the essential
Louis, a young 16-year-old Cadurcien, is passionate about old cars and sports as well as photos. He mixes the two on social networks, where he shares his most beautiful photos.
Lightning McQueen and Cars sell dreams to children, and some fall into the potion very early. This is the case of Louis Barthélémy, 16 years old and a high school student in Monnerville in Cahors. The latter has been a car enthusiast since a young age. And yet, in his family, he is the only one. “I spent my time watching car films, and my first cuddly toys were those!”, he laughs. A passion that he decided to share on social networks, notably TikTok and Instagram.
@louis.auto.art Vintage vibes #carsoftiktok #fyp #vintage ♬ original sound – 10imitri
“When I was 12/13 years old, I started on TikTok. I started an account on a car video game Forza. It has a lot of popularity, I think I am the first French content creator on this game,” explains the young boy. From time to time, he starts filming the beautiful cars he sees. His hobby? Old cars and sports cars. “A luxury car that makes noise but has no sportiness behind it is rubbish,” he says. But keeping them on your phone isn’t enough. Without a doubt, Louis created another TikTok account.
More than ten shootings to his credit
Initially, Louis films the cars that he finds beautiful on the street. Then he starts to take some photos. And now another passion is born: that of photography. “I bought my first camera a year and a half ago. I started slowly, I watched tutorials on the internet. My photos are improving little by little,” smiles Louis. To get his hands on it, the young boy goes to all the major car events around Cahors. “As soon as there’s an event, I’m there. All the people who love cars here are starting to know me,” slips the amateur photographer.
Today, his goal is to carry out numerous shootings for car owners. He already has 13 to his credit. “I get in the car with the person, we choose a good spot and we take the photos. It allows me to meet someone, to discuss their passion and their story,” explains Louis. This summer, he hopes to be able to do around ten. Note that the young boy is also the official photographer for various events, such as the Cahors Auto Rétro or Saint Cirq Classic gatherings.
And this year, Louis has the chance to participate in the historic Copenhagen grand prix (a district of the city is privatized and transformed into a circuit to accommodate old racing cars). “I contacted them to see if they needed photographers for the event. I got a response a month ago: it’s good! It will be from August 2 to 4. It’s my first big international event. For this grand prix, the photographers are almost on the circuit”, says the amateur photographer, who is preparing for this extremely educational event.
And later, where does Louis see himself? The young boy replies: “I don’t really know! I would like to be an automobile engineer. Graphic design also appeals to me. And why not photography! But for the moment, I want it to remain a passion.”
