a shop, pick up the pictures, excited like a 4 year-old kid on Christmas morning. It feels good, everything goes so fast nowadays, you take a photo, you see it, you post it online. Rush and haste take over reflection.

It also turns your certainties upside down. With digital photography you can instantly check the result, you can adjust it as much as you want. With silver, I take much more time to release the shutter, settings, ant then OK now is the moment. And then the wait, you get the scans, you discover again, a bit of frustration sometimes but it's really stimulating.

Picture yourself with your camera in your hands. What is the first thing that comes to your mind?

"Shit, what have I done with the memory card???" To be serious, it all depends on what I'll do. To shoot portraits I always dread when I don't know the model. I work by instinct, I consider those moments as a moment of honesty between human beings. So there's always a risk but until now I've always been very lucky.

You seem to be really into portraits. How did you come to this specific field of photograpohy ?

It's true that portraits have a major part in my work. As I've said, this discipline had imposed upon me when I realized how much I loved the exchange between two persons. I don't direct much. When I prepare a shoot, I have a precise idea of the overall esthetics, of the ambiance. On the day, things just happen, it just works. I like to think that the model has his or her words to say, just as much as I do, so I let him or her speak. The photos are simply the result of this exchange.

What is the hardest thing in taking portraits?

I would say that it is to tame what the model has to give and to know how to translate it into the esthetics that I try to reach. Beyond getting « the right profile » for your shooting, you have to know just how to use it wisely and how to turn it into something interesting.

This mesmerizing series was shot with the Petzval 58 Bokeh Control. Can you tell us what were your first impressions when you got the lens?

Well, first of all, it's really beautiful, I love it! It's heavy, imposing. The metal is cold, golden, it changes from all lenses that are all the same, with no soul. It's pirate material, and I dig pirates.

What is the story behind these photographs?

I really love this series. For a lot of reasons. First, I did it with Julie Fournier, Julie is family, a friend with whom I've often shot. Artistically, we know each other extremely well, but we always manage to surprise each other. Almost everything was improvised, we had talked a bit about the clothes, we knew we would shoot in her tiny appartment that has great light. But that was it.

Why did you choose the Petzval in particular?

It works really well for portraits and I had seen many portraits shot with the Petzval. I was traveling to Madrid when I got and it seemed interesting to use it in a different manner.

How did the relationship between both of you go?

We were made for each other. I haven't had such a crush since Diane in preschool. We went to Madrid together, we got to know each other. It has so many possibilities, it's imprecise, imperfect. It's perfect.

What does the swirling bokeh brings to your photography?

The optics pushes you to think differently. Because it deforms, the focus is difficult. It has brought me this « little something », this « imperfection » that is naturally close to what I'm trying to create. The photos I've made with it have nothing to do with what I've done before.What's interesting is that you can also control this effect. The intensity of the bokeh, depending on what you want, aperture, depth of field. I have even tested it with vedeo and... I'm really frustrated I had to give it back because you can do incredible things with it.

Any tip(s) to share?

You have to tame it, but if I had to give just one tip: don't be afraid to fail. It drives you into a corner, but no other optics give you access to this kind of artistic corner. You have to let go.

Besides photography, what does Thibault Chasta do?

ICH BIN BATMAN!

Are you currently working on upcoming projects?

I currently have an exhibition (until the end of December) with a series of double expositions. I'm trying to make a book about my trips, about life with my friends. It's a personal project, just for myself, just for fun. Printed photos are so much better. And I'm really gonna explore analogue There are millions of things to discover! I'm also gonna seriously tackle video, a new way to tell stories.

What is your bedside table book?

I have two! Charles Baudelaire's Fleurs du Mal and The Little Prince (Saint Exupéry).

A favorite photographer?

Peter Lindbergh and Tim Walker.

Can you remember any picture that recently caught your attention?

Not one picture in particular but I discovered the work of Toby Harvard on Instagram (thanks Julie!). That guy does analogue magic with lights, colors and an atmosphere that are out of this world. It's funny 'coz it looks a lot like what I wanna do in the near future (especially working with lights). It's quite disturbing.

Lomography rhymes with...

Creativity! While I'm at it, I'd like to take advantage of this opportunity to thank Julie, for agreeing once again to be my guinea pig! She sings in the musical « Le rouge et le noir » at the Palace. You have to go!

Follow Thibault's work on his website, Facebook and Instagram.

written by mpflawer on 2016-12-15 #people #bokeh #art-lens #petzval #lomography-art-lenses #thibault-chasta #new-petzval-lens-58-art-lens