Jean Pierre Ortuno

Jean Pierre Ortuno (1947 – 20002) 

Jean Pierre Ortuno was a French, self-taught photographer, passionate about black and white film photography and printing. He liked to capture the moment as it passed. Reporter photographer at the newspaper of Montpellier in 1979, then in 1987, at the ‘Gazette de Montpellier’. A local newspaper that published every Thursday since October 21, 1987, and distributed in its metropolis. 

He also held exhibitions: ‘Les monstres de la politique’ (‘political monsters’) in 1983. ‘Montpellier sensible’ in 1984. ‘Les photographes a la plage’ (‘photographers at the beach’), a collective exhibition in 1988. 

His main work was the photography book mentioned before ‘Ma Comedie a Moi, Portrait de Montpellier’. He shot all his photographs with a Leica M6, 35mm, film camera. After he passed away, I inherited of this camera. 

‘Request the program' , Jean Pierre Ortuno, 1988, Montpellier. 

The cinema in Montpellier. I would say that this photo is a street photo documentary type of style. It Is also amusing. It’s all about Capturing a funny moment at the right time. 

Hairdressing School in Montpellier , Jean Pierre Ortuno, 1997. 

A simple image but really ‘captures the moment’. The woman is looking at the camera in that very moment, maybe just for a split second. She was probably looking away the second after. He managed to capture a natural looking photo, without having the girl posing and getting bored. The movement and action of the man putting spray in her hair really emphasis that sense of decisive moment.