“I am the photographer of love”, Yann Arthus-Bertrand captures the soul of France in Clermont-Ferrand

In Clermont-Ferrand, Yann Arthus-Bertrand continues his ambitious photographic project “The French and those who live in France”. Through intimate portraits imbued with kindness, the photographer seeks to answer the following question: “What does it mean to be French today?”

Yann Arthus-Bertrand, the photographer of the skies, is not the type to be satisfied with aerial views. For more than 30 years, he has had one goal: to photograph France, but not just any old way. No tourist cliché here, but a true human and sociological portrait of those who make up the country.

And this time, he decided to settle down in Clermont-Ferrand, as part of his ambitious project “The French and those who live in France”. THE great witness to the 24th Rendez-Vous International du Carnet de Voyage of the Auvergne capital has decided not to be satisfied with landscapes. This time, these are the faces of those who make the heart of France beat: residents of the region, Michelin workers, hikers, families and health professionals.

As part of this project, volunteers pose in their everyday outfits, often accompanied by their loved ones, their colleagues or even their pets. “What does it mean to be French today? This is the question I ask myself”underlines the famous photographer. But instead of numbers, demographic studies and inert statistics, he prefers raw emotion, the sincere photo, the one that tells a human story.

“It all started with a simple portrait. Today, it’s real sociological work,” explains Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The photographer, in collaboration with the demographer Hervé Le Bras, seeks to illustrate the major demographic and social issues in France.

For this project, the ambition is not only to compile statistics, but to give a human dimension to the figures. “I want to put blood and flesh on numbers”, he insists. Translation : “a picture is worth a thousand words”. With his team, he photographs families, workers, association volunteers, all united by the same desire to tell stories and show what binds them: “love, solidarity and kindness”, underlines the reporter . And our France 3 Auvergne team took part in the game:

The one who describes himself as “the photographer of love“, admits that the search for sincere emotions is what he prefers in his work. “I want people to feel beautiful, to be happy to be photographed. This is not a project to make fun of them, but to love them for who they are“, he specifies. The empathy and complicity that he creates with his subjects are felt in his photos: smiles, tender gestures, hands that touch or arms that cross, all bear witness to this desire to establish a climate of trust.

In Clermont-Ferrand, as elsewhere, this project is aimed at everyone and brings together, regardless of age or profession, as Arthus-Bertrand says, “the French are the same everywhere, whether in Clermont-Ferrand, Lille or Ajaccio.”

In a context where French society seems increasingly divided, Yann Arthus-Bertrand hopes that this project can help to bring people together, to show that the differences that separate us are not insurmountable. “France is a welcoming country, and it’s something that needs to be talked about. I try to highlight solidarity, kindness and love”he says. By integrating a demographic and educational dimension into his work, the photographer seeks to offer a different vision of cold data, more a series of “visual tables” than a simple census. To date, several themes have been illustrated: professions, families, associations, hobbies… All through simple but deeply human portraits.

By the end of 2024, more than 45 photo studios will have been installed across France, and several tens of thousands of portraits will be taken. The project will materialize through the publication of one or more works published by Actes Sud, as well as a major traveling exhibition which will tour the participating cities. “I feel in my place”, concludes Yann Arthus-Bertrand, evoking the many smiles and the kindness that he perceives in each photo session. “I am 78 years old, and I see that the world is changing, but these moments remind me that, despite everything, love and life remain our driving forces.”

Yann Arthus-Bertrand will be in Clermont-Ferrand until November 17 to continue his photographic project “The French and those who live in France”. If you would like to be among his next portraits, simply register online on the yabstudio.fr website.