“Pouvez-vous reculer, SVP!” translated into English means Could you please step back! It is one of the most frequently heard phrases during Fashion Week events. It is shouted by professional photographers, celebrity fans, tourists, or simply curious onlookers, and becomes a cry for help amid the crowds that push, shove, and crush in these gatherings.

The desperation to capture a photo or a video of a celebrity at the entrance turns into an authentic battle among photographers, as several factors work against them: restricted access to celebrities, the overwhelming number of people, and the extremely limited amount of time available. All of this often goes unnoticed. While documenting several Paris Fashion Weeks during 2022 and 2023, my intention with this project has been to widen the frame and reveal what usually remains unseen: that desperation to capture “the shot.” The work focuses on the photographers and seeks to expose the normalized fanaticism toward celebrities.