David Maurel
“Every portrait is a challenge because you have to create an exchange with the subject, develop a deep intimacy to catch their soul and the best side of your subject.”
Intercru: Where are you from?
David: I was born in the south of France, near Marseille, in a little town called Aix-en-Provence.
Where do you live and work now?
I live and work in Paris and everywhere my job takes me.
How did you get started in photography?
My paternal grandfather was an avid photographer. I always remember him with a camera on him, taking pictures of the family, and my father does the same.
When my grandfather died, I had the luck to inherit his analog camera. So I started to take pictures of my friends, my trips, my everyday life, and I suddenly realized how being a photographer enhanced my personality and my curiosity about people.
What’s the hardest part about taking portraits?
Every portrait is a challenge because you have to create an exchange with the subject, develop a deep intimacy to catch their soul and the best side of your subject.
That’s why I love medium format cameras because it’s less aggressive, the viewfinder is vertical so the model doesn’t feel the eyes on them.
Where do you find creative inspiration?
Everything can become an inspiration, whether it’s a movie I just watched, the cover of an album I’ve just listened to, painters, a video clip, photojournalism, documentaries, or writers.
If I have to give you some names , my first thoughts would be:
William Eggleston, Paolo Roversi, Saul Letters, and Bert Glin as photographers.
David Lynch, Wes Anderson, and John Carpenter are directors that really inspire me.
Wermer, Hopper, and Picasso are all incredible painters.
The Beatles, Fleet Foxes and Jonathan Bree are some of my favorite bands and musicians.
Finally, Jack Kerouac, Jack London, and Sylvain Tesson are my favorite writers.
What is the best gift you’ve ever been given?
I would say my first camera from my father without a doubt.
What’s your favorite season of the year?
Springtime for sure. Especially this year, after those successive lockdowns it’s amazing to be able to chill outside, having the birds and colors coming back after this long and grey winter.
What’s your proudest accomplishment?
Being able to earn my living with my pictures and my eyes. When I first started working as a photographer, it was not easy to achieve my dreams and goals without any academic art school background.
If you could travel back in time, when and where would you go?
A few years ago, I would have said maybe Woodstock or San Francisco in the mid 60’s. But now I think I would have love to see the 50’s, the hobo’s trains, the beat generation movement, and the early Beatles.
But I love history so maybe also the mid 19th century with the invention of the photography.
Who knows you the best?
Probably my lovely wife Marie-Anna Bénard Maurel aka Mac Maouline. And my mother.
In 3 words how would you describe your work?
Colorful, classic, and intimate.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
Anywhere with the sea and a blue sky.
Nowadays, I’m thinking a lot about Los Angeles because I would love to work there as a photographer and director, like many people. But of the places I’ve been, I would love to spend more time in Cartagena de Indias in Colombia, Capo Verde, or Sri Lanka. But there are so many places I have never visited so the list is not over...
David Maurel is a Paris-based photographer and director. To see more of his photography, you can check his work on Instagram @david_maurel.
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