Clotaire Rapaille: Bringing back a usable photo, no matter what

“Can an amateur take a picture as good as a professional? Sure. Can they do it on demand? Can they do it again? Can they do it over and over? Can they do it when a scene isn’t that interesting?”

That’s how Katrin Eismann, chairwoman of the Masters in Digital Photography program at the School of Visual Arts in New York, is quoted in a New-York time article.

When the National Post sent me to photograph Clotaire Rapaille, the French/American market researcher and author, I did not know I would have exactly 89 seconds, according to the IPTC data of my first and last photos.

Now that is was revealed that Rapaille’s biography contains numerous lies and exaggerations and his contract was terminated with Quebec City, the Post used another photo I filled from that day.

Is it a photo I will put in my portfolio? Certainly not. But bringing back a usable picture, not matter what where the circumstances, that’s why my clients hire me.

Clotaire Rapaille, waits for the a session with journalists to begin at the City Hall in Quebec city Thursday March 11, 2010. A French-born American market researcher and author, Rapaille was hired by Quebec City to enhance the city’s image on an international level. Photo by Francis Vachon for National Post.