Discover the 

"Vagues de la Baie des Anges" 

September 26 to November 30, 2014 

Photographs by Irmeli Jung 

It was at the very young age of 15 that I decided to become a professional photographer.  From then on, all the things that I did and all the people that I met revolved around the world of photography.  I was immediately fascinated by faces.  I liked them because none are identical; they are all different in their morphology and their emotions which are either displayed or internalized. 

My entire professional career has therefore been in the literary and artistic community of Paris.  I was a black and white portrait photographer.  My particular interest is to bring out the best in my subjects.  I know from the outset what touches the soul of the person I am photographing ... after each session I am confused, exhausted but happy! 

I used film until 2008 and developed my own prints in black and white. Then technology and marketing forced me to abandon my faithful, polished steel, German Leica camera for one made of plastic filled with digital circuit boards.  I highly resented this evolution to the world of digital photography. My profession was dramatically changed.  Today, anyone who presses a shutter release button considers themselves and is considered as a professional photographer. 

I left Paris and settled in Nice. I had a frantic need for light and the sun.  All my life I was taming light, and it was here in Nice where I naturally discovered it.  And this for me was a revelation! Attracted by the beauty of the Bay of Angels where the azur blue and the waves are constantly transforming the landscape, I became impassioned for waves. From there, everything happened very quickly. Something clicked: I was captivated by the sea, the waves and the sky. 

I replaced my old cameras with waterproof digital cameras. Thus equipped, I could safely approach the sea where I found intense pleasure, especially for portraits: the movement, the colors, the lights … everything has eternal and infinite strength. 

In the water, I forget the passing time.   I observe the endless perpetual motion of the waves; there are no two alike.  And here again, every time I am left exhausted, aching and happy! 

We can not go back to the Stone Age and progress stops for no one. But as long as I live, I will stay true to photography, it is my family, my life. Photography is loving life!