Marylise Vigneau | Havana I & II

Photo © Marylise Vigneau-All Rights Reserved

"I do not pretend, I don’t explain. Those who look at my photographs can invent their own story. I pass by, ask questions, wonder at things. And the little click of the shutter is no more than a reverence. And that is all that really matters." --Marylise Vigneau

Havana! Amongst the best cities in the world for street photography, and where my fondness for this style was born more almost 14 years ago. Life in Havana happens outside of its dilapidated buildings, and I don't have to tell my readers that its people are incredibly photogenic;  the mix of African, Carib Indian, and European has created a melting pot of handsome people, endowed with wonderful hospitality, remarkable musical talent and exuberance.

So it was with great pleasure that I saw that Marylise Vigneau uploaded photographs of Havana on her website. In fact, there are two galleries; Havana I (color photographs) and Havana II (monochrome photographs which competed for my attention...and I decided to show both in this post.

Photo © Marylise Vigneau-All Rights Reserved

I honestly don't know which I prefer from these two; the young man showing off his biceps to the photographer while around the corner, another man and his dog are unaware of this unfolding story...or the monochrome photograph of three young girls making dance moves in a street.

Marylise Vigneau is a French photographer and has traveled quite extensively, as her galleries attest. These include work from Cambodia to Uzbekistan, from Mongolia to Myanmar, from China to Sarajevo including powerful and compelling images made at a mental hospital in Lahore.

In an interview she tells us "I walk and wait to be surprised, intrigued, moved or amused." Perhaps she does that...but her work transcends this simple philosophy.