About
The person behind the frames
Isabelle Fontaine is a travelling photographer based in Barcelona. She works on film and digital, chasing the quiet hour when a street, a face or a stretch of coast finally settles into the right light.


I never set out to become a photographer. I set out to remember things properly. The camera was an excuse to stand still in places I would otherwise have walked straight through, and to look at people long enough to actually see them.
How I work
Most of my frames are made on long, slow trips. I travel light, usually with a single body and one lens, and I let the day decide what the day is about. When the light is good I shoot quickly; when it is not, I wait, or I walk, or I sit in a cafe and watch the street rehearse itself.
Film taught me to slow down and to commit. Digital lets me work in the dark and in a hurry. I use both without much ceremony, and I try not to be precious about gear. A frame is either honest or it is not, and no camera has ever made that decision for me.
The best photograph is rarely the one you planned. It is the one that was patient enough to wait for you to notice it.
What I photograph
- Street and everyday life, mostly in Southern Europe.
- Portraits, on assignment and for the pleasure of it.
- Weddings, a few each year, for people whose company I enjoy.
- Landscape and coastline on the long way home.
Working together
I take on a small number of commissions and prints each year. Most of the work here is free to use with a credit; if you would like a print, a licence or a commission, the quickest way to reach me is by email, and I answer everything myself.
Follow the journal for new frames and field notes, or write to hello@example.com.

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