First Feeling of the World
In 2011, I created a personal book as a reflection of my turning point in photography. This book documents my journey from the streets to exploring the world, illustrating how street photography and documentary photography shaped my approach today.
Long before I picked up a camera, I was a street wanderer. For years, I aimlessly roamed the streets of the cities I lived in, seeking nothing more than to lose myself in the urban rhythm, to think and observe the world around me. This wandering was my escape from the ordinary, my way of connecting with life at street level, immersing myself in the energy of places and people.
In 2005, a year after rediscovering photography, I began documenting the streets of Paris. Drawing inspiration from the French Humanist photographers, my work focused on the rawness and beauty of everyday life. Photography, for me, was an extension of this wandering—a way to capture the fleeting moments that filled the streets. At the time, I didn’t recognise the significance of this step, but in retrospect, it became clear: I was unknowingly and slowly developing a deep passion for street photography, one that would shape my photographic aesthetic and approach for years to come.
It was my first trip to Nepal in 2003 that changed everything. That journey sparked an insatiable desire to explore the world, to connect with other cultures, and to see life from different perspectives. In 2007, I left Paris behind and set out for six months of travel—three months in Southeast Asia, followed by three months in South America. This journey allowed me to immerse myself in new cultures and environments, expanding my understanding of the world. Armed with my camera, I didn’t set out with any particular agenda other than to tell the stories of the people I met—their lives, their culture, their traditions. My approach was different from street photography; I was more interested in documenting the environment, understanding it, and sharing its essence. Without realising it, I was diving deeper into documentary photography.
Today, I continue to roam the streets of Paris, where I live, capturing through street photography the life and energy that surrounds me. But I feel a stronger pull to immerse myself in places through long-term documentary projects. It’s my natural way of seeking a deeper understanding of the world and the stories it holds, with the aim of creating a lasting memory of it.
