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This 'Laboratory' page is a place for photographic researches of all kind. Experimentations on light, shapes, films, content, concept and so on. When the 'Gallery' presents completed photo works, the 'Laboratory' presents drafts of works. Click on images to see more.
 
2008
 
Chinese guy with a LV bag looking at a Porsche car I want to buy a Porsche ! (May 2008)
I am personally happy with my bicycle. But in china, the new rich people prefer cars. They want to buy a Porsche ! The german manufacturer sold 11 times more cars in China in 2007 compared to 2006... And you, rider or driver ?
 
Xian Warriors Terracotta
Xi'an Warriors (March 2008)
I was assigned by a magazine (among other photographers) to shoot the theme 'Meili Zhong Guo' or the beauty of the Chinese women... Nice idea ! I was also given the city of Xi'an as the shooting place (Shaanxi province) famous for its Terracotta warriors. I decided to look for women practicing bodybuilding as I wanted to keep my distance from the usual clichés of the city while still linking with it and its Warriors... I could not find those ladies bodybuilding but I found guys bodybuilding in the Sport University willing to teach acrobat girls how to increase their musles...This assignment was for the Chinese magazine called Mangazine aka Ming Pai.
 
Night Beauties - Xian
Night Beauties (March 2008)
Second part of the above assignment for the magazine "Mangazine". I thought it would be interesting to show what men actually look at during parties, the body of women... The beauty of the Chinese woman: her legs, her ass, her boobs... Also interesting to me because the sponsor of the project was the cosmetics brand 'Olay', interesting not to focus on the face of women but also on their body. It is the second part of the series below called 'Champagne'.
 
Xinjiang, Kashgar, man with a dog on a bridge Kashgar, Xinjiang (February 2008)
3 days in Kashgar (Kashi) in Xinjiang. border with Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgystan and Pakistan. But still, I was in China... Ethnic minority: Uygur.
 
 
2007
 
Shanghai Dance

Experimental dance photos (December 2007)
2 experimental photos made using a torch light and a flash light, no photoshop work, all done when shooting.
It was a nice meeting with Pamela, former 'Conservatoire de Paris' dance student and dancer for 'Jazz du Funk' in Shanghai.
 
Video Stop Motion Time Laps _ Pirelli Calendar

2008 Pirelli Calendar, Shanghai Launch, Making-of (November 2007) VIDEO
Created 40 years ago, the Pirelli calendar was at first dedicated to truck drivers... Years after years, it became a fashionable calendar, today probably the most famous in the world. Selling price is over 1000 Euros...
The 2008 Pirelli Calendar was shot in Shanghai by Patrick Demarchelier. C l'Agence organized the launching and party of the calendar in Shanghai. I was assigned to shoot the making of the Shanghai launch and the party as well.
So this creation was done for a client but still it is something personal and creative I proposed to my client.
The idea is to animate still images... 3000 photos put in a 90 seconds movie. It can be called Stop Motion or Time Laps.
 
Pirelli Calendar 2008 - Shanghai launch

Champagne ! (November 2007)
Pictures shot in Shanghai during the Pirelli party for the launching of their 2008 calendar. I was a bit dizzy after a few glasses of Champagne and 3 days of intense work... I focused on what I wanted to focus on... Boobs and asses. I used for the first time both a small light box for my flash (to make the light nice) and a wireless trigger so that i could play with the lighting in my left hand, camera in the other one. I may follow this series.
 
Japan Eric Leleu

Fukuoka Japan (October 2007)
A short week in Japan. It was a long time I wanted to go and discover Japan. Compared to China, it is of course very different, 20 years ahead. But also compared to France and Europe, Japan is another world... Strange to arrive in a more developped country, feeling like being in the future. Tradition and modernity at the same time.
 
France Summer Beach

French tourist in France (August 2007)
Here a a few photos from France, friends and landscapes. Funny to come back to your own country as a tourist. The first times I came back France I did not shot any photos. Maybe because I used to shoot only when travelling/discovering. But I guess I can always discover. I should always keep that spirit of mind. Like a young baby opening his eyes, everything is new to him.

 
   
Long Jin Tea
Long Jin tea fields (July 2007)
Our world is getting global. Telecommunications. Hedge Funds. World Trade Organization. Mass medias...
In Longjin, time has stopped. People harvest tea, then drink it.
And the funny thing is that Long Jin is just 1 hour away from Shanghai-the-ultra-capitalist.
   
Manila

Manila Philippines (May 2007)
I went in Manila - Philippines for a week, just my new Leica & I, as a honeymoon trip... I shot 3 films, 100 photos, here are 40 of them. Manila is not the kind of touristic destination, polluted & noisy, it is not an appealing city at first glance. But something hard to describe is also appealing, a kind of happiness in the air... I enjoyed the smile of the people, the energy everywhere, the jeepneys to travel in the city...

