Born and raised on the island of Mauritius, I have been cultivating a great passion for photography for a couple of years now. My home island was key into shaping my eye, I roamed around, met people and photographed with a subtle restlessness. Not having many references, I was purely driven by my instinct, this instinct that I nurture every day.
After completing my degree in theatre and film acting at AFDA in Cape Town, South Africa, I took the difficult yet important decision to put acting on the side and to pursue that old and true passion of mine, photography.This decision came quite late on my journey but I lost no time in immersing myself into that world and quickly realised the great power of images. What became apparent to me is that I want to produce work centered around people. The camera allows you to step into spaces and places that you would not have access to without it. It creates a connection, an understanding of the other person and their environment. It became a lifelong mission to photograph truthfully, to craft a meaningful composition that tells the story. The photographer needs to be aware of his role and his responsibility as a storyteller, no matter the subject.
I had the great fortune to work along side director and photographer Sharvan Anenden on a photo book documenting the coastal village of Trou d'Eau Douce. The book was edited by renowned Mauritian writer Barlen Pyamootoo and was launched during the first Book Festival of Mauritius. I also had the privilege to work with Anne Sarah Nicolin and Meha Desai to portray the village of Petit Verger, located in the center of the island, as a part of the first documentary photography residency in Mauritius called 'REZIDAN'. The photographs were then exhibited in an outdoor exhibition near the village. These projects truly solidified my passion for the medium and my desire to tell stories through pictures. The slow nature of the process of documenting a place is what makes the connection with the people ever so stronger.
I took the decision to enrol to the two years course of Professional Photographer at Spéos, School of Photography in Paris.
Currently completing a story on the activities and lives of farmers located in the south of Ile de France, I wanted to study and document the remaining connection between man and the earth and the different sets of challenges that farmers are facing nowadays.
Photo credit: Raphaël Alendroit
Contact
laurentdefrob@gmail.com
(+33) 07 66 47 79 64