Tell us something about yourself

I’m a Belgian photographer based in Louvain-la-Neuve (about 30km from Brussels) but I’m traveling often in France and Luxembourg for professional reasons. I’m 35, married and proud father of 2 little boys!

How and when did you get into photography?

I started playing with my father’s Pentax when I was 15 or 16, then I bought one of the first HP digital compact camera before entering the world of Nikon with the Nikon D40. More interested by human being than any other subjects, my first pictures were portraits of my friends and then I’ve covered a lot of events, cocktails and parties as an amateur photographer.

What does photography mean to you?

Capture a moment / an emotion which is either there or which you have created.

 

Please briefly describe your photography style for our readers.

“People oriented” could summarise my style. I’m taking pictures of people and I’m trying to focus on their emotions or feelings that’s why most of my pictures don’t show a lot of clothes. I’m not the kind of photographer who will shoot a girl wearing a 17th century dress in the middle of a ballroom in a castle.

 

Where do you get inspiration from?

Everywhere but mainly from two different sources: photographers I admire and my model themselves as I’m always trying to adapt myself to their own personality.

Think you in advance what you want in the picture?

I’m always creating a mood board before any shoot to give an idea of the direction of the shooting and some inspiration if required.

 

Studio, on location or both?

I’m working 95% of the time in my studio but I’m willing to go more and more out of it

 

Would you consider yourself a hobbyist or a paid professional?

Both J I’m mainly a paid professional but I sometimes can still find the time to be the hobbyist I used to be.

 

What has been your most memorable session and why?

There are several. A good session isn’t just a question of having good pictures, it’s also a question of relation build with the model or with the other members of the team.

 

 

What has been the biggest source of inspiration in your work?

Other photographers, definitely… I couldn’t list them all but I can at least give some names: Patrick Demarchelier, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts and Peter Lindberg
I also had the opportunity to meet and work several times with Peter Coulson and Jean Noir.

 

Nikon or Canon? Favourite lens?

Hasselblad J

Seriously I’ve been working with a Hasselblad H4D for two years and it’s an amazing camera for the studio. I’m now back to Nikon because I was willing to leave the studio and the Nikon allows me to work in lower light condition than the Hasselblad. I’m working with a D5 and a D800 as my backup camera. My favourite lens is the 85mm f/1.4. My main other lenses are the 35mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.4 & 70-200mm f/2.8.

 

What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start their own business?

Be ready to work hard, without counting the hours if you want to be successful. I’ve met several well-known international photographers and most of them work 7 days a week. They live for photography, dream of photography, nearly never take any holidays because photography is their life, their passion, their reason to wake up every morning.

 

 

What do you think of our new magazine?

I think it will become one of my new source of inspiration and so it will for many models and photographers!

 

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