Country: France 🇫🇷
My name is Pierre Pauwels, and I’m a french photographer based in Nice, on the french riviera.
I grew up in a family of journalists, writers, painters and photographers, so basically, surrounded by images.
I spent a year in an art school in Paris but I wasn’t at my place and thought that I was good enough to become an artist. The arrogance of youth ! The best thing that happened there was the three months I spent at the photo department of the “Figaro Magazine”, one of the most important papers in France.
I got hooked on photography. I bought myself a 400D a year later and started to experiment with all the settings possible. The results were some abstract photographs not saying anything and some interesting frames from a trip to South America.
During the next ten years I had ups and downs with photography as with my life and even spent a few years without even thinking about it anymore.
But then, heigh years ago, I met the woman who became my wife. She was a journalist. She had a 6D. I had it in my hands. Got hooked again !
A year after that I bought my 5D Mark III. I was shooting here and there but nothing really serious. Nothing passionate. Just playing around.
In 2017 I went to Morocco for a month and bought a Sony a7 to be more discreet as it’s not that easy to shoot people there.
I came back with thousands of photographs but did nothing with it.
It’s only last year, in March 2020 that I finally edited them. I decided to do something serious as I found a lot of good pictures. I upgraded my editing skills and decided to post the results on Instagram.
And it’s while I was editing that something happened. I suddenly understood something about the lights and the shadows. Suddenly, it made sense. I was able to read it and to find a kind of harmony. It blew my mind honestly.
So I went out and shot. Every single day. Everything. Focusing on the lights and the shadows mostly.
For the first time in my life I was feeling like I knew what I’m doing !
My passion and obsession was born for good !
I try to spend the most possible time I can outside. Walking and shooting. Trying different things.
I have different ways to work and I feel like I have everything to learn !
The arrogance of youth became an adult's humility. And I like that.
I have a few series going on and start to really like what I do as it becomes personal.
I am inspired by Joel Meyerowitz, Garry Winogrand, Harry Gruyaert, William Klein and many others.. I love to study their work and to spend time traveling into their books.
I discovered a lot of talented photographers on Instagram and I really like the community’s spirit.
Photography became my life and my air so to speak. I try to make a living of it and I will ! Because I see the world through a lens and everything around me excites me more as I observe the world with a fresh new eye constantly trying to be better and better.
I grew up in a family of journalists, writers, painters and photographers, so basically, surrounded by images.
I spent a year in an art school in Paris but I wasn’t at my place and thought that I was good enough to become an artist. The arrogance of youth ! The best thing that happened there was the three months I spent at the photo department of the “Figaro Magazine”, one of the most important papers in France.
I got hooked on photography. I bought myself a 400D a year later and started to experiment with all the settings possible. The results were some abstract photographs not saying anything and some interesting frames from a trip to South America.
During the next ten years I had ups and downs with photography as with my life and even spent a few years without even thinking about it anymore.
But then, heigh years ago, I met the woman who became my wife. She was a journalist. She had a 6D. I had it in my hands. Got hooked again !
A year after that I bought my 5D Mark III. I was shooting here and there but nothing really serious. Nothing passionate. Just playing around.
In 2017 I went to Morocco for a month and bought a Sony a7 to be more discreet as it’s not that easy to shoot people there.
I came back with thousands of photographs but did nothing with it.
It’s only last year, in March 2020 that I finally edited them. I decided to do something serious as I found a lot of good pictures. I upgraded my editing skills and decided to post the results on Instagram.
And it’s while I was editing that something happened. I suddenly understood something about the lights and the shadows. Suddenly, it made sense. I was able to read it and to find a kind of harmony. It blew my mind honestly.
So I went out and shot. Every single day. Everything. Focusing on the lights and the shadows mostly.
For the first time in my life I was feeling like I knew what I’m doing !
My passion and obsession was born for good !
I try to spend the most possible time I can outside. Walking and shooting. Trying different things.
I have different ways to work and I feel like I have everything to learn !
The arrogance of youth became an adult's humility. And I like that.
I have a few series going on and start to really like what I do as it becomes personal.
I am inspired by Joel Meyerowitz, Garry Winogrand, Harry Gruyaert, William Klein and many others.. I love to study their work and to spend time traveling into their books.
I discovered a lot of talented photographers on Instagram and I really like the community’s spirit.
Photography became my life and my air so to speak. I try to make a living of it and I will ! Because I see the world through a lens and everything around me excites me more as I observe the world with a fresh new eye constantly trying to be better and better.