Spent some time in May on the Marquesa island of Ua Huka, to photograph Vohi Brown and his clique. Vohi is a local celebrity known for his specific technique of training wild horses in the breaking water, reducing by doing so, the chances of casualities for either the horse or his rider. {The subject was initiated by Jean Baptiste Bonaventure, AD Elie Vilette. Published in En Vols (Air France magazine)}

I worked on a multi-dimensional project in Bamako, in collaboration with musicologist Christopher Kirkley, titled Uchronia: The Unequivocal Interpretation of Reality. It juggles between folklorism, science fiction and social documentary, and was presented at Galerie 12 Mail in Paris in Sept. 2015. It was accompanied by Uchronia, Field Recordings From Alternate Realities, a vinyl edition to be released on the American label Sahel Sounds, and a publication edited by Pierre Hourquet.

Shot Marina Abramović in London, for the new issue of the great Elephant Art Magazine

Various artists shot by themselves and I

Portraits of Sara Leghisa, Arianna Vairo, Older Studio, Binta Diaw, Reverie and Flaminia Veronesi for March issue of Vogue Italia. {Styled by Francesca Izzi, Hair and Make up by Daniela Magginetti, Post Production by Retouch Grading Bureau, Photographer’s Assistant : Daniel Antropik}

Paris Under Construction, the month before the 2024 Olympics

Prima degli incendi che stanno imperversando, avevamo deciso di dedicare il numero di agosto a Palermo. Da giorni la città brucia. Oggi più che mai vogliamo dare sostegno al territorio e lo facciamo insieme a Fondazione Sicilia, che, d’intesa con il Comune di Palermo, si occuperà di piantare nuovi alberi e ripristinare beni artistici e culturali danneggiati. Con le nostre immagini, invece, diamo voce ai palermitani. Sono personaggi in cerca d’autore: come in una pièce di Pirandello, interpretano la propria parte con teatrale intensità. Styling di Vittoria Cerciello.

In June 2023, while working on commission in the Tuscan countryside I met Deva. Following is a transcript of the conversation we had, along with the picture I took of him and his work.

In spring 2018, I photographed founder of radical architecture practice Superstudio, Cristiano Toreldo di Francia, at his home in Italy. I was saddenned to hear that he passed away at the end of July 2019. I greatly enjoyed the time we spent together and the discussions we had while doing this series of portraits of him at his studio and in the hills near Filottrano.

In December 2022, for World of Interiors Magazine, I went to Dakar to meet Aïssa Dione and the people who work with her at the small factories and workshops she started there, often using discarded weaving-loom from the European dying industries. I was really impressed and inspired by the politically engaged aspect of her work, aiming at preserving and restoring Senegal’s Artisan-textile industry reputation and savoir-faire. {Special thanks to Ben Weaver and Estelle Hanania}

Studio visit with painter Alex Foxton in Paris. We had an interesting chat about how to make it was an artist nowadays, you might first have to conform to the norms by doing something else (lucrative) before you can start getting closer to freedom.

Every summer our neighbours take out a small swimming pool in the yard behind our flat. We can hear her children and their friends play there during the hot days. Occasionally they are forced to empty and refill it because drunks have come to bathe there during the night, leaving floating beer bottles and cigarettes behind.

An image from an unfinished series shot on the Atlantic coast in the south-west of France, inspired by the persistent stories among the surf community about finding bundles of cash and pure cocaine on the beach, thrown out by traffickers from their boats when busted. {Photo assistant : William Fleming}

My first ever commission, for which we spent two weeks documenting everyday life in the statistically poorest city of France, for Vice Magazine.

