AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Gildas Raffenel

Gildas Raffenel is a freelance and self-taught photographer who started out in photojournalism.

- JOSÉ JEULAND

Feeding on travels and encounters, he turned to fashion and continued to catch spectators and musicians at concerts and festivals. Over time, its activities also diversified into advertising and institutional photography, and in recent years, he evolved into digital campaigns for influential brands worldwide. It is a pleasure to feature his unique work along with an in-depth interview.

José Jeuland: Hi Gildas, it's a pleasure to interview you. Can you give us an introduction about yourself, where you reside, and your life aside from photography? (Travel, sport)

Gildas Raffenel: Hello Jose, thank you for the invitation. I live between Paris and Rennes, Brittany, a wonderful place in the west part of France. I'm a fashion, commercial photographer, founder of the studio « Place Cliché.» ten years ago. We mainly do advertising, portraits, and ready-to-wear. I use to shoot a lot of music, concert, festival, and nightlife, but I'm more into traveling, nature, and sport for my personal achievement.

J. J.: How did you start your photography journey?

G. R.: Well, it started pretty early, as a teenager. My dad offered me a canon AE1 for my 14th birthday as I read « Les Aventures de Boro » from Franck & Vautrin, a book about a photojournalist in the 30's30's. Kind of Robert Capa. Since this period, I dreamed about being a photographer, traveling the world. As I was 15, I met a photographer, Thierry Mahé, who introduced me to advertising and fashion for a very short internship. I knew then that it would become the main thing in life.