I’m somewhat dyslexic and have no talent for drawing, so writing and illustrating a journal doesn’t come naturally to me, but taking photographs always has. I started snapping photos at seven or eight, and fifty years later, I’m still at it. I mainly take pictures of my friends, people around me, buildings, landscapes, the food that makes me hungry, the people I admire, the women that I long for, but also dogs, trees, icebergs and quite often self-portraits. Not that I find myself particularly fascinating or attractive, but the advantage is that I’m always available, I never complain about bad lighting that makes me look old, or say: ‘Why are you putting the camera so close to my nose?’ I also like to pose with celebrities, I find that more fun and more challenging than asking them for an autograph. Until four years ago I used film, then the X-ray machines at airports ruined so many of my negatives that I finally switched to digital. Digital is a different experience, perhaps too easy, but cheaper and faster, therefore well adapted to keeping a journal. I plan to keep on photographing for as long as I can.

Jean Pigozzi