I photographed and art-directed the first campaign for French shapers Surfin Estate. As a teenager growing up in suburbia, just 50 minutes drive from the ocean, surfing was my first passion —a connection I was happy to return to with this project. Landscapes & still-lifes were shot in Hossegor during one of the big swells of autumn 2020 ; studio shots were completed in Paris. {Styling by Ewa Kluczenko. Hair by Yuji Okuda. Photo assistant : William Fleming}

Editorial for Alla Carta, shot at the Annamode Foundation in the suburbs of Rome, borrowing pieces from their large range of cinema costume archives. {Styling by Francesca Izi. Hair by Sarah Jo Palmer. Make up by Kristina Ralph Andrews. Photo assistants : William Fleming and Asuka Ito. Production : Hotel }

Extracts from two distinct stories I shot for Saint Moritz Magazine, one about Laglaufers (cross-country skiers) and one about the infrastructure and machines of the station. In collaboration with my best skiing assistant Lucas Mathon. {Art Direction by Carol Montpart}

I photographed painter Xinyi Cheng at her studio in Saint Ouen for Interview magazine. I love her work, and it reminded me of the exact influences that I (and many of my peers) had when studying painting at the Beaux Arts de Bordeaux—in particular a 2002 exhibition, titled Dear Painter, Paint me, at the Centre Pompidou. None of had seen it, but we all had the catalogue, and I recall that it included the work of such artists as Martin Kippenberger, Alex Katz and Luc Tuymans. {Photo assistant : Lucas Mathon}

Summer swim in the shorebreak with Arthur, back when our main occupation was mostly doing things like this and going to Uni.

Accessories for Vogue France and Vogue Italia. Shot at the amazing Maison Louis Carré, built by functionalist architect & designer Alvar Aalto. {Style by Danielle Van Camp, Set Design by Céline Corbineau, Makeup Satoko Watanabe, Hair Yuji Okuda, Casting Holly Cullen, Retouch Corentin Bureau, Photo assistants Chloé May & Emil Kosuge}

Loewe special for Muse Magazine in and around Carrara. Many thanks to Benedetta Biggi and Silvio Santini.

Back in January 2020, I spent two weeks in Japan following researchers and students engaged in the study of what some would call the “cultural behaviours” of Japanese macaques in three distinct regions of Japan. Their research focuses on the notion that those monkeys could transmit ritual-likes habits from one generation to another, from bathing in hot springs in the touristic park of Jigokudani, to washing sweet potatoes on the isolated island of Ko-Jima, to riding deers on the island of Yakushima. {Article written by Ben Crair. Photo assistant : Emil Kosuge}

Gucci Special for Purple Magazine. Styling by Laetitia Gimenez. Featuring Bonnie Banane, Thee Dian, Le Diouck, Dourane Fall, Jane King, Petite Meller, Dustin Muchuvitz and Crystal Murray. {Hair by Yann Turchi, Make up by Satoko Watanabe. Photo assistants : William Fleming and Alassan Diawara}

A recent print from my 2013-2015 project Cérémonies, which focuses on physical education in schools around France.
Limited editions of this print were sold during the 2020 Magnum Photos Print Sale in support of NAACP.

Fashion editorial for SSAW Magazine shot at my studio and around. As im getting a bit bored of straightforward documentary photography (especially in those times), I was happy to work on portraying fictional local characters I could have bumped into in those familiar surroundings. Here Ji Seok at a Grand Paris construction site in Fort d’Aubervilliers. {Styling by Tuomas Laitinen. Hair by Yuji Okuda, Make-up by Satoko Watanabe. Casting by Rene de Bathory. Models : Xu SuMin Kim and Ji Seok. Photo assistants : William Fleming and Alassan Diawara}

Alessandra sull’Etna for Vogue Italia Mediterraneo Summer Issue. Shot at and in collaboration with Museo Dell’Etna, Viagrande, Sicilia.
{Style by Francesca Cefis Casoli, Model : Alessandra Caporaso, Makeup : Satoko Watanabe, Hair : Yuji Okuda, Photo assistant : William Fleming, Stylist assistant : Leo Soncio, Post Production : Corentin Bureau}

Series shot in (and around) american estate promoters Lewitt & Sons first french neighborhood, built in the 60s. {Style by Ondine Azoulay, Makeup Satoko Watanabe, Hair Yuji Okuda, Manicure Anais Cordevant, Casting Lisa Dymph, Retouch Corentin Bureau, Photo assistants William Fleming & Emil Kosuge, Production Arthure&Philippine}

My father, Tatus, and my little brother fooling around with reality on the Dune du Pilat beach, published in an editorial for M le Monde. {Styling by Anna Schiffel. Photo assistant : François Briens}

During March 2020 (French first lockdown), with our quarantined neighbours we improvised the construction of a shared vegetable garden in our estate’s decaying yard. We used strings to respect the architectural style of our block, with original architecture by Renée Gailhoustet from the late 1980s.

