Lannion. Marie-Claire and Gilles Blankchong are closing Mirror Photo Studio after 40 years
through Christophe Ganne
has been published
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Of Lannion, they know every corner. Lannionnais, they know a big part of life. They watched the economic development of the city every moment.
Marie-Claire and Gilles Blankchong They are going to close for good at the end of January Mirror studio. The ultimate independent photography studio in the heart of the city. A page of local history.
Amidst sales frames, albums to be finished, and recent selfies to be taken at their local location rue Compagnie-Roger-Barbéthe couple goes back in time.
A blessed time
“We have come full circle, opening Place du Miroir a 1er February, “recalls the couple. The two photographers met at the end of the 1970s when they were working at Delaunay-Rivallan, a large studio in Saint-Brieuc. He was from Paris, she was from Paimpol: “I said to myself: I will do better. my boss,” recalls Gilles before opening his store.
The Rillard studio in Lannion is to be purchased. The couple settled in the Place du Miroir, who will name their sign. It is located opposite the halls, it is an ideal location. The period for photography is prosperous. The shots for the wedding and portraits for him. Sale of machinery and equipment to him.
12,000 dandruff per year
We sold a lot of cameras back then. There was the popular Canon AE-1 and the Pocket 110 from Kodak for communicators. We sold 12,000 films a year. We started with engagement photos from April, then continued with weddings between May and September.
oh unity pictures ! An average of no less than 70 and about 35 weddings a year. “Then we often offered cameras to young people. Customers were loyal. »
“I went to the roof if necessary”
Outside, Marie-Claire doesn’t hesitate to move the bride and groom around as they pose for souvenir photos. To give David Hamilton stable poses with a halo of light, he prefers the natural setting of the Pink Granite Coast and the wild races of young brides in the water.
I was one of the first to take low-angle group photos. I didn’t come with the bleacher trailer where everyone is located. No, I did not hesitate to go on the roof if necessary.
Traditions have evolved. And the newlyweds: “However, I always took it very seriously, because it was an important moment in their lives. It’s very simple, I was sick three days ago and two days later. »
Latest pictures of Corinne Erhel
Generations of Lannionnais paraded before his lens.
The Blanchongs also witnessed the evolution of the town and its businesses. From good times to times of crisis and vice versa. “One of the strong memories is when we shot Corinne Erhel’s final portraits for the 2017 campaign.”
Gilles Blankchong is in originThe heart of the Lannion urban community In the mid-1990s, with the arrival of European Fisac loans. He also gave much of his time to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where he sat for 25 years, advocating for Tregor.
First in digital
“We have also accompanied all the technological developments,” assures the couple. Sold since 1984 the first VHS tapes, the following year Kodak Disk, the ancestors of CDs. In 1995, the first digital cameras preceded digital compacts.
In 1996, we purchased Fuji, the first digital station for photo printing. A real revolution.
The couple prefers home production. Customers know this. “We had over 250 visits to the store for gifts on Christmas Eve.”
In the early 2000s, digital technology took over and the Internet began to dictate its course. There is no question of selling equipment that is no longer competitive enough for small sellers.
Save family photos
However, the couple is protecting their trademarks prints and albums. Which saves them. Advice for clients, especially in portraits, reports in companies and weddings. “We also specialize in processing old photographs for preservation by digitizing them.” A nest they’ll keep despite retirement: “We also keep a machine for processing negatives.”
If the store closes, the couple has not lost their photographic reflexes. That’s how good it is. Both will continue to exist unless there is a buyer for their business Mirror Studio on the web. As a sign of the passage of time.
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