Reunion documents the family reunion of three sisters, Jeannine Marot, Hélène Le Moal, and Rosette Lafoy, and four generations of their descendants in 2004. I was there because my life partner is the grandson of Jeannine Marot. We were still a young couple then, not yet with a family of our own.
The reunion was a big affair, and it was the last time all three matriarchs and their families were gathered together in one place. Over the course of a week, family members from around the world met at the family home, Les Maurinières, a large country house set next to an idyllic river in the middle of France.
At the time, I felt like I didn’t belong to this story. So with my camera, I could step outside of it and remain an observer—noting tender gestures, intense conversations, surprised expressions when a cousin arrived, or the beautiful light coming through windows.
It’s a very interesting space to occupy—being the insider/outsider. It allowed me to get close, to be welcomed (mostly), while remaining focused on capturing moments to tell their story. But in choosing what to photograph and how to frame it, I was also finding my own place within that story.
