American artist and photographer Brooke Shaden spent years delving into the duality of human nature in her work. Born in 1987, Shaden has become one of the most well-known photographers in modern art. She’s recognized by her conceptual images where she puts herself in settings that feel like an imaginary world. After finishing college in 2008, and deciding to explore her passion of storytelling, she began to probe her inner darkness and confront the fears of her intense childhood imagination. Mainly a self-portrait artist, Brooke doesn’t shy away from photographing others as well. Many of her photographs evoke a sense of epiphany in an unfamiliar place. It’s easy to feel connected to her images as they embody personal exploration and encapsulate themes of darkness and light. She aims to show others a quintessential part of themselves that might’ve been lurking in the shadows prior. With this, she considers herself leaning more toward discovery than creation. Shaden studied film all throughout college in Pennsylvania near to where she grew up. She was merely 25 years old when she became a part of PhotoVogue Italia’s group exhibition “101 Best Photos” in 2012. Over the years, she has amassed 18 conceptual awards for her work and has been a part of 80+ group and solo exhibitions all over America and Europe, with her very first exhibition in 2009. As previously noted, Brooke’s unyielding passion is storytelling, and she continues to produce portraits in addition to writing and giving motivational speeches. She also allows us to look deeper into her process both mentally and physically, in her blog named “Promoting Passion”. She seeks to lead a multitude of lives with her curiosity serving as a perpetual fire of inspiration.

Gérard Rancinan is a major figure in contemporary photography whose work transcends the bounds of mere images, engaging in an ongoing dialogue with society. Born in 1953, he began his career as a photojournalist before shifting towards a more artistic approach in the 1990s. His works, exhibited in prestigious museums and galleries worldwide, such as the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Milan Triennale, and the Shanghai Himalayas Museum, are recognized for their monumental aesthetics and critical engagement. Rancinan uses photography to question the excesses and contradictions of contemporary society. His style is marked by meticulous staging, which, combined with a narrative dimension, depicts a world where modern myths, social tensions, and cultural transgressions collide. His series, such as La Trilogie des Modernes and Métamorphoses, have received wide acclaim, and he has won numerous prestigious awards, including several World Press Photo awards. As a true "awakened witness to the transformations of our Humanity," Rancinan is also one of the most highly-rated French photographers at auction, with works reaching record prices, especially in sales in London and Paris. In 2014, he was ranked among the most influential visual artists worldwide. His approach does not simply capture the moment; it transcends it to reveal disturbing truths about our era, making his work both profoundly artistic and intellectually subversive.

French photographer Louis Blanc was born in 1956 and has been living in Toulouse for over a decade. Blanc was never formally educated in photography and mastered his technique entirely himself. He would post his work in photography forums and enter contests. From the 1980’s to the 2000’s he experimented with different cameras including a Minolta and a digital compact. After spending some time perfecting his craft, and gaining vast experience, he decided to upgrade with an SLR in 2010. With his new equipment, he was able to hone in on his primary interests and birthed his project CORpuS in 2011.  The idea for this series came to him after winning a competition on a forum. CORpuS was an enlightening experience for Blanc, as he came to realize the image of the body was something that evoked a lot of emotion and deep thought. As we can see, the images from CORpuS, bear a neutral background, because the contorted body is more than enough to summon conviction.  Blanc’s artistic process begins with an unrefined idea, a bit like a brainstorm, but the end result is the culmination of many shots and redirections, making it intentional and unplanned at the same time. In addition, Blanc doesn’t avoid placing the body in disturbing poses. Actually, most of the images in CORpuS, push the boundaries of the human body. The images were made of himself, using a self-timer and remote control.  Louis Blanc has been emerging in the photography world for the past decade, and his work doesn’t come without praise. In 2014, he joined the community of artists supported by Maecene Arts. The CORpuS series became well-known all over France, being published in numerous magazines including La Provence and Réponses Photo. Over the years, this series has been a part of 40+ exhibitions internationally, including France, Russia, New York, Japan, Italy and Prague. He was also published in Monaco’s Monaco Culture and Switzerland’s Geneva Tribune. It goes without saying that the world should keep an eye out for what Louis Blanc will do next.