Bonjour! Hello!

Thank you so much for visiting my Studio website, I'm glad you're here! Bienvenue! Welcome!... Since you're probably wondering who I am, let me tell you a little bit about me... go ahead and get comfortable!

My name is Laurent (you can click on my name if you're wondering how to pronounce it) and I was born in Paris, France. After growing up near Versailles (yes, right next to the famous palace a few miles from Paris) for nearly twenty years, I moved to the United States to fulfill a childhood dream and pursue my college education. Now many many moons later, I am still here enjoying life in sunny and warm Arizona.

Photography has always played an important role in my family. My grandfather was one of the very first aerial photographer in the early 1900s near Paris and his images definitely intrigued me from an early age. My parents are also very much art-oriented (both of them have great drawing and painting skills) while also being avid world travelers who always took lots of pictures to document their travels. So I was definitely used to being around photographers and visual artists while growing up.

Thanks to my family and our many interests, I became interested in photography at a very young age. My first camera was a Polaroid when I was 6 or 7 years old and I loved taking pictures of my family or landscapes and architecture during our travels. A few years later, I moved on to a Nikon F501 (35mm film camera) that my parents offered to me for Christmas one year and I used our family trips as well as Paris and its street life as my canvas to practice my photographic skills. While in high school, I also started taking pictures at nearby Roland-Garros during the French Open of tennis whenever I could.  This is when I began selling my first images and when I started thinking of photography as something that could eventually become more than "just" a hobby. College provided me with some formal training in photojournalism and darkroom techniques as well as other visual and multimedia techniques as I went on to study advertising, marketing, journalism, public relations & communication. I've always been a very visual person and have always enjoyed communicating through visual arts like photography, drawing, painting and graphic design. I've also always enjoyed traveling, interacting with people and learning or discovering other cultures. I've also always been active in sports (mostly tennis, volley-ball and skiing) since an early age, which contributed into making sport photography one of my favorite subject to photograph.

In 2007, I finally decided to create Studio Laurent to combine my passions and skills into a creative photography and design studio. I also made the switch from Nikon 35mm cameras to Canon EOS digital cameras and although I will sometimes use artificial lighting techniques, flashes or studio lights, I prefer to shoot on location in natural light with beautiful surroundings and backgrounds whenever I can. 

I run a small boutique studio where customers are treated as good friends instead of clients and where my passion for beautiful photography and design is key. I absolutely love being behind the camera capturing creative, fresh, fun and timeless images. If you choose to work with me, not only will I treat you with the upmost professionalism but I will also make sure that you have fun during your experience. 

In my spare time, along with playing tennis several times a week, I enjoy traveling the world or discovering the American Southwest in my Jeep to capture new landscapes, experience other cultures, new faces and immortalizing these special moments with my cameras. Over the years, my photographic adventures and assignments have taken me to beautiful destinations throughout Europe (France, Italy, England, Spain, Croatia, Greece, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are my favorites), the Indian Ocean region (I can't wait to go back to the Reunion Island and Mauritius), The Caribbean (loved Jamaica, Belize and Grand Caymans), Mexico and more than half of the United States of America and look forward to discovering more in the near future hopefully!... Iceland, Morocco, Namibia, Thailand, Bhutan, Peru, Bolivia, Tahiti and Antarctica are high on my bucket list of the next places I'd like to go to.

Of course I have a valid passport, I am fully bilingual French/English and I even have working knowledge of Spanish (although these days I understand more than I can speak it). I also have extensive knowledge and personal experience of international travel.

I am currently based in Scottsdale, Arizona and as you can tell, will travel pretty much anywhere in the world for your photographic needs!

So if I sound like someone you would like to work with, if you're looking for a knowledgeable professional photographer or graphic designer with international work experience, please feel free to contact me to discuss your needs and the services that I can offer. By the way, if you're looking for something that you don't see on my website or blog, please do not hesitate to check with me directly as I'm always open to new projects or ideas.

• Email: [email protected]
• Skype: StudioLaurent
• Phone: +1 (480) 779-8586

In the meantime I would like to thank you for your interest and hope that you enjoy your visit on my website. Your comments and suggestions are also very much welcomed so please do not hesitate to leave a few words so I know you stopped by, it will make my day!

Thank you... à bientôt!
Laurent

Studio Laurent is an active member of the following professional organizations:

• Professional Photographers of America (PPA)
• National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP)
• Sports Photographers Association of America (SPAA)
• Canon Professional Services (CPS)