A fashion editorial shot at the Fontainebleau Castle, made available while it was closed during November lockdown. In collaboration with set designer and artist Sandra Berrebi. {Styling by Omaima Salem. Photo assistant Lucas Mathon and William Fleming. Production by Arthur&Philippine}

{Post production : Retouch Grading Bureau. Photo assistants : Chloe May & Emil Kosuge, Set Design Rafael Medeiros assisted by David James White, Hair Eugene Souleiman assisted by Claire Moore, Make Up Aurore Gibrien assisted by Claire Laugeois, Style Jack Borkett assisted by Sara Bevagna, , AD Juan Costa Paz, production Producing Love. Many thanks to Elizabeth Yowe Toubiana}

This summer I spent a couple days cycling around Copenhagen and its suburbs to document the swimming culture on the city beaches there. Published in Konfekt Magazine. {Photo Assistants : Emilia Staugaard and André Hansen.}

Shot a series of portraits and still lives for Tools Magazine first issue, dedicated to moulding techniques.

Afternoons spent with contraband cigarette sellers in Aubervilliers and La Courneuve, from my most recent long-term project Paris Nord

Upcycled Tomo Koizumi dress, by John Galiano for collaboration they worked on for Vogue Magazine. Shot at Margiela’s headquarter in Paris.

“I’m Karim’s mum, I agree to have a cat. Please”. A photograph of a signed note, left at the local café downstairs from my studio at the time. I don’t think so, Karim.

Kids keeping cool in my street during the heatwave. From my ongoing project Paris Nord, documenting my local neighbourhood in the suburb of Seine Saint Denis, which can be viewed in its entirety in the Studies section of this website.

An attempt to do a beauty series using only naturally occurring cosmetics, such as blush & sweat from cold, heat and physical exhaustion. {With Satoko Watanabe, Yuji Okuda, William Fleming, Dominyka Angelyte, And Arthur&Philippine}

The first draft of my dummy book for Paris Nord, a self-initiated photo series that focuses on my local neighbourhood of Seine-Saint-Denis. It was shortlisted for the Images Vevey Book Award 2019. Special thanks to Victor and Arthur Brun. 258 pages dummy; softcover; perfect binding

{Styling by Julian Ganio, Hair by Yuji Okuda, Makeup by Anna Sadamori. Production by Arthur&Philippine}

My friend, the musician Julien Perez, asked me to do the art-direction of his new album, Cavernes. The drawing on the cover is by Lucas Dillon, press pictures by Camille Vivier, and music video by me.

Extract from Naufragé Volontaire - JSBJ Blue Zine a series of limited-edition photobooks published by JSBJ. The title translates as “Shipwrecked on Purpose” and refers to Dr. Alain Bombard’s 1952 experiment, in which he deliberately drifted alone across the Atlantic for 65 days in a lifeboat with no provisions. 46 pages, softcover, perfect bound

A portrait of Sabine, a local woman, at the bus stop on my street. This picture is taken from my Paris Nord project, which can be viewed in more detail in the Studies section of the website. This section brings together self-initiated projects of mine, both complete and ongoing. All of this personal work has been shot in my home country of France.

Portugal Jerseys for Nike Football, shot initially in time for Euro 2020

For a couple of terms, I went every Friday to Rosny sous Bois (93) to photograph the pupils of 3-ème E of the Collège St Exupery for my Cérémonies self-initated project. I photographed them during their Physical Education classes (and occasionally play a bit of football with them). On each visit I would typically bring the pictures from the previous session in the form of a photocopied contact sheet. The goal was to receive feedback on my pictures and ask them for their own perspectives on the project.

