These Var shepherds were immortalized by a former photographer from “Vogue” for an exhibition, magnificent photos

For several weeks – even months – Alexandra Allione has been saying “harass” by telephone to the shepherds of the upper Var, even going so far as to catch them on the wing when she sees one. “They always have something on the stovejustifies the ethnologist, understandingly. Pasteur is a profession that depends on time – which they often lack to devote themselves to something else – and on life.”

The icing on the cake is that the month of May is the scene of many activities: preparation for transhumance, shearing, marking of animals… This Tuesday, May 28, 2024, perseverance finally pays off. Several shepherds were tempted – some for the second time since January – by a most… original photo shoot.

The interest of such an approach? Dracénie Provence Verdon agglomération (DPVa) wishes to bring together a series of portraits of shepherds for its future exhibition “On the paths of transhumance”, retracing 66 years of pastoralism in the region. The inauguration is scheduled for September 12, 2024, at the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions (ATP) in Draguignan.

A camera like no other

Under the covered courtyard of the municipal hangar in La Roque-Esclapon, white sheets in precarious balance line the walls. Opposite, a vintage-style camera: “C’est un Speed Graphic (model manufactured between 1912 and 1968, Editor’s note), says Patrick James Michel, professional photographer who has notably worked for the famous fashion magazine Vogue. It was once widely used in detective cinema of the 1920s and 1930s or in journalistic reporting, particularly to photograph the Chicago underworld.”

It’s in this sleek decor – perfect for “refocus the subject” – that the shepherds are going to have their portraits taken. Each face is captured on a large roll of film, developed in a portable darkroom.

Why not opt ​​for digital? “The form lent itself to the subject,” says the photographer simply.used to working with old devices. The grain, the astonishing quality of the details, the “real” silver black and white… That’s the rendering I want.”

“It’s hard to be a model!”

Gilles Blanc and Romain Rebaudo-Bremond, breeders in Mons for one and on the military ground of Canjuers for the other, answer present. Once in front of the lens, Patrick James Michel is active with ease and demand: “Let’s stay serious!”he warns several times.

“Smiling can quickly seem forced, even a little silly, contextualizes the professional. A photo model will deliver naturally if he maintains a neutral expression.” Easier said than done… Laughter and embarrassed grins punctuate the session: “It’s hard to be a model!”says Gilles Blanc.

But the game is worth the candle. Judge for yourself, with the first salvo of portraits captured at the beginning of this year. These will soon fill the long-awaited exhibition at the ATP museum.

Valuable testimonies

Few transhumances are still carried out on foot. And for good reason: this practice is prohibited, although it “is still tolerated in the Var department”, informs DPVa. Gilles Blanc, for his part, transhumed by walking for fifteen years from the commune of Mons to Châteauneuf-d’Entraunes (Alpes-Maritimes), on the summit of Pal.

But now he opts for transporting the sheep by truck, like his colleague Romain Rebaudo-Bremond who goes as far as Tinée (Alpes-Maritimes): “Life moves very quickly now, we no longer have time to waste eight or ten days going up,” regret the two shepherds.

A slowness which especially revolts motorists stuck in the middle of the herds and certain inhabitants: “Patience has been lost,” we continue with a sigh. “Shortcuts have been blocked, anti-passage signs put up, people can quickly become aggressive…”

Disappearance of the landscape

This hostility therefore requires “great courage” for the ultimate guardians of these threatened customs. On a larger scale, concern is affecting even breeders accustomed to modern life: “For me, we are on the verge of extinction. We are no longer recognized as before”estime Romain Rebaudo-Bremond.

A feeling reinforced by the increase in intensive breeding: “There are almost no more small scattered herds, the sector now favors farms with a large concentration of animals. And the latter eat everything…”

It is this loss of recognition and the distortion of their work which prompted our two Var pastors to have themselves photographed and testify for DPVa: “We need it, we need representation of our profession”concedes Gilles Blanc.

Much more than an exhibition

What will they say in these sound capsules? What messages do they intend to convey through their eyes? “We were present at the farmers’ demonstrations in January.” The agglomeration exhibition will be an opportunity to talk about it again with the wolf, the lack of money, administrative aberrations, and climate change, among other things…