People sometimes ask me how I went from working human rights to becoming a photographer.
On the surface, they seem like completely different worlds.
But to me, they've always been connected.
Because in both, what interested me most was people.
Listening.
Understanding.
Looking beyond first impressions.
That hasn't changed.
Photography has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
My French maman photographed women long before I ever picked up a camera.
She had an incredible gift for helping women feel bien dans leur peau —
good in their own skin.
I grew up watching women arrive feeling nervous, then leave smiling, standing a little taller and seeing themselves differently.
At the time, I had no idea how much it would shape the photographer I'd become.
Before becoming a photographer, I spent more than ten years working in human rights for the United Nations, including in conflict-affected countries.
Those years taught me to listen carefully, notice what wasn't being said, and understand people before making assumptions.
Looking back, I realise those are exactly the skills I bring into every photoshoot today.
Not because I'm analysing people.
Simply because I want to understand who they are.
Today, I photograph women at all sorts of different stages in life.
Some are building businesses.
Some are stepping into leadership roles.
Some are rebuilding confidence after separation or divorce.
Others simply want photographs that finally feel like them.
The reason they come may be different.
But the experience I hope to create is remarkably similar.
When someone feels seen...
Something shifts.
They stop worrying about the camera.
They relax.
Their personality and presence start to come through.
And that's when photographs begin to communicate something of who they are.
Looking back, I realise I've always been doing the same thing.
Helping people feel seen.
The camera just became another way to do it.
Featured in Business Direction
I was recently featured in the
Herefordshire & Worcestershire
Chamber of Commerce business magazine, sharing the story of my journey from
human rights to photography,
and the thread that runs through both:
People, stories and helping women feel seen.
