a party with the pope
Rick Alarcon is a US photographer in Paris , France, specializing in portraits, event, and artistic photography.
The past 48 hours have been a bit of a whirlwind and I'm not even home from it yet. So while I sit on this very long train ride, lemme tell you about it. Queue the big sized images (on desktop)! Queue the typos (too tired to change them)!
Well, I basically got asked to shoot the Pope's visit to France, specifically his visit to the holy city of Lourdes, but I actually got to shoot him in Paris as well. I’m not going to share too too much here, cause it’s work for someone else, but I think it will be alright if I just give you all a just a small look into some kinds of things I shoot besides the usual.
Pro: Did not have to worry about someone blocking the view.
Bit of a backstory: the family is Catholic. Like any good Puerto Rican family, we had a little Virgin Mary statue in the backyard (hidden behind the shed in a corner, where we used to get high), so you get the idea. Church every Saturday (we were always late, wearing dirty soccer clothes), so let's say we were like a good 4/5 out of 10. 3, maybe? My dad, the most religious one, even went to go see Pope JP the Dos in Colorado one time and was all excited about it. Excuse me, pops, while I show you how it is done. First up was the big mass at Place de la Concorde.
Shot on a wide lens, so we is getting closer. Now turn and pose!
A real kick I have to say: busy, fast, definitely a great time! Say whatever you want about your own personal feelings on religion (actually don’t), but a pretty cool shooting experience. Seriously, they blocked the highways and people were screaming and waving at us. Private airport strip. Police escorts, massive entourage machine, everything. It was like that scene at the end of Ghostbusters when the NYPD brings them through Manhattan at the end, except without the giant marshmellow guy.
I somehow ended up next to the VIP section and got pictures of some very important French politicians: past, present and future presidents, prime ministers, their families and a couple others. I’ve taken some photos of these people in the past, but this was like all of them at once. Accreditation is awesome and I got to really got to get close up on these people. Some took to it, others not too much. Ha! I wasn’t even planned to really work then. It was surreal.
Anyway, onto Lourdes!
I thought I would be awake before everyone else.
Yahtzee! Turned out Rick just walking around all lost paid off. I didn’t even a chance to have enough caffeine in me at that hour. But there was one more thing to do: I had to get his attention.
Why not white shoes as well? Am I right?
So I yelled “Go Sox!”
Say “fromage”, Leon.
I shot a photo of The Pope! I actually have several frames. Not like just one of him passing. The Man from Chi-town looked right into the lens and held it, like a champ. Put that one down on my checklist of photographed celebrities, politicos, presidentes, dictators (that’s right kids), blogger, vloggers, and circus performers. A nice photo goal! I got real close to the PopeMobile too (it’s pretty slick I have to say), that the head of his security chatted me up and even remembered me later in the day. That’s good, right? Right? A real photo feather in the cap for ya boy!
Seriously though, this guy’s schedule is like full-on.
Only going to share a couple more: I remember being in church as a kid and you weren’t allowed to do anything out of place (not that we didn’t, of course). I have to say it was a great experience as a photographer to capture: here are these people at a very, very solemn moment in their life and I’m allowed to be right up in there. Not your usual type of shooting situation and so that was something, as a photographer, that is very, very cool to be able to shoot.
10 out 10, kids. 10 out of 10!
Happened so quick, so maybe I’ll share more in the future. Next up though, Fashion Week!
noir et the blues.
Rick Alarcon is a US photographer in Paris , France, specializing in portraits, event, and artistic photography.
Haven’t posted anything in a while. I shot some rolls on vacation, but nothing outside of personal holiday shots. Everything else, 2-3 rolls worth, just came out real bad. I don’t know if it was the place I got it from (god knows how long they were on the shelf), multiple failures to get past x-ray scanning at the airport, bad lab development or my own incompetence (nope, nope, nope, wasn’t that), but most of what was shot just didn’t…happen. Felt like a large systematic disaster, so I haven’t actually shot anything as of late.
The summer left the tank feeling empty, like I had an anti-vacation. Tough to feel the energy everyone has in the fall to get cracking on things.
I salvaged some black and whites, some remainders of the summer, before putting it away.
america two hundred frenchy: vision 3 250D + kentmere pan 200
Rick Alarcon is a US photographer in Paris , France, specializing in portraits, event, and artistic photography.
Happy Birthday America! I know it’s been practically a month since we celebrated, but it’s been a busy one. I’m just getting around to the edit of the rest of the last roll, coupled with some summer lab delays, but here are some images from the America 250 Celebration in Versailles this year. The Chateau of Versailles held an event to celebrate the 250th birthday boy and France and the US of A being best buds, with all of your typical July 4th fanfare and history.
First up are some Vision 3 250Ds. As it was a long day, I took along the Olympus AF 1, light on the weight and all. Had I thought of it, I would have brought something with a real wide lens on it and get some shots like Yorgos Lanthimos, but I wanted to carry the extra weight from hot dogs and not from cameras. I’m happy how they all turned out, a mighty point-and-shoot!
Surreal day watching non-American people “be” American, as an American, on America’s holiday, in a non-American place. Patriotic identity fever dream! Very few of us Americans there actually, so it was nice to see many Euro peoples take an interest in the day. Not your typical July 4th, but a great one nevertheless.
But wait, there’s more! I did bring me a roll of Kentmere Pan 200 for once the color ran out. This worked out in favor, as I’ve needed something to use for… black and white developing and scanning. That’s right, baby! Your boy is cooking up things in the home lab. Begin, more the criticism! More on this in the future.
Pinky high, sipping Cognac next to the Belvedere, straight-up OG celebrations. French coast!
can’t beat the heat!: photo nation 250D (vision 3)
Rick Alarcon is a US photographer in Paris , France, specializing in portraits, events, and artistic photography.
What a face-melting good time! It took some time to get through this roll, time has been moving slow lately. More cinema film stock, re-packaged Kodak Vision 3 250D. Let’s go!
I’m really a big fan of this look, warm yellows and such, though I don’t like to play favorites, so find me someone bulk rolling cans of 200T and I will let you know.
The lab tells me that the next roll could be a while, but I got a solution! Acquiring the last of the tools right now needed to develop and scan at home for reals reals, so putting that into the routine in the next little while. Thank you for all of those who have supported thusfar to make it possible to be able to do things like that, you make it happen! My humblest thanks to you. If you haven’t supported my work and would like to do so, please click the link here. Cheers to you!
The heat done slow me down a bit, but check for more regular appearances in the near future. Once I get things up a bit more and organized, I’ll be able to post to here a bit more often. Plus more control and savings, but I’ll again be able to do more with what is made available.
les bleus + the blues: fujifilm color 200
Rick Alarcon is a US photographer in Paris , France, specializing in portraits, events, and artistic photography.
The Olympus AF-1 is my new favorite thing. Glorious Fujifilm 200 (donated! thank you! visit the support page, y’all.) showed up in my mailbox and nothing better to beat the scorching heat than a little bit of cool.
Stay cool everyone!