Baptiste first grabbed a camera to take photos of his Mazda Miata, but once he discovered film, he was hooked. Now he mixes his love for cars and photography, shooting mostly on his Canon F1 New and experimenting with everything from expired film to double exposures. For him, cars aren’t just machines — they’re stories on wheels, and his goal is to capture that feeling every time he presses the shutter.
Age (or age range): I'm 34
Where you live and/or where are you from?
I live in Val d'Oise, near Paris, France
What is your earliest memory with a camera?
My first ever camera was a 5100D Nikon, I bought this camera mainly to photograph my Mazda Miata and my friends' cars at the time. I didn’t really know how to use it, and it was when I got my first film camera (a Topcon IC1 Auto) that I fell in love with photography !
What drew you to photographing cars?
Like many of us, I’ve always been passionate about cars since I was a kid. I love motorsport and classic cars. But photographing classic cars on film gives me this unique nostalgic feeling, and using film is for me the best way to express this feeling. When I fell in love with film photography I decided to combine both of my passions!
Did you learn photography through formal education or on your own? If you studied it academically, was it worth it and what was the most valuable thing you took away from it? If you’re self-taught, what has been your biggest challenge in the process?
Well, I spent a lot of time on Youtube, that’s how I’ve learned about how to properly use my gear, how to scan my negatives at home the best way possible. I’ve also questioned some of my friends who were already into photography. The biggest challenge was learning my mistakes roll after roll, it requires a lot of time, but passion and motivation prevail!
Is there a particular shoot or collaboration that you would like to make?
My dream would be to be officially accredited to photograph motorsport events!
What do cars represent to you beyond the machine itself?
Through their lines, designs, and their details, cars reflect the spirit of a specific era to me. I’ve been travelling a lot with the cars I own (or used to), cars can be personal symbols as they carry memories!
What’s your go-to film camera for shooting and what would be your dream film camera to shoot with?
My main camera is a Canon F1 New, which is also my dream camera ! I also recently got a Mamiya 645 from a friend, I just finished my first ever roll of 120 ! During each summer I also bring a point and shoot camera everywhere with me, an Olympus AF1 twin, for more personal memories.
What challenges have you faced shooting on film?
Learning how to develop my own films at home, I used to do this for a year after the pandemic when I had more free time. It is an extremely interesting process to me, I would love to do that again soon!
How has your approach to photography evolved since you first started shooting film?
I know my camera way better, I’ve learned from the mistakes I've made, I can be more creative, I am less scared and more confident to shoot when I have people around me.
How do you stay inspired when creativity feels low or stagnant?
I try not to rush myself when I don’t shoot for weeks or months. I find myself more creative when travelling, I also spend time on social media to look at my favorite photographers work. Pressure when creativity or inspiration is lacking is hardly ever constructive!
Which car have you been waiting to shoot and have yet to encounter?
Ferrari F40 and F1 cars ! I recently had the chance to attempt an F1 race, can’t wait to process the film rolls!
Have you ever completely messed up a roll? What happened and what did you learn from it?
Yes! Took a Gold 200 in a Konica Pop for a beach day, messed up the unloading and the whole roll was ruined. I also messed up at developing a film roll once, I tried to push the chemicals beyond the intended number of developments and ended up ruining an entire roll of film. It’s all part of the learning process I guess, even though it was super frustrating back then!
What’s the boldest experiment you’ve done with your gear or style?
Nothing too crazy really! Shooting most of an F1 weekend with an expired film (Ferrania Solaris FG100) with no information concerning the expiration date and storage condition. I’ve also tried some double exposures recently with cars & flowers and loved the results.
If you could shoot only one film stock for the rest of your life, which one would it be?
I love shooting expired films, I could only do that honestly. But concerning fresh rolls of film, I love classics like Fujifilm Superia 200 and Kodak Colorplus & Gold 200.
What do you hope to transmit with your photographs?
I hope my photos make people feel what I feel when I shoot a beautiful scene. My goal is for viewers to feel the emotions I feel!
Is there anything that you'd like to promote? I.e. Your business website and what you do, other social channels, or projects you wanna promote?
I don’t have a business website, I post my work only via instagram (bapt_flch). Feel free to send me invites to your events, or let me shoot your car on an epic joyride!
Thank you for the interview, I really appreciate the opportunity to talk about my work and my passions with you, and I hope it might inspire some people!
