Ben Dauchez - Bo-kaap Cape Town #1 XL

Shot in Cape Town, in the emblematic Bo-Kaap neighborhood, this photograph captures the vibrant, graphic essence of the South African urban environment.

Taken with a Holga camera, known for its raw and unpredictable rendering, the image presents a deliberately imperfect aesthetic: strong vignetting, optical distortions and characteristic light leaks.

The horizontal diptych composition creates a visual dialogue between two fragments of the landscape — on the left, colorful architecture typical of the neighborhood, punctuated by an urban sign, and on the right, an electrical structure unfurling in the sky like an abstract drawing.

The lines of cables and utility poles structure the image in tension, while saturated colors and halo light enhance an almost unreal atmosphere.

This photograph does not aim to document reality faithfully, but to offer a sensory interpretation, where the gaze wanders between geometry, light, and photographic accident.

The use of the Holga places this work within an experimental photography tradition, where chance becomes a creative tool in its own right. A certificate will be provided.

Passionate about photography from a young age, Ben DAUCHEZ began in the neighborhood studios of La Rochelle. There he learned the full range of photography basics—from classical technique and shooting to retouching and the darkroom. At 22, freshly graduated, he moved to Paris to further his training by becoming a set assistant for Daguerre Studios, Le Petit Oiseau va sortir, and Studio Zéro. He had the chance to collaborate with and assist some of the most talented photographers: Bettina RHEIMS, Patrick DEMARCHELIER, Terry RICHARDSON, Ellen VON UNWERTH, Marcus MAM... From certain decisive encounters, beautiful projects and long collaborations would emerge, notably with André RAU, Bettina RHEIMS (the sultry INRI exhibition and its eponymous book published by Editions Albin Michel) and Peter BEARD (the 2009 Pirelli calendar in Botswana).

His photos have been published, among others, by Condé Nast Editions (both French and international), Première, Wallpaper, ID, Madame Figaro, Lifestyles, Dandy Magazine... His world also attracts brands with very different identity codes for which he has signed institutional and/or advertising campaigns such as Dior (beauty), L'Oréal, Peugeot, Philip Morris, and Burger King (advertising awarded at the Dubai Lynx).

Ben DAUCHEZ has also produced numerous portraits of celebrities (IGGY POP, Woody ALLEN, Grace JONES, Jean DUJARDIN, Gilles LELLOUCHE, Olivier MARCHAL, Carole BOUQUET, Charlotte GAINSBOURG, ...) as well as beauty shots, portraits of men of the world (Olivier DASSAULT, Jacques SEGUELA, ...) and travelers...

This photographic path has since allowed him to freely capture the human beauty, aesthetics, and spiritual essence of each personality.