After 10 years as a print journalist in Paris, I made a 180-degree turn to make a living from my job as a wedding photographer and the emotions it brings.
Those who know my background often have this question burning in their minds: "But why did you get into weddings?" And in recent weeks, with the magnificent Olympic Games in Paris, the question has taken another turn. "Are you sure you don't regret it?" they ask, scrutinizing my reaction, the slightest tremor in my voice betraying a lie. No matter how categorical I was in my answer, the doubt still lingered.
Destiny
Some fifteen years ago, I embarked on a career as a journalist in Paris. After working as an editorial secretary (correcting articles for editors and laying them out) at La Croix, 20 Minutes and Le JDD (Lagardère days, not Bolloré), I was lucky enough at the age of 26 to join Le Monde, where anything was possible if you had my motivation. Having worked in (almost) every publishing department, it quickly became known in the corridors that I had a black belt in judo. In another era, for a newspaper with little interest in sport (and a niche like judo) like Le Monde, this information would have gone unnoticed. But the rise of an irresistible kid called Teddy Riner, who became the most successful judoka on the planet in the summer of 2024 in Paris, decided my fate at Le Monde.
In 2010, I wrote my first articles on the man who was already a four-time world champion. In 2011, I covered the World Championships in Paris, where Teddy won his fifth title with flying colors. Then, with the London Olympics on the horizon, I became the editorial team's Mr. Judo. And I was entrusted with the running of a combat sports blog, which I christened Au Tapis!
A space to invent
At the time, there were no such spaces on the web. Everything had to be invented. Judo may have had a little notoriety thanks to Riner, but there were no articles on the Web. As for other combat sports, it was radio silence. So I decided to fill a void I'd been complaining about since I was a kid. Not only would I write in-depth, expert articles on these extraordinarily rich disciplines, but I'd also take my own black-and-white photos, echoing the symbolism of the martial arts (black belt/white kimono).
On Au Tapis !, I offered reports, surveys, portraits, interviews... And I introduced my readers to disciplines I didn't know much about by getting the kimono wet. To feed my blog and the pages of the newspaper, I regularly went to the Insep (or elsewhere) to meet champions like Clarisse Agbegnenou, Amandine Buchard, Lucie Décosse and of course Teddy Riner. During these wonderful years, I learned to write and tell stories. I learned a lot from the champions. Gradually, however, I fell into a consuming passion for photography.
In the course of my many reports for the newspaper (400 articles in 7 years, 5 million unique visitors to the blog), I was often accompanied by photographers. Each time I asked them about their background, I realized that none of them had studied photography. For most of them, their encounter with a camera had come about by chance. A late vocation, like mine. At the time, I didn't think I was a good enough photographer to make a career out of it. But at least the idea was germinating that one day I might be able to take the plunge.
Icy silence
The year 2015 was a turning point in my journalistic career. I remember my colleague Simon's face as he spelled out the names of the murdered Charlie Hebdo journalists. "Cabu! Wolinski! Charb! Tignous!" he read, dumbfounded, on an AFP dispatch that came down in the middle of that fateful morning of January 7. The long, icy silence that followed remains with me. It's like a tribute to those defenders of freedom whom we adored and thought unattainable. They, the formidable guardians of our freedoms, who had spent their entire lives fighting against extremism of all kinds with their pencils and laughter, had been shot like rabbits for drawings. This left an abyssal void, which was deepened a few months later by the attack at the Bataclan.
For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by current affairs. As a child, I used to look longingly at the newspaper Libération, which my father regularly bought with a small packet of Haribo sweets in a tobacconist's shop. I loved seeing the front page, the headlines, then discovering inside this palimpsest the thousands of characters and splendid photos that told the story of the state of the world. Later, it was literature that led me to philosophy, and then to journalism. I had only one obsession: to understand why the world was such a mess and man such a scoundrel. And I must confess that, in my search, I only widened the void. The problem is that if you work too closely with current events, you end up seeing everything in black. So rather than stay in an environment that no longer suited me, that I no longer wanted to confront, I preferred to leave Le Monde and Paris.
Second Shooter
My 6 years as head of the press department at Poitiers and Grand Poitiers town halls didn't give me any more faith in humanity. While I enjoyed understanding the workings of our institutions, the ruthless world of politics was not for me. Too corseted, too calculated.
