A Dialogue of Truth and Sensitivity

French photographer and journalist Nicolas Fourny, based near Paris, has spent over a decade developing a body of work marked by sensitivity, intimacy, and respect for authenticity. His portraits reveal a deep connection between photographer and subject, celebrating individuality and natural beauty through genuine emotion, thoughtful composition, and the poetry of light.

Nicolas, thank you for giving us the opportunity to get to know more about you and your remarkable work. To start, could you introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Nicolas Fourny, and I live near Paris, France, where I was born in 1971. I love literature, cinema, old cars, and the Beatles. Among other activities, I am a freelance journalist and amateur photographer. I have been working with models for about twelve years.

When did your fascination with photography begin, and what first ignited that spark?
I became interested in photography at a very young age, thanks to my father, who was an amateur photographer himself. When I was a teenager, he read the French magazine “Photo” every month. I wasn’t allowed to read it because it contained photos of nude women as well as photo reports that were often very harsh, often devoted to conflicts such as the Vietnam War or crime scenes. But of course, I used to read it in secret, and that’s how the images began to fascinate me. I was immediately captivated by the portraits and nudes of great masters such as Jeanloup Sieff, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Jacques-Henri Lartigue, or Richard Avedon, as well as by the raw sincerity of the reportage photos. Even today, I still love “written” photos, which are thought out in advance, just as much as spontaneous or improvised shots, which play a big part in my sessions.