When I Was a Photographer, by Nadar

Photographer, but also writer — discover When I Was a Photographer by Nadar.

We told you about Nadar a few weeks ago, on the occasion of a documentary on his photographic work shown on Arte. But Nadar is also various writings, and in particular When I Was a Photographer. Available in print, notably on Amazon, this book is also available on the excellent Gallica website.

When I Was a Photographer

Gallica is the digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France and its partners. The platform gathers millions of documents, including When I Was a Photographer by Nadar. Prefaced by Léon Daudet (Alphonse Daudet's eldest son), it plunges us into Nadar's zest for life

Loving life is the gift of poets, the supreme gift — and Nadar had it like no one else

This book, written as a journal, takes us into the daily life of one of the first photographers in history. It casts a warm, enthusiastic eye on photography — still a recent invention at the time — and on the practice of photography. You'll find below the edition of 1895 by E. Flammarion. Clicking it takes you to the Gallica site where you can download a PDF for reading on a tablet, for example.

And if you prefer paper, for yourself or as a gift: