Born in France in 1971, I first developed an interest in photography around the age of 12 and thanks to very supportive parents, who supplied a second hand camera and a black and white darkroom in the attic, I quickly set my mind on becoming a professional photographer. I did precisely that after a 4 year apprenticeship in a multi disciplinary studio in central France. Once qualified, I moved to the UK, where I worked as an assistant photographer and continued my training with a Degree in PhotoMedia at Plymouth College of Art and Design. Apart from a brief spell as multimedia designer, I have worked as a professional photographer ever since. I specialised in portraits from 2002, working for two franchises of portraiture studios Venture UK. I opened my own studio Ethos Portraits in 2007, again specialising in portraiture, and ran it until emigrating with my family to Gladstone, Queensland, in 2013. I partnered with local photographer Craig Chapman to run Photopia Studio, providing studio portraiture to Gladstone families, until I purchased his shares in the business in 2017.
Since then, I have diversified, expending into commercial photography for local and regional industries as well as real estate companies. Owning my own studio has allowed me to concentrate an increasing amount of time and resources to personal projects. I have taken part in multiple group exhibitions since 2015 and curated a number of exhibitions within my own gallery space at Photopia Studio. Notable projects include The Sea I Swim In, a photographic exploration of depression that resulted in a book, blog and exhibition. I have also completed documentary photography essays such as Black Keys To Unity, about the community of indigenous musicians in Gladstone, displayed at the Gladstone Regional Art Gallery, and a two part project looking into the relationship between individuals and their private space, titled Signs Of Life and Leaving Home. The theme of domesticity and home has been recurring in my personal work since my college years, culminating with the 44th Martin Hanson Award for Best Local Artist for “Shelving, Part #1: “ancestry”, a piece about my parental home.
My latest project explores the common bond that unites us all through the universal notion of SACRIFICE, which is also the title of this ongoing series of portraits.
