Rapsodia - Staff


SAMuel Bié, photographer, reporter. National instructor, international competition opener and former member of the French Team, all in the climbing field. Extreme sports and nature photo specialist. Contributor to several specialized magazines. More info on his website.


			Laurent Bouvet, photographer and journalist. Federal climbing instructor, skier, climber, paraglider, hang-glider. Creator of RAPSODIA agency. A lot of adventure and extreme sports features for magazines in several countries (VSD, l'Equipe mag, FHM, New Look, Focus, Quo, Vertical, Ski Français, Trek Mag, Outdoor, Climbing…) Advertising, publishing and institutional references. (DDB, Young & Rubicam, EuroRSCG, Publicis, FKGB, Décathlon, Dynamic, Flammarion, Glénat, ATD Haute Savoie, 2 Alpes…) Partnership with the Scarpa brand. Distinguishing marks : Picks up everything that's lying around and puts in his images box everything that does not fit in his backpack. See his portrait diffused on TF1 channel.


Damien Butaeye , photographe. Initiateur de la Fédération française de spéléologie, docteur en Hydrogéologie et amoureux de la nature minérale, son caillou préféré reste le 24 mm ! Ainsi, depuis 10 ans il peint à la lumière les réseaux boueux, aquatiques ou vertigineux du sixième continent, souvent suspendu à la bonne humeur de ses coéquipiers plus ou moins conquis à l'idée de se geler en attendant que cette satanée corde soit stabilisée pour la photo… Variant les plaisirs avec les treks en autonomie (dès que l'altitude a dégagé les rochers de ces parasites de végétaux !), il décide finalement d'abandonner les contrats de recherche, tout aventureux qu'ils soient, pour la valorisation du patrimoine souterrain, en exploitant notamment son talent pour la photographie.


			Blaise Chappuis, photographer and cameraman. Parachutist since 1990, he begins parachuting video and photo in 94, following the national Switzerland team. To realize images is for him the best way to making share his passion for parachuting with people who do not jump. Tandems monitor, BASE-jumper, he devotes the little of time which remains to him between the jumps and the photos to an activity of cabinetmaker. What is interest him in the parachuting photo, is to be able to manage his camera angles in three dimensions. To carve the image as he does on the wood in short... Others info on his web site.


Guillaume Dargaud, photographe. Ingénieur mercenaire et grimpeur du dimanche. L'escalade, c'est comme l'amour ou la photo : un choix difficile que de décider d'en vivre exclusivement ! Alors il se vend au plus offrant pour des missions informatiques, si possible près de quelque montagne lointaine. A vécu 1 an dans le centre de l'Alaska, 5 ans à Rome, 2 ans au Colorado et 2 ans en Antarctique où 2 expéditions dans le centre et un hivernage ne l'ont pas arrangé... Passe tous ces week-end et ses vacances sur glace et rocher, un piolet dans une main et un appareil photo dans l'autre. A la chance de pouvoir faire des économies en confondant compagnon de cordée, épouse et modèle. Auteur d'un site ouaibe populaire depuis 1996.


			Alan Delizée, photographer and journalist. High Mountain guide, ski instructor, this explorer-traveler likes to stroll through the fields or anywhere that "the world will reveal her colors to him". After studies in engineering, he prefers being out on the land and often leaves his native Switzerland and picture postcard landscapes to "see what lies behind the mountains." He works with magazines like Les Alpes, l'Illustré, Alpinisme & Randonnée et Novos publishers. Alan is at the origin of the mountain guides agency AD Ski & Alpinisme.


Patrice Foresti, photographer and journalist. MA in history and BA in geography from the University of Humanities at Toulouse. Official national mountain guide, naturalist guide accredited by Canadian parks and founder of a trekking agency in the Rockies. He has surveyed the Canadian West for over 10 years to share his passion and knowledge of the land. Avid moutain biker and unreserved independent trekker, he participates in equipment testing for the Aigle brand. Various publications of catalogue illustrations and reports for magazines.


			Stephane Godin, photographer. Already very small, at school, he was looking by a window. Holder of a master of photography, Stephane works on all photo formats, but he only feel well when the light is beautiful. Landscapes, winter sports, white water, mountain, macro, travels, illustration, studio, he is a real compulsive image eater. He works regularly for ski resorts (Les Arcs, Vallandry, Les Menuires, Val Thorens, Les Saisies, St Gervais, Le Vercors) and for different other kinds of customers (Rossignol, Pays Comtois, Pays Rhône Alpes, Territoires de France, MGM, Ski Francais…) His last satisfaction : the advent of digital work. The photo laboratory in 1 click of mouse without darkroom or chemistry. The happiness !