So I thought back to the world of photography that had given me so much pleasure. And I remembered a cousin's wedding that I had loved to cover a few years ago as an amateur photographer. In the batch of photos I had taken, there were some singular shots that I found quite timeless. So I thought that maybe, at nearly 40, I could finally trust my eye.
I was lucky enough to have the support of Iboo Création to get me started. After talking to me at length about his experience as a wedding photographer, he introduced me as second shooter on Camille and Nathan's wedding at Château de Crazannes. I'm eternally grateful to him for giving me my foot in the door in such an exciting field. On July 22, 2022, I had the time of my life, shooting and filming to produce a series of photos and videos. But what moved me most that day was to feel so many emotions for people who, for me, were complete strangers.
Revelation
Some thirty weddings later, in the summer of 2024, I'm now a well-established wedding photographer, having long since shaken off the impostor syndrome thanks to the delighted feedback from my brides and grooms (many thanks to them). But it was on July 6, at Eloïse and Tom's wedding at Château de la Barbelinière in Thuré, that I really understood why I did this job and what made it meaningful to me.
It was late in the afternoon, after a splendidly laid-back ceremony. Invited to refresh themselves, the guests had converged on the cocktail lounge, where a stage with a live band awaited them. It was party time under the fading sun. And then, a man stepped onto the stage, guitar in hand. He sat down in front of the microphone, took a deep breath and then began: "Ya no estás más a mi lado, corazón."
This first verse of the Spanish song Historia de Un Amor brought the crowd to a standstill. Everyone turned to face the stage. Some hugged each other in tears, others smiled with tear-filled eyes or looked up to the sky. Clearly, one of their own who had passed away too soon was being honored in the most beautiful way possible. And I, behind my camera, didn't miss a moment of the spectacle, which also brought tears to my eyes, without really knowing why.
Privilege
I've never tried to find out who the person being honored was. I prefer not to know and let my imagination compete with hypotheses. The fact remains that it was one of the most beautiful days of my life, such was my emotional overflow. And never in any other environment, in any other profession, have I experienced such sensations.
I was spellbound by the beauty of the song. But beyond that, the collective fervor and sorrow had finally got the better of me. On the chorus, everyone started dancing. Tears mingled with laughter. The immense sadness was matched by an even greater joie de vivre. The moment was simply magnificent. And I feel privileged to have experienced it in this way, with my own feelings and sensibility.
Strong emotions
On most of my weddings, when the ceremonies are strong and poignant, I find myself unable to hold back the tears. That's what (pleasantly) surprised Emilie and Matthieu, in July 2023, during their particularly moving secular ceremony. Ditto for Adèle and Flavien's wedding at Abbaye du Pin in May 2024. I remember being particularly moved by Flavien's speech, in which he expressed his incomprehension of the world's violence in particularly touching words. Suddenly, I felt less alone, more secure.
With "my" bride and groom, I've found my role. I love the idea of accompanying a couple, whatever the circumstances, on one of the most beautiful stretches of their journey. I love this challenge, which forces me to surpass myself in order to capture as many emotions as possible. I forbid myself to complain or to be mediocre on this day, because my brides and grooms have spent a lot of their time and money for me to fall short. I enjoy making pictures that they will cherish for the rest of their lives. I like the idea that they'll always have a part of me inside them.
I've always said to myself that at the end of my life, I'd like to be able to say that I've done lots of things. Lots of different things. A bit like Romain Gary, one of my favorite authors, who lived a thousand lives in one. But my greatest satisfaction today is distributing happiness to people. Because we need it so badly.
Les Noces de Florent, your wedding photographer and videographer
Based in Poitiers, I travel all over France and abroad to make your big day a great memory. As a former newspaper journalist and reportage enthusiast, I love capturing the details that make a wedding so special. Those moments that, caught on the spot, reveal a feeling, betray an emotion. As unique as it is fleeting, a wedding is a suspended moment in the story of a lifetime. So don't miss out on the memories that will last a lifetime. Les Noces de Florent is an experience. A unique vision for a unique day: yours.
In February 2024, Les Noces de Florent won a Wedding Award from the website mariages.net. This award recognizes the best-rated suppliers on the platform.
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