My earliest memory of photography is my father’s old 35mm roll film FOCA camera. It was broken when I was born, and I have very few pictures of myself as a child. Maybe I’m still trying to fill that absence!
I taught myself the technical side of photography, but I have also learnt a lot from looking at the work of colleagues.
I got my first assignment as a young freelancer, when I was accredited to go to a major European soccer final in Strasbourg. I worked there as a runner, bringing other photographers' rolls of film back to the lab. The experience taught me that actually taking the pictures is only a small part of the job.
I’m most excited by social stories; I like anything with a strong element of human interest because to me these assignments are the best at showing real life.
I have learnt to never go on an assignment with a prebuilt idea in mind of what I want to photograph – it really narrows the way you think. When you go to the EU Parliament, for example, it’s easy to believe you know what picture you want to take, but you should always be aware and open to capturing something new.
When I was younger, I shared two passions with a friend: music and photography. He is now a professional musician with a passion for photos, and I am a professional photographer with a passion for music. I think it’s a great thing to be able to make a living doing what you love, but it’s even more important to still have other dreams.