Grand-Paris for SZ Magazin’s Paris Postcards series, shot at my favourite park in the world, Parc Georges Valbon. The park was, until recently, endangered by a senseless urban project called “Europa City”, which aimed to privatise and commercially exploit various areas of this communal park. The Europa City project is unfortunately still under discussion, and now threatens vast parts of the Triangle de Gonesse agricultural lands. {Styling by Samira Fricke. Hair by Yuji Okuda. Photo assistant : William Fleming}

I spent a couple of days living in Tropical Island Resort, a former Zeppelin hangar transformed into a tropical resort in Brandenburg, Germany, for Vogue Magazine. Our hotel was also located inside the temperature-controlled dome, keeping me accustomed to the warm, moist climate under the artificial sky. I went outside only once, for an after-dinner cigarette, when it was very quiet and the air was cool ; it was only then that I noticed something that I had missed during my stay: the wind. {Photo assistant : François Briens}

A photo essay exploring cognitive dissonance and leisure, published in the Miracle issue of Noon magazine. It was shot over several weeks on the Tuscan beach of Rossignano Solvay in Italy. Located adjacent to a Solvay soda ash factory, which releases limestone into the water, the ocean takes on its peculiar colour. As the main employer in the region, the plant is nicknamed by locals “La Mamma”. Locals and factory workers come here for its paradisal, exotic qualities, and because it is highly photogenic, but also due to the fact that the extra white.sand enables you to tan faster. {Special thanks to Sara Giuliattini}

A fun commission that I shot in Cornwall at the Penzance lido, designed in an art deco style and first opened in 1935, for WSJ Mag, I visited on the last opening day of the season, when dogs are allowed to swim in the pools. Dog owners and their pets come over from all over the region for this special day.

Speed-radar self-portraits, shot with close friends and collaborators, for the self-portrait issue of Alla Carta. {Styling by Anna Schiffel. Hair by Yuji Okuda. Photo assistants : Emil Kosuge and William Fleming}

During the pandemic the need for solidarity became even more vital than usual, and many charities and associations fortunately received extensive responses and commitments from new volunteers willing to help during lockdown. For Les resto du Coeur (one of the associations distributing food and essentials in Paris), I documented the rallying and work of some of the many volunteers during the one-month-long lockdown in Paris in March 2020. {Photo assistant : Chloé May}

I photographed Claire Denis in summer 2020 for Mastermind magazine. We discussed her favourite restaurants, close to where she lives in the 10th Arrondissement of Paris, and the new mattress that she had just bought. Then she decided she would lie on the floor for the rest of the shoot. {Photo assistant: Emil Kosuge}

My pupils taking a look at the journal we worked on together during a term at Daniel Mayer secondary school (Paris XVIIIème). This was part of a program conducted by La Fabrique du Regard (Le BAL).

I documented the first roses of June, and their admirers, in various rose gardens around Paris.

I shot the Cabinet 461U collection campaign in Genoa, which I was curious to explore after previously driving through its extensive highway and sopraelevata enroute to Florence. {Photo Assistant: William Fleming. Styling and creative direction: Rossana Passalacqua & Francesco Valtolina}

I photographed this Armani collection special at the Patinoire de Saint Ouen, an ice-skating rink in the northern suburbs of Paris. {Styling by Brian Molloy. Hair by Paolo Sofiati. Make up by Vanessa Bellini. Casting by Michelle Lee. Photo Assistants : William Fleming and Asuka Ito. Many many thanks to the working team from the skating rink, who welcomed us warmly for this.}

The dummy book of my long-term self-initiated project Cérémonies. The entire project is visible in the Studies section of this website. The dummy was shortlisted for the Mack First Book Award 2016, and exhibited at Photo London in May 2016.

