Francois Pierre Rannou
1. Congratulations on winning in the Global Photography Awards! Can you share a little about yourself, what inspired you to pursue photography, and how has your journey evolved since your first shot?
First, thank you for this award and for this honor! I'm a French-Canadian from Quebec, and it has been 20 years since I first did photography. A lot of stuff changed since, and I changed a lot of cameras in my progression, but every time there was a new change, I refined my style.
2. Can you share the story or inspiration behind your award-winning piece? How does winning this award make you feel about your journey in photography?
In April 2025, I went to Barcelona, and while walking in the small streets, I found this sculpture, and I was impressed by its size and style. Winning this prize is a confirmation of my long efforts in photography and that a lot of people could be inspired by my works.
3. How do you decide which photo to submit for a competition?
There were a lot of pictures that I wanted to share, but for this photo, I chose the most simple but also the most impressive.
4. What first made you pick up a camera?
When I was 7 years old, my mother gave me an old photo camera (Sony floppy disk) and I used it for around 10 years.
5. What’s your favorite type of photography, and why do you love it?
I love landscape and wildlife, because every moment is unique and could never happen again, which I find the uniqueness of it wonderful.
6. What’s your go-to camera setup, and why does it work best for your projects? What’s your favorite feature?
I don't have a huge setup, and I prefer to use the camera on my iPhone, which I find to be the best because it is light and can take fast and wonderful pictures. But if I want to take a picture of a specific moment, I would take my other camera.
7. If someone looked at your work, what’s the one thing you’d want them to feel?
I would like to make them feel small or to be immersed in the moment.
8. What was the most challenging part of capturing your winning shot?
There were a lot of people around me (because it is in a popular place), so I waited when there were fewer people to take this photo, and I didn't stay long.
9. Is there a specific place or subject that inspires you the most?
Barcelona was very impressive and each street was a treasure to be discovered.
10. Who or what has been your biggest influence in photography?
My biggest inspiration for photography is my mother, because I cannot see her without a camera in her hands.
11. What message would you share to inspire photographers to participate in photography awards, and what advice would you give to help them excel in the competition?
If you want to participate in a photography award, go for it and don't try to think too much about a picture, sometimes the most simple is the best.
12. What’s one piece of advice for someone just starting in photography?
For the beginner, I recommend taking a lot of pictures because every time you take a picture, you refine your style and test which style that you like or dislike. But don't work just for yourself, and you must keep the passion, because it is a passion.
13. What role do editing and post-processing play in your creative workflow?
I don't do editing in my images, but I could understand the merit of it. I try to make them the most natural and sometimes too much editing can remove this aspect.
14. How do you see technology, like AI, influencing the future of photography and your own approach?
For me, AI is compared to a painting or a drawing, and it has nothing to do with photography. A photograph that waits for hours to take a picture has nothing to compare to AI. A photograph captures the real moment in the picture, while AI takes the unreal moment in the picture. I did a lot of AI images, and it is because of them that I was invited to Barcelona, because one of my AI images won a prize, and I was invited to an Art Gallery there. Without AI, I would never have been to Barcelona, would never have taken this picture and would never have participated in this photography award. For me, AI is more like a hobby, and it must be separated from photography.
15. If you could photograph anything or anyone in the world, what would it be?
I would want to go to Japan and maybe see the Bamboo Forest and other places there.