 
   
2006  
   
Nord Pas de Calais
Northern France (Sept & Dec 2006)
Pictures taken in the place I am from also known as Nord Pas-de-Calais (France).Many people think it is a sad and dull place to live in. I believe just the contrary ! Those are kind of militant pictures to me. Some people may also see in some pictures a wink to one of my favourite photographer, Martin Parr... They were shot during a fun fair and a carnival. Colors & happiness !
   
Party Feeling - Eric Leleu

Party Feeling (Nov 2006) VIDEO
Series shot in a club in Shanghai (Park97). I worked almost 2 years for them shooting party pictures... Here are my more personal ones. Big up to Olaf Hessing, marketing manager in Lan Kwai Fong, for having given me some artistic freedom !

You can view the movie direclty online if you have quicktime player, just click on the image. You can also download the file by doing a right click here.
   
Shanghai everyday - Eric Leleu

Shanghai Everyday (Nov 2006) VIDEO
Series shot at random in the streets of Shanghai between 2 meetings... It is for me the photos of my discovering of Shanghai. Urban, hectic, noisy but still some poesy in the air...

You can view the movie direclty online if you have quicktime player, just click on the image. You can also download the file by doing a right click here.
   
Photo graffiti
Photo graffiti (Aug 2006)
A torch light, a tripod, a nice spot, 3 ingredients to produce 'photograffiti'. Photos done with Arthur Gallice who was writing with the light when I was shooting. Those photos are a definition of the term 'photography', from the greek "writing with the light'...
   
Travel around my room
Travel around my room (May 2006)
Some objects from my place. I wanted to give my relatives in France some images from the place I was living in without showing the venue in itself... Therefore this idea of shooting those products as catalog packshots.
   
Chinese demonstrations

Anti Japanese demonstration (April 2005)
In my eyes, it was more a 'pro-chinese' show than an 'anti-japanese' demonstration... Unfortunately almost the same meaning here in China. Those demonstrations were triggered if not organized by Beijing via students to make national unity stronger, classical tactic.
 
2005
 
New Propaganda - Eric Leleu

New propaganda (Oct 2005) VIDEO
Series shot in an art exhibition in Duolun Museum. Photos from the video artwork of Li Songhua, chinese artist that made a 4 years old kid reciting the speech of Hu Jintao for the entry of China in the WTO organization...
I took some screenshots during the video to build a story of mine thanks to the subtitles...

You can view the movie direclty online if you have quicktime player, just click on the image. You can also download the file by doing a right click here.
 
Jesus in China
God Supermarket (April 2005)
Religion and capitalism: is faith a product like others ? I was surprised to find in China a factory producing hand-painted statues of Jesus. The daughter of the boss did not really know who 'Jesus' was...
 
My Chair - Eric Leleu

My Chair (Mar 2005) VIDEO
Series shot in a textile factory in Ningbo/China. 20 000 employees... My idea is to show the way every women customized (or not) the working space in where they spent 8 hours a day. Former title of the series was: 'stool sociology'.

You can view the movie direclty online if you have quicktime player, just click on the image. You can also download the file by doing a right click here.
 
China Red - Eric Leleu

China Red (Jan 2005) VIDEO
Series shot during my first week in China. I was helping Alain Jullien for the launching of the first Canton Photo Biennale. For one week I did not shoot any picture because I realized how crazy I had been to quit my job in Paris to become an independant photographer in China. I was too complexed to shoot looking at the quality of the works of other photographers. Then one afternoon I decided to pick up a topic and to go and shoot in the streets...

You can view the movie direclty online if you have quicktime player, just click on the image.You can also download the file by doing a right click here.
   
2004  
   
Chinese way of Life
 Chico Rabatt (July 2004)
My very first image in China. On the Great Wall. Also my first steps in photoshop.Special thanks to Kevin Charnay (on the photo with me) & Thomas Chère (JeanLou Design). Chico Rabatt is more than just a brand, a spirit of mind.
   
Qiqi Shanghai Small little girl
My first photo assignment ever (July 2004)
My very first job. I put an ad on the web and Chen contacted me for taking photos of her daughter. I never did it before and used that camera for the first time... I was a bit stressed when picking up the developped films in the lab. Today I think that I became pro photographer thanks to her...
   
2003-2000  
 
Neon of Pigalle Neon of Pigalle (Mar 2004)
Night wandering in the streets of Paris / Pigalle / 18th district. Experimentations on light and movement.
   
Faces of Prague
Faces of Prague (Mar 2003)
My very first series. After having shot snapshots randomly during my travels, I wanted to assign myself a theme. I produced this first series of images while studying for 6 months in Prague (Czech Republic). I decided to go in the street and ask local people if I could take a picture of them. In Czech language 'Mohu siva vifotit prosim ?' or 'Can I take a picture of you please ?'...
   
 


2008 © Photos Eric Leleu - Shanghai - China