Roxane: Tell us a little about yourself and your background!
Thomas: I have always been attracted to art, cinema and especially photography. When I was younger, I read a lot of comics.. I still find it so fascinating today that the authors and illustrators manage to convey emotion through simple strips. I think of Alan Moore who always carefully chose these illustrators in order to create a “mood” specific to his story: Eddie Campbell and his harsher and darker drawings made “From Hell” all the more dark, or even Alex Ross and his unique pencil stroke, which in the work Kingdom Come, written by Mark Waid, makes it even more immersive, almost realistic).
As a teenager, Street Art had a particular influence on me. There is something profound about these “rebellious” artists who defy certain restrictions to express themselves for all to see, for free. The artist who had the greatest visual impact on me in street art remains Banksy to this day.
As for photography, it comes from my Pops, who still walks around with his camera to immortalize every moment and everything that surrounds him.
Quickly, I wanted to be like him too. I ventured to play with the camera settings, exploring the nuances of light, and how conditions impact the image. This hobby very quickly became a passion.
Today, my camera is my faithful companion, accompanying me wherever I go. Each moment becomes a canvas, an opportunity to capture something unique and make it eternal through my lens by granting it a particular image treatment in order to give it a unique “mood”.
R: What inspires you the most?
T: That's an excellent question. I would say there are 2 things:
Photographers who succeed in making an ordinary moment truly unique thanks to two things: their different eye and their unique image processing creating a mood, a story.
Some directors who, through an image with a particular soundtrack, succeed to bring an emotion to life. With or without dialogue.
This pushes me to continue to create, perfect my photographic touch, and above all, to take photos differently.
R: Describe what the perfect day looks like for you.
T: I don't really have an ideal day, but I would say that to start your day off on the right foot, you need a morning like this:
Getting up at dawn to go watch the sunrise with the dogs and my sweetheart, which in my opinion is a magical daily spectacle
Immortalize this unique moment of pure happiness
Come home, have a nice meal, a good coffee, work on the photos taken that same morning
The rest of the day can only go well!
R: Your favorite song at the moment?
T: Uh… I don’t have any…boring, huh?! I ALWAYS listen to music, but never to a song in particular. My cellphone is always on “Thomas Groult’s Station” (thanks Apple Music hehe). In this “station” there is a bit of everything but mainly Metal, Punk, Alternative! The few groups that come up most often are: Half Moon Run, Sticky Fingers, Bishop Briggs, Motionless In White, Falling In Reverse, From Ashes To New and Linkin Park.
R: What has been your favorite project to date?
T: In 2022, a friend challenged me to document my life. This involves filming and photographing a moment of your day, no matter what you do, every day, for 1 month, and making a summary video.
In the end, I carried out this project, every month, for 4 consecutive months, and I must admit that it made me see my own life completely differently. Make every moment, no matter how ordinary, unique and immortal. Whether you do the dishes, go for a walk in the forest, cook, watch a movie, have a cup of coffee, you name it, the fact that you immortalize it and then put together this recap with these videos and photos, allows you to realize that every moment is precious.
R: And your dream project?
T: Shoot in the Far North for National Geographic! Go by boat to discover these unique landscapes, explore these distant lands which are filled with wonders, traditions and absolutely magnificent communities!
Live the experience with locals, visit little-known places in this region of the world. Follow these people in their daily lives and bring back these images in order to tell a story: their story.
R: And finally, as always, what is your favorite Flambette fragrance?
T: Without hesitation: Sea Minerals from the Eclipse Collection!
(YAY!) Thank you so much Thomas! We hope to continue collaborating for a looong long time. If you want to collaborate with Thomas, he is in high demand, but you can still slide into his DMs!
