The French photojournalist has captured the nocturnal life of a continent that suffers from electricity shortage and created vibrant pictures lit by the flame of artisanal gas lamps.
Photography is Pascal Maitre’s medium—he loves the magic of photographs and is fascinated by color. But above all, he sees himself as a reporter. The key to his work, he says, is the human connection. He tells me the photographs themselves are easy to take. Gaining access to people is the hard part. And, “Sans les gens il n’y a rien—without people, there is nothing,” he says.
A few years ago after an exhibition in Istanbul, a journalist from Géo magazine told me about a photographer who wanted to come to Africa and follow me around in Porto-Novo, where I live. This was the first time I heard about Pascal Maitre.
Pascal Maitre has spent more than three decades photographing events big and small in Africa. His images attest to a continent — and a photographer — constantly adapting.
Pascal Maitre has been in motion ever since he went to Africa as a budding photojournalist in 1979. Cast your glance anywhere on a map of the sprawling continent, and chances are Mr. Maitre has been there
