Jean-Luc Ruffinel a Guyanese photographer in the world of Parisian fashion

Jean-Luc Ruffinel has an atypical professional background and has gained extensive experience in different environments, including IT. However, he has always associated photography with his activities. Since January 2024, he has decided to start his own business as a professional photographer. The project really came to fruition in his head during the period of the covid health crisis. At 59 years old, the Guyanese dares to take a new turn in a very competitive environment but the challenge does not scare him.

« It's a very long story. I already really liked fashion in Guyana. In the 80s, with friends, we held the first fashion shows. Fashion events with the Motor's club. This was done in a discotheque. I have always had a taste for photography but in Guyana I could not afford good cameras. I was only able to buy my first film with the help of a friend in the 90s. »

Jean-Luc Ruffel left Guyana in 1984. He first worked as a computer technician for some time in Saint-Martin before settling in Paris. And a period rich in various professional lessons begins, always with this appetite for photography and fashion in the background.

“It was at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris during a fashion event, I met a Japanese stylist Soah. We hit it off and she asked me to follow her. She specializes in beauty products, particularly make-up. And things continued. I acquired digital equipment. »

Thanks to this Japanese stylist who appreciates her eye, contacts with agencies become easier. Our photographer manages to sell his photos and collaborates with the specialized magazine Amilcar. For M & P Agency, he will be present at the launch of singer Rihanna's perfume for Sephora at the Champs Elysées in 2014.

He multiplies the shootings in different fashion houses.

Already in 2011, Jean-Luc Ruffel worked at Sciences Po as a specialized technician. This leads him to collaborate on the institute's newspaper for photos and in the organization of meetings with VIPs during conferences, for example.

“In this place, I was able to take a lot of photos of the personalities. I stayed there for a while and Soah introduced me to the Osatis agency to work for the Chanel house in Neuilly, which was looking for a good technician who also did photography. I stayed there for 3 years. On each show I took care of all the logistics of the cameras. This same agency then offered me a position at Louis Vuitton. I trained managers for all their French sites by introducing them to digital techniques for their publications and other uses related to distribution.

Between February 2020 and 203, the multi-card photographer is a speaker at the Hearing Institute where he monitors the seminars. Here again his talent for video and photography is very useful to him. But in his head, the desire to gain independence becomes stronger.

“In 2020, I decided to work only for myself and go freelance as a photographer author capable of reworking photos. This has been in effect since this year. To practice this profession, you must have publications in magazines. I have been cooperating with Amilcar magazine for a long time. Thanks to them, I have the accreditations for the shows. I then send a selection of my shoots and they buy what suits them. »

Competition is tough in the luxury sector. However, Jean-Luc asserts himself and the frenzied competition during fashion shows does not scare him. « The essential thing, he says, is light for the photographer. When there is none, it is better to leave. »

LVMH emphasizes that it brings together many resources to manage the production chain from start to finish, which eliminates small houses.
During the last decade, the photographer has observed an evolution with more mixing of models and a change in the organization of fashion shows. The pressure is high on the models. These parades, according to him, are too gothic, staged in very dark atmospheres, and do not make the work of photographers easy. He also regrets a certain form of casualness among a part of the invited public focused on an eccentricity far, sometimes, from being elegant.
“In this profession you have to be calm and observe carefully to seize the moment in order to be well placed. This year, I have increased the number of fashion shows and showrooms. I went a lot to the Maison de la Chine where talented Asian designers are presented. I tour the world with agencies, I was able to go to Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Dubai, Cuba where I found the people very lively despite a difficult daily life. »

This week, Jean-Luc Ruffel is present at the Salon du Chocolat fashion shows, a must-see of the season. The photographer is already preparing for the fashion shows in January and February 2025.