In case you’ve ever camped in France, you may know the sensation. The half-open caravan doorways. The odor of pasta effervescent on moveable stoves. The comfortable hum of close by conversations. And the random greetings out of your fellow campers. Tenting is intimate and barely bizarre at instances, but splendidly human. And in Tenting Flash, French photographer François Prost captures all of it, precisely as it’s.
Since 2022, Prost has been travelling throughout France’s pleasant campsites, digital camera in hand, making a vivid collection of flash-lit portraits of campers, alongside quietly telling particulars and scenes that reveal a tradition many know instinctively, however few have ever actually stopped to look at. The result’s a physique of labor that’s each a deeply private doc of his adventures.
France, in spite of everything, is the champion of tenting. Mainland France alone accounts for practically one-third of all tenting pitches in Europe, highlighting how deeply rooted this vacation custom is in nationwide life. Whereas amenities might have advanced (in most locations) and luxury ranges have risen, the spirit of tenting hasn’t modified a lot in any respect.
Behind caravan doorways and motorhomes, Prost finds a lifestyle that’s “directly bizarre and engaging”. Individuals dwell in T-shirts or swimsuits, sleep metres from their neighbours, cook dinner meals dealing with each other, and stumble upon strangers every night on the communal washrooms, toothbrush in hand. It is shut. Communal. And it is one of many final locations the place a easy however intense type of sociability nonetheless exists.
For Prost, this world can also be deeply acquainted. “I used to go tenting as a child with my dad and mom through the holidays, then later with my associates as an adolescent, and now I generally go along with my youngsters as a dad or mum. I do not spend all my holidays tenting, however I prefer to spend a number of nights beneath a tent yearly. I benefit from the simplicity of it — sleeping in a tent, cooking fundamental meals like spaghetti with sardines and tomato sauce every so often.”
That lived expertise reveals. His images do not poke enjoyable or romanticise. As a substitute, they observe with heat and honesty, discovering humour within the on a regular basis moments that campers themselves barely discover anymore. And there is loads of humour to be discovered. “Tenting is stuffed with humorous moments… virtually day-after-day you possibly can inform a shaggy dog story. However it’s usually extra about individuals’s attitudes – the best way they speak to you, or the unusual conditions that come from residing so near strangers.”
It is that closeness that defines campsite life. The rituals are common, and sometimes baffling to outsiders. “In all probability brushing your enamel in flip-flops within the communal loos subsequent to somebody you’ve got by no means met. Or assembly individuals – usually older {couples} – strolling round of their bathrobes on the best way to the showers within the morning. Individuals get up of their caravans and go straight to the shared amenities of their ‘gown de chambre’.”
Over time, Prost started accumulating not simply photographs, however tales. Campsites, he discovered, are stuffed with them.
“That is what makes tenting so attention-grabbing: the range of individuals. More often than not, individuals are on trip, in order that they’re relaxed and open to dialog.”
One apéro led to a different. “I bear in mind two {couples} of bikers I met whereas they have been having an apéro. They have been a bit sceptical at first once I requested to {photograph} them, however they ended up being actually pleasant. They informed me about their lives, their jobs, and their travels — and I even needed to insist on leaving as a result of I wanted to maintain capturing.”
One other encounter unfolded into one thing sudden. “I additionally bear in mind an Italian divorced father travelling together with his two daughters. He started speaking about his life, and subsequent to him have been a few painters—nomadic staff. The lady was a painter who labored within the south of France, then drove again to England to promote her work by means of a gallery. Throughout our dialog, she informed me she was one of many principal painters on the animated movie Loving Vincent – the one about Van Gogh’s work that was nominated for an Oscar in 2018. Her identify was Sarah Wimperis.”
Not each story is gentle, although. “Then there was a lonely man, divorced, residing in a caravan for work — he was an engineer on a highway building web site. He talked about feeling lonely, removed from his youngsters… You actually meet every kind of individuals, with very totally different lives and tales.”
And generally, tenting delivers pure theatre. “Just lately, whereas taking pictures, I met a giant fan of Coluche, the well-known French comic from the eighties. He spent all the picture session doing Coluche impressions and even requested the campsite administration if he may placed on a bit of present for everybody. However it was low season, and the tenting wasn’t very full, in order that they refused his proposal.”
All of this now comes collectively in Tenting Flash, a fantastically crafted e-book that includes 150 photographs throughout 174 pages, which is coming to life due to a profitable Kickstarter marketing campaign. Produced beneath Prost’s personal imprint, Flashlight Version, the hardcover publication will characteristic a leatherette binding and hot-foil stamping, with an preliminary print run of 1,000 copies. Distribution might be dealt with by Interart in France and Antenne Guide worldwide.
In case you love the unusual but great tradition of tenting, Prost’s e-book and collection supply a heat reminder of slower holidays, shared areas, and people fleeting connections with strangers who, for a number of days or even weeks, develop into a part of your life. As many people sit up for lighter nights, it is France in summer season… up shut and unfiltered… And assured to lift a smile.
