Signed: Martin Alarie – Photographer

In this 2004-2008 retrospective, the staff photographer for Courrier Laval showcases 26 of his best pictures, shot at events featuring artists of many sorts. Many of these pictures, like that of Gregory Charles, are signed by the artist pictured.

Onlookers cannot help but stop at the photographer's favourite picture of the collection: Sol in Deep Contemplation. The image is of the clown-poet created by Marc Favreau, captured by the camera on his last visit to Laval.

Martin Alarie also had an eye for the energy exuded by an impressive Michel Fugain, the grace of an Isabelle Boulay, the professionalism of Claude Dubois, the bubbliness of an Alain Lefebvre, and the hilarious high spirits of a Rachil Badouri.

"He's the most difficult to shoot, he makes me laugh so hard. I have to stop listening to him, as I have to do with the others, they are so good that they could keep me there right to the end of their shows, but my work forces me to be in many places within short periods of time – another show, a football game, a fire," the photographer confides, rather gingerly as he finds himself in the rare position of being the object of another photographer's camera, during the interview for this report.

Also among his most precious memories is a trip to Green Bay (October 2007) with Laval firefighters, to watch the Packers play the Chicago Bears in an NFL game at venerable Lambeau Field; and his assignment to cover Gilles Proulx, whose music he has listened to for many years.

"I also have to mention the 18 helicopter flights I go on each year, for one of my specialties – aerial photography. And of course, there was the Metro … the little kid who used to collect model trains found himself in the tunnels, to record for posterity the building of the Laval subway extension. What a thrill!"