I am a traveler. a photographer. a storyteller.

I have always been a traveler and a wanderer. Travel for me is not about vacations; it is my way to learn about a world that I care deeply about. There is nothing that energizes me more than to be in a foreign environment trying to uncover some of its secrets.

 I have an insatiable curiosity about other cultures and their ways of life.

Not that life is easy everywhere and I have seen plenty of very challenging situations.   But I always find beauty wherever I go.

It is this beauty and an urge to share it that got me into photography. After an unsatisfying career in academia, a few years ago I decided to act on my passion to see some of the more remote regions of the world, and share what I find. I am a self-taught photographer, but I have tried to work on my skills diligently. As you can see from my images in the galleries, my true love is to photograph people; I rarely photograph landscapes or landmarks. Although I enjoy shooting portraits, what I really like is capturing “snippets” of people’s lives and documenting small events, from cultural rituals to daily life activities.

And I like to tell stories, so I started a blog where I can have images and words. It is not a typical travel blog with tips of where to go on a next vacation, nor is it a typical photography blog with only the best images captured on a trip. It is a blog where I tell stories and select the images that help tell the tale. If you take the time to look at some of the posts, please do leave a comment. The comments are another way for me to learn, which is my deepest passion.  If you prefer to communicate with me directly, send me a message using the box below or I an be reached at [email protected].

To a beautiful world,

France

Please be aware that all the images on the site are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without permission.
Contact France Leclerc

Awards

2023

  • Paris Prix de la Photography (PX3), State of the World, Curatorial Selection, Maulid in Lamu
  • Paris Prix de la Photography (PX3), State of the World, Curatorial Selection, Semana Santa in Antigua
  • 20th Julia Margaret Cameron Award, Culture and Daily Life Category, Gold Series Winner, Maulid in Lamu
  • Lens Culture Street Photography Awards, 3rd Place, The Celestial Ladies
  • Italian Street Photo Festival, Finalist, The Celestial Ladies

2022

  • All About Photo, Women, Particular Merit Mention, Uzbekistan
  • International Photography Award (IPA), People, Traditions and Culture, Honorable Mention, The Mundari and their Treasured Cows
  • Paris Prix de la Photography (PX3), State of the World, Shortlisted, The Mundari and their Treasured Cows
  • ND (Neutral Density) Award, People and Culture, Gold Star Award, The Mundari and their Treasured Cows
  • Meitar Award for Excellence in Photography, Finalist, The Mundari and their Treasured Cows
  • Miami Street Photography Festival, 3rd Place, The Celestial Ladies
  • Paris Street Photography Festival, Finalist, The Celestial Ladies

2021

  • Voyage Travel Awards, Sense of Place Category, Finalist, Raffia
  • Black and White Photo, Spotlight Award, Proud Wodaabe Boy
  • All About Photos, Travel Photography, Particular Merit Mention, Proud Wodaabe Boy.
  • International Photography Award (IPA), People and Lifestyle, Honorable Mention, Out for Prayers
  • 16th Julia Margaret Cameron Award, Culture and Daily Life Category, Honorable Mention, The Wodaabes, Nomads of the Sahel
  • 16th Black and White Spider Awards, 3rd Place with Honor Distinction in the Children Category, Appleby 
  • Siena International Photo Award, Honorable Mention, Journeys and Adventures Category, Out for Prayers
  • Portrait of Humanity Award, Finalist, Among the Sheep
  • Paris Prix de la Photography (PX3), Gold Medal, Street Photography Category, Out for Prayers
  • Paris Prix de la Photography (PX3), Bronze Medal, Press Category, Raffia
  • Paris Prix de la Photography (PX3) State of the World, Shortlisted, Life at the Ranch

2020

  • 15th Black and White Spider Award, Nominee, Woodabe Children
  • International Photography Award (IPA), Events, Traditions and Cultures Category, Honorable Mention, Ganga Sagar Mela
  • International Photography Award (IPA), Events, Traditions and Cultures Category, Honorable Mention, Gerewol Festival
  • Paris Prix de la Photography (PX3), State of the World, Shortlisted, Ganga Sagar Mela
  • Paris Prix de la Photography (PX3), State of the World, Shortlisted, The Last Train to Bishwa Ijtema
  • Paris Prix de la Photography (PX3), Portraiture, Honorable Mention, Water Gypsies
  • Urban Photo Award, Street Category, Semi-Finalist, Feet First
  • 15th Pollux Award, Culture and Daily Life Category, Honorable Mention, Water Gypsies
  • 15th Julia Margaret Cameron Award, Culture and Daily Life Category, Honorable Mention, The Last Train to Bishwa Ijtema
  • All About Photos, Travel Photography, Honorable Mention, Raffia
  • Focus L.A. Top 20 finalist, Colorful Curls
  • Portrait of Humanity Award, Shortlisted, Wodaabe Girls
  • San Francisco Bay International Photography Awards, Gold Medal, Feet First

2019

  • 14th Pollux Awards-Culture and Daily Life, Honorable Mention, Fishing for Life
  • All About Photo, Street Photography, Particular Merit Mention, Colorful Curls
  • 14th Julia Margaret Cameron Award-Culture and Daily Life Category-Winner, Children of Mongolia
  • All About Photo, The Mind’s Eyes, Particular Merit Mention, Among the Sheep
  • Photo-Lucida Critical Mass, Finalist, Irish Travellers Who No Longer Travelled
  • Travel Photographer of the Year, Finalist, Appleby Horse Fair
  • TIFA (Tokyo International Photo Festival), Bronze Medal, Among the Sheep
  • International Photography Award (IPA), Feature Story Category, Honorable Mention, Fishing for Life

