37000: Guy Pinhas' First Photobook on Shadow, Light & Memory

In Guy Pinhas' first photobook 37000, his masterful use of light, shadow and contrast takes center stage to tell stories from his countless visits to and from Tours, France (zip code: 37000), where his parents reside.

In this interview, Guy (@guypinhas) talks about working on a book for the first time, getting inspiration from the atmosphere and experiences gathered from this city in France, and gives us glimpses from 37000.

Hi, Guy! Welcome back. How have you been since our last interview and what have you been up to?

Been good. Just busy with life/dayjob but also with photography. I’ve been organizing all my images in projects, so less time shooting but knowing me, it’s not realistic. Work vs. fun, I choose fun every time. And of course, I have a book! My first printed project!

Can you tell us about your book 37000? What were the inspirations and themes behind it and how long did you work on the project in total?

37000 is the zip code for a city in France called Tours. It is situated 250 kilometers southwest of Paris. Both the city and the region (La Loire) are rich in history and culture. It’s also a great wine region in both traditional and natural style wines, Dame Jeanne being my favorite watering hole in Tours.

My parents moved there in 2009 after a lifetime spent in Paris so I've been visiting Tours almost once a month since then.

The project was shot over twelve months, between mid-December 2022 until the same time in 2023. The inspiration is simple: the city. Tours has a very old center of town. It feels like the village in ‘Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’. So as I was walking the streets of Tours and photographing and seeing the results, it became clear that it was becoming its own thing. But coming up with a title, 37000, is what made it “real”, what made me think that this is a publication.

What film stocks and cameras did you use to capture the photos?

Good question as I’m not 100% sure. I think a lot was shot with Eastman XX/5222 and Orwo N75, but some were shot with Fomapan 400. All were processed in Rodinal. Cameras...mainly a Leica M4 with a 21mm lens, but there was one or two shots with Olympus XA4 and 1-2 with a Canon EE17. I think there’s one image that I shot with a 90mm lens.

You mentioned about narrowing down 100 photos to 40 for the final output. Can you tell us a bit more about this part of your creative process? What do the final 40 photos have in common?

It’s not necessarily what they have in common, rather those were the better ones. There were so many images, way over the hundred I mentioned as I shot about fifty rolls of film during my many visits. At some point I had to make a selection, so the first session was just me picking the images that had a potential to make the final cut. I was then left with about 100 images from which I made three piles: ‘Yay’ ‘May’, and ‘Nay’.

At this point I realized that my eyes alone weren’t enough, I had to kill some of my babies, as they say. I enlisted the help of three of my friends, two of whom helped me edit and sequence the book into a comprehensive order while the other one helped me with the layout. All this took place on and off during 2024.

If there's one photo in your photo book that made a big impression on you when you took it, what would it be and can you share the story behind it?

Oh god, it’s so difficult as I just shoot and don’t keep a diary. Basically once I’m done with a roll, I rewind it and throw it in my bag, I don’t number it or anything. When I get home I put it in a zip lock bag that just says the location. Depending on how busy I am, it might take me a month or so to actually develop, so a lot is forgotten between the moment an image has been shot and the time it is actually developed and looked at.

That said I really like the image before last, it’s hard to tell what it is though. It’s a chair that casts a shadow on the floor it’s on. The image was taken in an old folks home where my mom currently resides. The chair is in the hall on the second floor and is facing a window that always gets sunlight, and since the folks that live there are getting in the twilight of their lives, it feels like its the light that will “take” them.

It’s so nice to sit there as the windows are big and open and when the weather is nice, it’s just lovely, you get a little breeze and sun. I wanted to capture that moment so I never forget it.

How's your experience working with your first book? Did you struggle with any part of the process?

Yes, first time indeed! The experience was great. I’m real lucky to have friends with great eyes and good sensibility. I didn’t feel like there was a struggle at all, it was just time-consuming as everyone has their lives to live so getting together was the only “struggle”.

Not being immersed 24/7 with the project was, in retrospect, what made it work. Taking distance was actually great and I would highly recommend to anyone to take their time if they have that option.

Lastly, do you have any tips or advice to share with other artists who might also like to create a photobook?

I would say come to the table with a lot of images, even the ones you think stink. Have some like-minded people look at it and discuss the ‘Yay’ ‘May’ and ‘Nay’ selections, why an image speaks to you and why does another person think it’s bland.

But remember, this is your project and you’re the one who’s going to have to “live” with it. Meaning that when all is said and done, you have the final say as to which image makes it, which one gets a YAY!

We'd like to congratulate Guy for his first book and thank him for sharing his images and stories with us! To learn more about his work, see 37000 and visit Guy's LomoHome.

Also read: Guy Pinhas on His Thought-Provoking Art & The Captivating Process of Film Photography

written by sylvann on 2025-05-20 #culture #people #places #black-and-white #photobook #guy-pinhas #film-book Share Article