I grew up in the Camargue; my family bred bulls there. It’s quite a crazy place, but that doesn’t matter, because being crazy in the Camargue is almost a virtue.
My family was full of very strong characters, very into the land, into the work, into tradition. We were from Aigues-Mortes, in what’s called Petite Camargue, and the people there are the craziest of all. I left in my 20s to go to Brazil, to work with the architect Oscar Niemeyer, and then I became a photographer. I really didn’t want to go back and I didn’t think about it for a long time. But when someone asked me to do a book about the area a couple of years ago, I said yes. The Camargue is my family, it’s the story of my childhood; it’s a certain madness that I did everything to get away from, but that I adore at the same time.
The abrivado (festival) in Saint-Laurent-d’Aigouze © Matthieu Salvaing
Tellines (small clams) at a bar © Matthieu Salvaing
The salt marshes © Matthieu Salvaing
