Vincent Laforet - Visual Stories: Behind the Lens with Vincent Laforet

Behind the Lens with Vincent Laforet

Vincent Laforet
with Ibarionex Perello

VISUAL STORIES: BEHIND THE LENS WITH VINCENT LAFORET
Vincent Laforet with Ibarionex Perello

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Copyright 2012 Vincent Laforet

Senior Editor: Karyn Johnson
Writer and Development Editor: Ibarionex Perello
Copy Editor: Jacqueline Aaron
Production Editor: Tracey Croom
Proofreader: Elizabeth Welch
Composition: WolfsonDesign
Indexer: Valerie Perry
Interior Design: WolfsonDesign
Cover Design: Charlene Charles-Will
Cover Photo: Vincent Laforet

Notice of Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact .

Notice of Liability
The information in this book is distributed on an As Is basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.

Trademarks
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

ISBN 13: 978-0-321-79392-8
ISBN 10: 0-321-79392-7

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed and bound in the United States of America

I would like to thank the people who are captured within these images for their trust, time, and often very gracious hospitality. I would like to thank all the photographers and photo editors who came before me, who inspired me with their work, the stories they shared, and often for their mentorship.

Specifically, I would like to thank my father, Bertrand Laforet, for handing me his camera when I was 15, the moment that forever changed my life. I would like to thank my mother, Dominique Bazin, for being unwavering in her support of my career. Id like to thank Justin Jaeckin for suggesting I find more craziness in my work. Thanks to Amber Laforet for her help in shaping my vision for close to a decade. Also Id like to thank Kenneth Irby for nearly throwing me out of his office nearly two decades ago only to become one of my closest mentors. Kenneth gave me the most amazing gift by challenging me to share this craft with others and teach people much older and experienced than I was. As a result, he led me to do a lot of important introspection during the mid-point of my career.

Thank you to Ibarionex Perello for a fantastic series of interviews and incredible effort in making sense of everything. To Karyn Johnson for staying on top of me to ensure this book made it to print. To Justin Hamilton and Sophie Thall for their help in getting everything out the door from our studio.

Finally, thank you to an endless series of teachers, mentors, acquaintances, fellow photographers, photo editors, readers, competitors, critics and most importantly, to my familyI would have never gotten here without you.

Id like to dedicate this book to my daughter, Eliana, and son, Noah, who give meaning to my life every day.

Vincent Laforet
Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Note: The videos on the DVD that accompany this book also appear in the iPad/iPhone application Visuals by Vincent Laforet which can be found in the iTunes store.

Fine art prints of the photographs in this book are available for purchase at http://prints.vincentlaforet.com.

Workers repair the antenna atop the Empire State Building in 2001.

ISO 200 f/5.6 1/1000 14mm

I have been given a chance to witness and experience many different lives, occupations, and realities, thanks to the many generous people whove allowed me to document them with a camera.

I have hung from the needle of the Empire State Building, nearly 1,500 feet above New York City. I have witnessed the launch of the Second Gulf War from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. I have seen people uprooted from their lives in Afghanistan, and witnessed Americans devastated by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

I have photographed a U.S. president in the White House in the morning, and, later that very afternoon, a homeless man on the street. I have photographed major sporting events including the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the World Cup.

But some of my favorite moments in photographyof my careerhave been the intimate moments spent with everyday people. Granted, some were Nobel Prize winners, industry titans, or billionaires, but others were fascinating, regular people from small towns or villages who made tremendous contributions to their local communityor sometimes simply to their loved ones.

Most of the time, human beings are extremely complex. I have witnessed some of the very best of humanity with my own eyes, and some of the very worst behavior imaginable, as well.

Photography has given me the opportunity to be in awe of a child reacting to being photographed for the first time. On the other end of the spectrum, Ive witnessed the joy on someones face when they make a great photograph of a flower or of the game-winning touchdown and realize theyve captured that moment for eternity.

That is the ultimate beauty of photography, as with any art: its ability to make us very happy.

One of the most important photographic lessons I learned came from my father, Bertrand Laforet, who is also a photographer. I was 16 years old, sitting in his office at a magazine in Paris. He walked in and looked at me.

You know what I love about photography? he said. Ive been doing this for close to 30 years now, and every day I still learn something completely new.

My father was referring to the endless world out there for photographersand the endless opportunity to learn, to take chances, to experiment. I never forgot those words. I came to understand what he meant, and did my best to live and practice photography accordingly.

A surfer makes his way into the water at sunrise at San Buenaventura Beach in Ventura, California.

ISO 50 f/100 1/100 500mm

This book is meant to be a collection of some of my most successful images from my career that has spanned nearly 18 years. On the DVD that accompanies the book, I discuss some of these photographs and others in greater detail in over 60 videos. The book and DVD come at an interesting time for me, as I am starting to focus almost exclusively on being a director.