The 3 main actors in pétanque were the coffee, the spectators and the shade. While the players stand in the shade of the trees, the balls are under the scrutiny and the shade of the spectators. 

From his first trip to Provence, Hans Silvester was fascinated by the petanque players, an activity that was widely practiced in the region. When he moved to Provence a few years later, he was introduced to the game of boules with local figures. He came across famous players whom he immortalised in his photographs, such as the gamekeeper of Murs, "Chinche", who is among the best known and most prized photos. He gradually made a place for himself by developing the photos and taking them to the players the next day, and was thus able to immortalise some anthology photographs...

Retour De Voyage has selected this photograph by Hans Silvester, which perfectly captures the brief moment when players and spectators are held in suspense before the result of the game is known.