{"id":237599,"date":"2025-10-20T02:29:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T02:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/237599\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T02:29:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T02:29:20","slug":"a-french-students-photos-of-new-york-city-in-the-winter-of-1980","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/237599\/","title":{"rendered":"A French Student’s Photos of New York City in The Winter of 1980"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cEverywhere I turned I saw a great picture\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 Lionel Derimais, New York 1980<\/p>\n

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\"New_York
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Canal street, New York, NY<\/p>\n

In September 1979, French photographer Lionel Derimais<\/a> arrived in New York City<\/a> to study English at Columbia University. \u201cThere was a sense that everything was quick and simple,\u201d he says. \u201cI just wanted to be \u2018out there\u2019 with film in my pocket, taking pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lionel\u2019s love of photography began in 1977 when a friend showed him his camera. \u201cI immediately thought: \u2018I\u2019ll do that too\u2019 \u2013 even though I had no idea what \u2018that\u2019 meant,\u201d he says. That summer, Derimais got a job at a photography shop, bought a camera and built a darkroom.<\/p>\n

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In late 1979 Derimais went home to his native Paris<\/a> but was itching to return to New York. In January 1980 he returned and began at course at the city\u2019s\u00a0 International Center of Photography.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very happy period of my life: shoot, process, print, repeat. A photographer\u2019s dream,\u201d he says. \u201cEverywhere I turned I saw a great picture, it was \u2018cin\u00e9ma permanent\u2019! The size and the atmosphere of the city was something else: the noise of the New York traffic is so special, the cars were just like in Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, and the height of the buildings on Seventh Avenue was like the Rocky Mountains looming over the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn 1980, New York had a reputation for being dangerous, so there was an atmosphere that you had to be careful when walking around,\u201d he says. \u201cOne morning near the Madison Square Garden a guy tried to mug me. I managed to walk away but in my naivety, I went back to the guy, asking why he wanted to take my camera because I didn\u2019t have much more than he did. He let me speak, then put his hand on my shoulder and said, \u2018If I\u2019d wanted to take your camera, I\u2019d have taken it!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 Lionel Derimais<\/p>\n

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\"\" \"New_York<\/p>\n

\u201cOn one occasion, I saw a young kid running through the subway cars, gun in his hand, with the police running after him,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt seemed to me that if you stayed long enough in New York \u2014 about a week by my calculation \u2014 you would see someone waving a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 Lionel Derimais (via Huck<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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Young men \u2013 including one who is sick \u2013 at the 1980 St Patrick\u2019s day parade, Manhattan, New-York City, NY, USA.<\/p>\n

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Kids posing for a photo while another one hides, Manhattan, New York City, NY, USA. 1980<\/p>\n

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A reflection of the twin towers in downtown Manhattan, Manhattan, New York City, NY, USA, 1980<\/p>\n

\"New_York
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Canal street, New York, NY<\/p>\n

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An American car passes a down and out area of New-York City, Manhattan, New York City, NY, USA. 1980<\/p>\n

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Man wearing a hat, a raincoat and wearing a tie makes a strange face at the St Patrick\u2019s day parade, Manhattan, New York City, NY, USA, 1980<\/p>\n

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Winter scene in mid-town Manhattan, New York City, NY, USA. 1980<\/p>\n

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African-American young women, Manhattan, New York City, NY; USA. 1980<\/p>\n

More from Lionel<\/p>\n

Lionel has lived in Brussels, Tokyo, Beijing, and on and off in London, where he is currently based.\u00a0Lionel\u2019s favourite pictures, which he publishes in outlets such as the New York Times, Le Monde and El Pais, are those that tell people\u2019s stories and illustrate social life.<\/p>\n

His black & white photos are published by Caf\u00e9 Royal Books under the title New York 1980<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\n<\/a>
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