Guillaume Chauvin's 'La Faute aux photos' Offers 39 Absurd Photography Instructions

Guillaume Chauvin's book 'La Faute aux photos' presents 39 whimsical instructions aimed at reinventing photographic practice through unconventional methods. Published by Allia in July-August 2018, this 48-page volume challenges conventional photographic decorum with surreal directives. One instruction suggests calling phone numbers found in public restrooms and asking strangers what to photograph. Another proposes photographing the ugliest animal at a local shelter. The book encourages photographers to place cameras with bait for birds to trigger, removing utility and narcissism from image-making. Chauvin's approach draws parallels to Thomas Lélu's 2002 'Manuel de la photo ratée,' positioning both as anti-matter within rare and unexpected publications. The photographer-writer invites readers attached to their cameras to discover new territories through playful social reinvention. His methods incorporate Belgian surrealism, inappropriate digressions, and magical-existential creation through chance operations. By following these guidelines, images regain freedom to wander with dirty snouts and innocent eyes while maintaining both discipline and communicative disobedience. The work represents a significant challenge to dominant photographic practices through humor and social experimentation.