A fashion editorial photographed on the German autobahn, shot entirely on the go. {Styling by Samira Fricke. Casting by Affa Osman. Make up by Patrick Glatthaar. Photo assistant : William Fleming}

A staged photograph from Céremonies, a series partially shot in Cité de la Maladrerie, a housing estate in Aubervilliers that I live and work in. Drug dealers in the neighbourhood typically use chalk to draw arrows signalling their location, occasionally with explicit words such as “mula” or “shit”. The idea behind this image was to imagine a “scarecrow”, or advertising sign inspired by inflatable-tube men, which could also potentially be used at the drug-corner nearby. In collaboration with set designer and artist Sandra Berrebi

A fashion editorial shot in Roswell, New Mexico, amidst the 2017 UFO festival. During a visit to the local modern art museum, we discovered that the curator of the museum was also a recurrent winner of the Alien Costume contest. She graciously lent us archives from her costume collection, and we went to shoot it with our model Charlotte in the desert around Roswell. The rest of the images were shot during the 2017 edition of the Alien Costume contest. {Styling by Samira Fricke. Photo assistant : François Briens}

A big feast fashion editorial, shot in the suburbs of Berlin with a group of young actresses and actors, as well as legendary Fassbinder muse, Irm Hermann. {Styling by Samira Fricke. Photo assistant : François Briens}

A series of images shot during and around the Cavalcata di San Giuseppe in Scicli, in the southern part of Sicily. The parade takes place every year in March, where locals meticulously create flower-costumes for the horses to welcome spring. Initially a pagan medieval celebration, it gradually became part of the Christian calendar, celebrating Giueseppe the patron saint of the city. {Photo assistant : Arturo Gueret}

Editorial, shot in the Boca neighborhood in Buenos Aires, for Le Monde d’Hermès Games issue. {Art direction by Benjamin Grillon. Styling by Beat Bollinger. Photo assistant : François Brien}

Editorial showcasing the work of graduating students at Parsons School of Design in New York. This shoot also marked the first time in my life that I went to New York. {Styling by Sasha Kelly}

I documented a day at the Ecole de la forêt de Chantemerle, near Angoulême, where kids are schooled outdoors in the forest for most of the day. {Article written by Marie Aline}

“Kozak has the face of an apple”, observed on the back of Mr. Kozak’s truck in Minsk back in February 2015.

Shot on the road between Yosemite and San Fransisco, outside and installing a small studio inside the car. {Art Direction : Eric Pillault. Photo Assistant : François Briens}

I shot family portraits for Tiffany & Co. in a house constructed by shipbuilders in 1877, located at the top a dune in Wainscott in the Hamptons. I remember the “beach shack” was for sale at the time, for 65 million dollars. {Art Direction by Lilya Turki}

Cover of the fanzine that I made with the pupils of Collège St Exupery in Rosny sous Bois (93). Part of my recently awarded project Cérémonies as laureate of the JL Lagardere photo grant in 2014. When I asked them what a good design inspiration would be for the cover of the fanzine, they immediately mentioned Grand Theft Auto. {Drawing by Hamdi Arroum}

I photographed Whit Stillman, the director of one of my favourite movies, Metropolitan, for The Travel Almanac. We thought he looked a bit like Rick Moranis in Honey I Shrunk the Kids with this jacket, and so framed the shot accordingly.

A photo essay exploring cognitive dissonance and leisure, published in the Miracle issue of Noon magazine. It was shot over several weeks on the Tuscan beach of Rossignano Solvay in Italy. Located adjacent to a Solvay soda ash factory, which releases limestone into the water, the ocean takes on its peculiar colour. As the main employer in the region, the plant is nicknamed by locals “La Mamma”. Locals and factory workers come here for its paradisal, exotic qualities, and because it is highly photogenic, but also due to the fact that the extra white.sand enables you to tan faster. {Special thanks to Sara Giuliattini}

I photographed environmental artist duo Lucy and Jorge Orta in their studio in Boissy-le-Chatel for Law Magazine. This is one of their sculpture. {Photo assistant: Alassan Diawara}

