Born in 1982 in Rouen (french Normandy), I trained academically as an archaeologist until my doctorate in Tours (Loire Valley). For 15 years, I discovered the heritage splendours of Jordan, Syria, Egypt or Iraq as well as the prestigious universities of Yale and Princeton (USA). The many encounters during these trips allowed me to develop my artistic culture and refine my aesthetic tastes.
Although familiar with photography by my father, it was only when a friend lent me a film camera that I considered this medium as a possible tool of artistic creation. A long period of experimental trial and error then opens up… Driven by a creative desire, I take every opportunity to learn, spending my evenings studying technique, composition and color theories… During this period of learning, my real ambition is gradually revealed: to make photography my profession.
In 2016, a meeting with Philippe Bachelier, printer of the famous French-Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, proved decisive in this journey. He taught me the process of development and printing, unique in film photography. Since that initiation, the exclusive choice of film and its timeless treatment has been a pillar of Thomas Lepaon Photography, a philosophy that is still followed today.