Christian Haase, photographer. He discovered his grandfather's full set of "L'Illustration" and his Rolleiflex when he was a little boy. An architecture degree in nomadic settlement and some long trips in the Himalayas definitively made him develop a liking for hiking. Producing ski and snowboard pictures for manufacturers (Rossignol, York, Wheeler, Hot Snowboard) and press, advertising shots for advertising agencies (DDB Nouveau Monde, Louis XIV, Publicis Alpes) as well as institutional photo shoots (ATD Savoie/Haute Savoie, Ski France, Avoriaz, Les Aravis) and fashion photos (Camif, Influence, Matin Bleu), has made him appreciate this profession for 15 years and given him the chance to discover the landscapes and inhabitants of the planet.


			Cyril Jegado, adventurer and photographer. Cyril's distinguishing mark is… That he lives on his bicycle ! Having left in September 96 to go around the world on 2 wheels, he and his wife, Nathalie, haven't stopped pedaling on all the world's roads ever since. After a quick stop back in France to bring a charming baby into the world, they, all three of them, have already taken off again for a 5 to 8 year adventure… Traveling 20 km/hour in wind or snow, he is always in search of funny or quaint sights, a splice of life or unique reports.


Thierry Laforets, reporter, photographer. Sports has always been his passion. The 1976's Olympic summer games in Montreal will always keep a special place in his mind. Watching those games on his nurse's tv set will last for ever as his first crush on sports. He immediatly fel in love with sports and decided to make pictures of it. Further on, he has spent 4 years in Canada and the USA where he has been able to work more professionaly his backgrounds, his eye and his way of shooting. Back in Europe he still works as a freelancer for northern american, asian and european agencies and newspapers. A fluent way of writing allows him to illustrate his reports with texts in order to feel closer to his models.


			Quang-Tuan Luong, photographer. Graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique, mountain climber, mountain guide, traveler. Although he does use 35mm film, he is really satisfied only when he creates a 5x7 inch transparency with his field camera. He lives in the United States, where he has visited 55 of the 57 national parks. Also very familiar with the south-east Asia of his ancestors. After a specialized period as mountain photographer (collaborator with Climbing magazine, creator of a very popular mountain photography web site, the monograph "Souvenirs from high places: a history of mountain photography" ends with his images), he became a travel and nature generalist photographer. He also keeps up the most acknowledged large format photography web site.


Jérôme Maupoint, flying photographer. Climbing federal instructor then mountain guide, he practiced acrobatic works during a long time. In 1996 he catches 2 serious incurable diseases : photography and flight in paraglide. Then to avoid the long treatments, he does not hesitate to travel and spend much time under the cumulus. By the way he collaborates with French and foreign paragliding magazines (Aérial, Parapente Mag, Cross Country, Fly & Glide…). He appears that Jérôme cannot fly in paraglide with his 2 controls... In the fight, when the others makes some oil, he has its Nikon in a hand and only one brake in the other. What can it arrive to him finally ? In the worst case, he misses the photo !


			Franck Oddoux, photographer and journalist. MA and a post-graduate qualification in Information and Communication at Grenoble University, skiing instructor, funboarder since 1980. Has worked for mountain specialized press since 1992. Previous editorial director of Skier and Snowbeat magazines, reporter for VerticalRoc and Ski Francais magazines, in charge of the equipment tests for Ski Francais. Contributions to French and foreign press : l'Equipe magazine, Le Monde, VSD, FHM, Télérama, Ski Session, Alpes Magazine, Alp, Adrenaline, Fit for Fun, Runner's world... His credo ? Away when there is powder snow or mistral.


Patricia Oudit, journalist. Has worked at l'Étudiant magazine for several years, while freelancing here (l'Équipe Mag, Planche Mag, VSD Glisse, Lui...) and there (Libération, l'Humanité, Bayard Press group...) Some radio (a programme on RMC, some commentary on Radio-France). Freelance journalist since 1995. Deals mainly with sport-leisure features, consumption and society surveys for VSD, l'Etudiant, Phosphore, La Vie, Cosmostreet (Gallimard Jeunesse), l'Hebdo des Juniors, Psychologie and l'Express Paris.


			Patrice Schreyer, photographer. He snaps a shot of anything related to the mountains and his pet sports. Rock climber, skier and mountain climber, his kilos of photography material are his most faithful friends. He works freelance for several Swiss ski resorts and works actively with the mountain equipment company Mammut. More information available on his website.


Jean-Pierre Vigne, sport photographer. National waterskiing instructor and competitor, this fanatic of aquatic sports specialized himself in the photography of waterskiing and wakeboarding. Partner of the FFSN, he collaborates with specialized magazines (W&S magazine) and moves each year on the best waterskiing places in France and abroad. He sometimes uses a waterproof box to approach its models, but he always refused to swim with its 600 mm lense. Frightened of sinking like a stone ?