Portrait of wildlife photographer Vincent Rannou

That's why we’re so proud to share his photographs – as you may already have noticed through multiple posts on our Instagram channel.

Vincent Rannou, a photographer with an atypical background

A young man in his early thirties, Vincent Rannou worked as an industrial manager in a manufacturing company for aluminium, wood and PVC joinery. Also a high-level athlete (running and cycling) for several years, this dual role gave him a balance in life that he treasured. In search of other alternatives to the high-athlete lifestyle, he began to practice hiking and walks in the forest.

“At the same time, I started taking on photography, having always been quite curious of nature, and I discovered so many interesting things while walking in the woods. And besides, I enjoy learning by myself out in the field. So I bought myself a camera and started researching the animals to get good shots of them.”

What Vincent Rannou likes in photography

Self-taught, Vincent enjoys the journey as much as the final destination:

“What I love is starting from scratch. If I'm looking to shoot a particular photo, the emotions of the 'hunt' are just as beautiful and satisfying as the success of the final photograph. Sometimes it’s necessary to wait several weeks or even a month before successfully capturing the photo you want, but the wait and patience are just as valuable as the result itself! A photo is not just about pressing the shutter button, it's a long journey with many emotions along the way, culminating in the pleasure of successfully reaching the final destination. I'm still in this phase of learning and imagining the image before shooting it. That’s how I arrive at the photo I want. You have to spend a lot of time outside, in all kinds of weather, and this hard work transpires through each image. It’s a pleasure to be able to share your joy of the final result with other people.”

Vincent Rannou, a photographer anchored in Brittany

As mentioned, Vincent only photographs in Brittany, mainly in the region of Ploërdut and Faouët . 

“It's a choice for me. Brittany is where I feel at home. Firstly because I'm Breton, but also because it wouldn't be in line my ethical code to travel far away to shoot wildlife photography. If I did, I'd first have to spend two years in the country in order to immerse myself in it and be able to give something back.”

Just going away for two weeks to one or the other end of Europe simply to “shoot photos of animals” isn't at all in line with Vincent’s philosophy, who seeks to find a balance with nature rather than simply utilise it.  

“We have everything at our fingertips, why spend your money and pollute the Earth to go see wildlife? For me, photography is a plus, the first step is to revitalise myself in the middle of nature.”

Vincent's new projects: a book and...?

Vincent is open to many opportunities and likes reciprocal partnerships. That’s why he agreed to provide us with an image bank. 

“EcoTree gives visibility to my photographs and that's what I'm looking for; to share my passion and highlight the wonderful wildlife of Brittany that I particularly love so much. And the connections to EcoTree were easy and natural to establish. I believe that we share the same desire to portray and magnify the beauty of nature.”

He has other projects in the pipeline. I produced a first photo book, which was a trial version to see what it would look like in self-publishing, enabling me to collaborate with a few people who share my values: journalist Jessy Cottineau, reporter Thibault Maîtrejean and videographers Ivan Houssay & Audrey Fiorini. The book was a success, so we’re designing a second, larger one, which will be published in July.”

This second limited-edition book will therefore be ready this summer and on the day of its publication, July 16, 2022, a new, even more substantial project will be unveiled. But for now, Vincent Rannou wants to keep it a secret. So stay tuned to see what he’s got in the making.