2018

  • Paris Prix de la Photography (PX3), Gold Medal, Portraiture/Culture, Among the Sheep
  • Chromatic Awards, First Place, Among the Sheep
  • Siena International Photo Awards, Finalist, Boy Among the Sheep
  • PDN World-in-Focus competition in the Travel Story Category, On the Road in Dhaka
  • International Photography Award (IPA), Feature Story Category, Honorable Mention, Irish Travellers

2017

 

  • Paris Prix de la Photography  (PX3) Portraiture/Culture, Bronze Medal, The Frankincense Boy
  • PhotoLucida Critical Mass, Finalist, My Paradise
  • Travel Photographer of the Year Award, Finalist, Small Town Timkat
  • APA National Award in the Photojournalism Category, Railroad Tracks
  • PDN World-in-Focus competition in the Travel Portrait Category, Among the Sheep
  • International Photography Award (IPA), Tradition and Cultures Category, Honorable Mention, Small Town Timkat
  •  

2016

  • International Photography Award (IPA), Feature Story Category, Honorable Mention, Off The Grid
  • International Photography Award (IPA), Tradition and Cultures Category, Honorable Mention, Hola Mohalla

2015

Publications

  • L’Oeil de la Photography (The Eye of Photography), “Antigua’s Semana Santa”. June 19, 2023
  • Lens Magazine Photo-Essay “The Mundari and their Treasured Cows“. Issue #100, January 2023
  • All About Photo Magazine, Women, “Sisterhood”. Issue #29, December 2022
  • Nargis Magazine “Rhythms of West Africa“, August 2022
  • Dodho Magazine Photo-Essay “Tribal Dances“. Issue #20, March 2022
  • All About Photo Magazine, Travel, “The Wodaabes, Nomads of the Sahel”. Issue #20, August 2021
  • Portraits of Humanity, “Among the Sheep”. Vol. 3, Hoxton Mini Press, 2021
  • Shadow and Light Magazine, “Kazakh Childhood” .Nov/Dec 2021
  • Dodho Magazine Photo-Essay “Kazakh Children“, Issue #16, March 2021
  • Lens Magazine Photo-Essay “More Colorful than Life“. Issue #74, November 2020
  • Shadow and Light Magazine, “Wodaabe Herder Boy“. Sept/Oct 2020 
  • Lens Magazine Photo-Essay “A Wodaabe Gathering“. Issue #70, July 2020
  • Portraits of Humanity, “Wodaabe Girls”. Vol. 2, Hoxton Mini Press, 2020
  • Dodho Online Magazine, Photo-Essay “A Wodaabe Gathering
  • Dodho Online Magazine, Photo-Essay “La Romeria del Rocio
  • Dodho Online Magazine, Photo-Essay “Irish Travellers
  • Dodho Online Magazine, Photo-Essay “Brick-by-Brick
  • Dodho Online Magazine, Photo-Essay “Heavy Loads of Colorful Fair
  • All About Photo Magazine, Travel, Benin: “Raffia, Palm Oil and Voodoo”, Issue #11, April 2020
  • All About Photo Magazine, Street, “Life in the Streets”, Issue #8, November 2019
  • All About Photo Magazine, The Mind’s Eye, “Among the Sheep”, Special Issue, 2019
  • PDN (Photo District News), “Among the Sheep”, December 2017
  • PDN (Photo District News), On the Road in Dhaka, December 2018″

Exhibitions

Curated Group Exhibitions

  • Miami Street Photography Festival, History Miami Museum, December 2, 2022- January 3, 2021
  • Jeonju International Photography Festival (with EOMS) South Korea, September 23-October 9, 2022
  • Eyes on Main Street, 8th Ed., Wilson, NC, USA, October 20, 2022-March 30, 2023
  • Women Street Photographers, Hyderabad, India, November 18-December 19, 2022
  • PHOTO IS:RAEL, International Photography Festival, November 23-December 3, 2022
  • Eyes on Main Street, 7th Ed., Wilson, NC, USA, October 20, 2021-March 30,2022
  • Focus PhotoLA, Los Angeles, CA, September 16-September 19, 2021
  • Women Street Photographers, 59 Rivoli Gallery, Paris, July 26-August 8, 2021
  • Finding the Light, an exhibition at Photo-Place Gallery, Middlebury, VT, December 31, 2020-January 21, 2021
  • Women Street Photographers, ArtSpace, New York City, NY, December 11-28 2020
  • Center for Photographic Arts, 2020 International Juried Show, Carmel, CA, November 14-December 20, 2020
  • Women Street Photographers, State Historical Museum, Chelyabinsk, Russia, August 27-September 27, 2020
  • 14th Julia Margaret Cameron Exhibition, Foto-Nostrum Gallery, Barcelona March 4-28, 2020
  • 13th Julia Margaret Cameron Exhibition, Gallery Valid Foto, Barcelona, October 9-26, 2019
  • Women at Work, an exhibition at PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, November 7-30, 2019
  • Travel: Places and Faces , an exhibition at Photo-Place Gallery, Middlebury, VT, November 7-December 9, 2018
  • Dnj Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, July-August 2015
  • Los Angeles Center of Photography, Los Angeles, CA, July-August 2014d

Exhibitions

  • Solus World View Visceral Dance Company
    Performance inspired by my images- July 2017
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