Loic Lagarde is a French photographer and a Travel Influencer, who gained his cult following through his travel shoots (which also includes photographs of luxury hotels). One of his social media platforms has been recommended as the best 16 travel accounts to follow on Instagram. Thanks to his 250k social media followers, hotels from around the world are hiring him for commercial works.

“I take snapshots of the hotels and come away with the best pictures possible, and make each shot desirable and as dreamy as possible for my community of followers, who are into beautiful hotels and destinations. For these reasons, I give my best shots so that the hotels can promote their unique, quality content.” – Loic Lagarde

Lagarde discovered his passion when he went on a backpacking trip to Australia in 2003, which was his first entrance into travel photography. His love for photography grew steadily as he travels and sees the world through the eyes of his lens.

He started out with flickr in 2008 followed by Facebook and then 500px. When social media became mainstream, Lagarde started his own blog where he began posting his photography works online and across the social channels to share his experience and also get feedback to help him become a better photographer.

He started using Instagram only in late 2014, “because in the beginning, I didn’t consider social media as a platform for professional photographers. It was more for amateurs hitting out at the selfies on their iphones. But I realised that the media has changed a lot and it is a must today,” says Lagarde.

Travel photographer Loic Lagarde works on what he calls “a great way to capture the light of an evasive present time always running away from us. Like Photography, which is at the crossroads of art and technique, I was into drawing since early childhood and I had a background in electrical engineering.” With a balance of both art and technique, he photographed the expedition into architecture as well as interior design.

Lagarde gets new inspirations by travelling to Asia most of the time (from Japan to India). He has also been to a few places like Oceania (New Zealand, Australia, Polynesia) and for some reasons, he says “I’m not very attracted to Latin America. And I have great memories in Africa and wish I could go more often.”

An Interview with Loic Lagarde, French Photographer and Travel Influencer

LUXUO: How did you know that photography was what you’ve always wanted to do?

LOIC LAGARDE: Always try something new, if you don’t enjoy it, stop it and do something else. The world is changing very fast and there’s a need for a lot of flexibility. If I ended up in a job I do not enjoy, then I cannot really have a good start of the day. Also, it would be difficult for me to pretend that it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do because our personalities are constantly changing or shaping through time as we age. As of today, this is what I want to do.

What did you like and dislike about your job?

I’m an entrepreneur and the best thing about being one is having your own free time. But you have to learn to stand alone and face competitions, which can be unpleasant especially in my domain.

How’s your travelling routine like?

I’m always on the move and I travel for shoots during more sedentary period. I handle my work simultaneously while preparing for the next trip.

What do you think is most unique about your photography?

This is a question to ask my community. My style is very identifiable; I’m apt in producing “bright and colourful” photos and I also endeavour to make the finest composition in the most beautiful light. Everything has to be perfect and dreamy.

As a professional photographer, what are some of the works that appealed to you most?

I love to work when there is a real team play. It can be a hotel where the management and the staff come together to contribute to make the photo even better, or group shots, etc.

Share with us some of your most precious moments in photography.

I have so many precious moments and it’s difficult for me to favour one over another. If I have to name one recent experience, it would be taking a snapshot of a Japanese lady dressed up in kimono while she waited at the Ginza metro area in Tokyo and watched the train pass her by. I had to take the shot very quickly, considering the totality of the surrounding conditions such as low light, the crowd, fast-moving train, etc.. But I managed to create a unique photo representing Japan in that one shot.

In just three years, you’ve grown your base of followers to about 250,000 accumulated. How did you do it?

Growing a base of followers is an every day task. I post photos on a daily basis, and at the same time, I’m actively engaged with my community. I try to reply to the comments of my followers and I “liked” posts and comments on my social media. Though it can be very time consuming, I try to keep an editorial line-up, so that my community can immediately recognise my work whenever the content goes online.

What are the next projects that you are busy with?

I will be shooting and promoting the French ski resort first and then I will head to Japan to shoot “Winter in Japan”.

What advice do you have for aspiring photographers?

Photography is not about the gears, it’s the photographer behind the lens. Don’t be shy, just go out and shoot photos of everything and try all settings, will improve your photography skill faster. Also, another great way to do better shots is to share the pictures where they can be admired or get criticised.

Never miss a post from Loïc Lagarde, follow him and view his works at the following social media sites:

Website: www.loiclagarde.com, http://500px.com/loic80l
Instagram: @loic.lagarde
Facebook: @loiclagardephoto
flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/loic80l/