Interview with: Etienne Vacher
October 2025
Etienne Vacher is an amateur photographer originally from Normandy who now lives in Nice. He discovered a passion for photography when he stumbled upon photos by Ansel Adams in 2020. Now working in a hotel, he continues his wanderings during his vacations, discovering places around Nice to photograph landscapes, streets, and cats.
First, tell us about your background and why you chose to pursue this career. Do you remember the first artwork that stirred something inside you?
I was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by the Normandy countryside. So it was a fairly peaceful and smooth environment and journey to start taking photos in 2020 on my own. At first, my family complimented me on my photos, but then I started getting compliments from other people I met too. So I figured I wasn't too bad at it. I kept going, and I'm still going. It was when I discovered the work of Ansel Adams that I really became interested in photography. Especially when I discovered what is surely his most famous photograph: Moonrise Hernandez.
If you could go back in time to any artistic era, which would you choose and why?
So even though I would be very curious to know Ansel Adams ' routine in the 1930s and 1940s when he went out to take photos, I would be just as curious to see the Renaissance period, in relation to the painters of that era. After that, it would be a classic answer, but I would find it interesting to see the creative process behind the Mona Lisa. Meeting Leonardo da Vinci and asking him if he was aware that what he was creating would become so famous. There are still some mysteries surrounding this work that I would like to unravel just by talking to him, because even today there are so many stories surrounding this masterpiece.
How important is it for the audience to understand the message of your work? Does ambiguity add value, or do you seek clarity in your expression?
In my case, it's not at all important to understand my photos, because I don't really have a message to convey. My portfolio is essentially a collection of things that anyone can easily see, without revealing anything in particular. I'm not trying to show something that has an impact, as war reporters sometimes do, who sometimes risk their lives to show the damage caused by conflicts on the population, for example. Compared to these, my photos are very childish. I'd be very happy if people just said to me, “Your photo is very pretty.”
Artificial intelligence is increasingly infiltrating creative fields. Do you consider artificial intelligence to be a threat, a tool, or a collaborator in the art world?
It's a rather complex subject to tackle, but quite interesting. From a technical point of view, it's still quite impressive what AI can produce from words or images in a matter of seconds. It can be useful in certain circumstances. However, from an artistic point of view, it's still a very simplistic approach, even worrying for artists whose job it is. What's interesting, if I take my approach as an example, is going outside for a walk and coming across cats to see them in real life and, if possible, interact with them. If I could produce photos of cats without leaving my home, it wouldn't be interesting. It also distorts creativity in a way. So for me, it shouldn't become an important part of the art world, or the world in general.
Are there any upcoming projects or dreams that you are particularly excited about?
In terms of artistic projects, not really. We'll see what happens over time, but I'm planning a trip to Cambodia, which will allow me to discover a place that's very different from France. I'm really looking forward to discovering this country through my camera lens. And yes, of course, my dream would be to sell and publish photos for well-known magazines and travel around the world with my camera.
We are coming to the end of this short interview. Would you like to add anything else about your artistic research? How did you find working with our gallery?
A few months ago, I said in another interview for Florence Contemporary that I was still searching for my artistic style. I think I'm still searching, but I'm becoming increasingly convinced about the subjects I like to photograph, namely cats and landscapes of all kinds. Thank you again to Florence Contemporary for contacting me and thank you for the collaboration.