French artist Stephane Navailles has been practicing photography since 1993, the year when he discovered San Francisco, its tramcars and hip hop culture. The town appealed to him as much as in his memory of Steve McQueen’s classic film Bullitt, which he had seen a few years before. Above all, Stephane was fascinated by urban graffiti.
Back in Paris a “bad guy” named burnout ingratiated itself into Stephane’s professional existence. Nothing made sense to him anymore. He even pawned his favorite camera! After months and months of “nothingness”, his horizon opened up again to the beauty of lines, curves and people. Even black and white photography, which he used to find dull in the first place, became a most stimulating means of expression for him. Every shot, either in monochrome or color, made him feel alive again, while the urge to share his experience continued to grow.
Stephane’s project combines his explorations into the beauty of graphic photography with his quest for beauty that is true to life, with all its contrast and ephemeral emotions.