EARLY SPARKS

It all began with my father, whose vast artistic and cultural curiosity sparked my love for images early on. At twelve, he gifted me my first compact camera — which I still keep today — followed by a bridge camera at fifteen, worn out from overuse.

Art quickly became my natural ground. In middle and high school, art classes were my refuge, the place where I could express myself freely. Even then, I was searching for other visual languages. At thirteen, I came across a documentary about photo studios — a revelation, the promise of a world waiting to be invented.

That same year, I discovered Japan — its culture, fashion, and rock scene. It felt freer, bolder, as if it carried a different relationship to imagery — almost avant-garde.

At fourteen, when we were asked to write down our career aspirations, I wrote: “photographer or stylist.” I’d forgotten about that paper until I found it recently — but it already said everything. At seventeen, I dreamed of Arles and photography school, but I was told the profession was too unstable. Reluctantly, I tucked that dream away.

©Charlotte Calluaud

I never truly chose photography — it’s simply always been there.

Call Studio has become the space where I gather these visions : a virtual museum of unpromised images.

THE PARIS DETOUR

I turned instead to graphic design, then 3D and art direction in Paris. I chose my school solely because it promised photography courses from the second year on. The illusion didn’t last long — the classes were scarce and disappointing. I went through five intense and painful years, constantly feeling out of place, as if I were inhabiting a skin that wasn’t mine. I graduated, but left deeply disillusioned. Photography remained in the background.

JAPAN, A REVELATION

After an internship in Luxembourg, I decided to take a leap — a sabbatical year in Japan. And everything changed. I discovered a culture where photography is omnipresent and deeply respected. Slowly, I picked up the camera again and rediscovered what made me feel alive. At twenty-seven, I finally took the plunge and joined the Nippon Photography Institute in Tokyo. Two formative, luminous years — perfectly aligned with who I am — that confirmed what I had always known deep down.

NOW

And now? I divide my time between France, Japan, and beyond. My work moves across different visual territories: from fashion to portraiture, from product to editorial — and beyond. Always with the same pursuit: open, fragmentary images that embrace imperfection and reveal their own quiet poetry.