For the launch of French footballer Kylian Mbappé’s first Nike collection, I was commissioned by Convoy to portray the new generation of “dreamers”, such as dancers, musicians, photographers, poets and footballers, in Kylian’s hometown of Bondy. {Photo assistant : Lucas Mathon and Chloé May}

I was commissioned by L’Equipe Magazine to follow French mountain runner Xavier Thévenard during the 169 km of the Ultra-Trail Mount Fuji race. An especially wet and cold edition in 2019, Xavier ran it in 19h36min. I wasn’t familiar with this sport prior to the event, and didn’t know that one could run almost 24 hours nonstop without sleeping and barely stopping to eat on the go. {Thanks to Asics France and their team, and to Takeo Yamada for assisting me}

I photographed environmental artist duo Lucy and Jorge Orta in their studio in Boissy-le-Chatel for Law Magazine. This is a sculpture by their son. {Photo assistant: Alassan Diawara}

I photographed South African rugby player Cheslin Kolbe for L’Equipe magazine at at the Stade Ernest-Wallon in Toulouse. To make the most of his core strength, I asked him to hold the pose like this for almost a minute: easy. e

Experiments with using and sorting the flow of images taken with my iPhone.

I photographed this portrait of David Cronenberg for M le Magazine du Monde. I was using the longest lens possible, and his expression translates the fact that he was not hearing us very well as we were about six meters away from him. {Photo assistant: François Briens}

I created the artwork for my brother’s first album, Micro Mega, out now on Boys Noize Records. {Design in collaboration with AA-JE}

I was honoured to meet and photograph Christiane Taubira (French Minister of Justice at the time) for M Le Magazine du Monde.

I was commissioned to shoot these portraits of sexologist Dr. Waynberg for Double Magazine. The wooden stick that he is holding in the second picture is an aphrodisiac root he brought back from Amazonia in the 1980s.

I shot this cover while eating French Fries on a Botticelli for Alla Carta’s AW14 issue.

I shot the Junko Shimada SS15 lookbook. {Styling by Ylias Nacer. Photo assistant: François Briens and Marion Berrin}

I asked Aboudalaye and Rudy to write a caption on the pictures I took of them in Spring 2014 and Spring 2015 in the schoolyard. This spread is an extract from the fanzine I created with the pupils of Collège St Exupery in Rosny sous Bois (93). More from my Cérémonies project was published in the Vice/Magnum photo issue 2015.

A photograph of an apple under a glass display dome, taken at my friend Camille’s Log Cabin in Le Marais de Bourges.

View from Uchronia’s hanging at 12Mail Gallery in Paris. Uchronia in the press : Libération - France Culture - Vice US

Shot at Cape Sounion, Temple of Poseidon, in Greece. {Photo assistant: William Fleming}

I spent some time in Hô Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for a photo essay for Air France Magazine. I mostly wondered around the busy markets in the suburbs; I also met several falconers in a field, who drove me back to the city-centre on a Honda scooter shared with three falcons. The birds were sat on a bar at the front, wearing masks so they didn’t freak out against the oncoming traffic.

We spent the last opening weekend of the winter ski season on the slopes of Via Latea in Italy, shooting sunglasses for M le Monde. We cast and shot everyone while skiing. Even Yuji the hairstylist and his assistant Sumiyo were skiing with everything they needed in a big backpack, occasionally stopping to plug-in at a bar on the slope and give eccentric Fellini-inspired hairtcuts. My assistant, François, even successfully changed the Contax films while riding down the slope. {Art Direction by JB Talbourdet. Hair by Yuji Okuda. Photo assistant : François Briens}

Editorial for the chaos-themed issue of Modern Weekly China, shot around the busy Canal Street and Wall Street in Manhattan, New York. {Styling by Sasha Kelly. Casting by Midlands}

A ten-page portfolio published in Society magazine. All images are from my recent project Paris Nord. Full project visible in the Studies section of this website.