Hi, I'm Virginie
A graduate of INRACI, in Brussels, I learned technique, light and rigour there: solid foundations which, with experience, become almost instinctive once the camera is in hand. Because the essential is learned above all in contact with the people you photograph.
I then worked for about ten years for a photography company. I learned an enormous amount about the profession there, but the approach was driven more by a logic of profitability than by the relationship with the people photographed. What I was missing was the human side: taking the time to listen, to understand and to create a true encounter with the person standing in front of the lens.
That is why I created my own company: to practise this profession my own way, placing the human being at the centre of every session. Taking the time to welcome, to talk, to understand the person in front of me before even pressing the shutter. Because I am convinced that this, too, is what makes the difference in an image.
Over the years, this approach led me to explore more deeply what photography can change in the way we look at ourselves. A portrait can be much more than a beautiful image: it can help you see yourself differently, reclaim your body, regain confidence or simply cast a kinder gaze upon yourself.
It is in this continuity that, with my friend Catherine Bosman, the non-profit My Body My Story was born, dedicated to inclusion, self-image, the diversity of bodies and resilience.
Through our project and our various exhibitions, I have pursued this same approach: highlighting each person in what makes them unique, telling their story and helping them look at themselves differently, while inviting others to discover them in a new light. Photography then becomes a way of revealing the person, showing them at their best and showing what lies beyond differences, fragilities or appearances.
What I love most in this profession is the encounter.
Each person arrives with their story, their personality, their expectations and, very often, their little apprehensions in front of the lens.
"I am not photogenic, you will have your work cut out!" is probably one of the sentences I hear most often. Yet I am convinced that everyone can be photogenic. It is not about knowing how to pose or being perfectly comfortable in front of a camera, but about feeling confident enough to let something of yourself appear.
That is where my profession takes on its full meaning. We take the time to talk, to laugh, I guide you through the poses and the attitudes, and little by little, the apprehension disappears. Then comes the moment of discovering the images. Seeing someone look at themselves differently, noticing what they no longer saw or had perhaps never seen in themselves, remains one of the most beautiful facets of my work.
It is also what made me want to train in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) coaching: to better understand the people I photograph, find the right words and accompany those who lack confidence or do not feel at ease with their image. Because for me, a successful session owes as much to the quality of this relationship as to the mastery of light and photography.
And because my profession inevitably also draws on my own story, being a mum of two girls has deeply enriched my eye. Photographing a pregnancy, a baby's first days or the bonds of a family carries a very particular resonance for me today. I know how quickly these moments pass, and how much the images that remain grow in value over the years.
INRACI
Photography graduate, Brussels
NLP coach
Trained in neuro-linguistic programming
20 years
in the profession, including 10 with a company before going independent
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