Jeremy Chouibkhi, a photographer and videographer based in Longny-au-Perche in Normandy's Orne region, has carved out a unique niche in the world of equestrian and western imagery. His distinctive visual style has taken him across multiple countries, including France, Belgium, and the United States, where western culture holds particular popularity.
Chouibkhi's journey into professional photography began modestly, like many others who started taking photos with their phones because "a good camera isn't cheap." As a young adult searching for his path, he spent time in the military before working in the restaurant industry. However, he found the demanding schedule of restaurant work didn't suit him well, describing it as "a complicated rhythm that didn't really fit me."
The turning point came four or five years ago when he received a camera as a Christmas gift. "That was the trigger that made me fully dive into this," he explained. This gift reignited a long-held passion for beautiful imagery that he had kept in the back of his mind for years.
In 2022, before settling in the hills of Perche, Chouibkhi began his career in northern France, particularly in Lille. He reached out to several music festivals in the region to do photography work and also covered sports events, including photographing the women's team of LOSC (Lille football club). However, he quickly found himself trapped in a purely event-based routine that no longer felt fulfilling.
Fortunately, Chouibkhi discovered something that truly inspired him: the equestrian world. "I love animals in general, but horses especially; everything related to riders and also the western universe; it's a real community," he said. He began working with the departmental equestrian committee of Nord, and his passion was rekindled. "I quickly found enormous pleasure in covering this world, and it allows you to travel quite a bit around the territory, to see the countryside, following competitions and events organized everywhere."
Although his work required constant travel, Chouibkhi needed a home base, both for himself and especially for his family. He found this anchor point in the Perche region, an area he "didn't know at all," and more specifically in Longny-les-Villages, where he has resided since 2023.
Settling in this new territory provided the perfect opportunity to showcase his skills far from his region of origin. "I was very well received here," he emphasized. "What scared me about coming here was not being able to make myself known, but word of mouth spread very quickly."
As someone passionate about the equestrian world, he has photographed numerous competitions and quickly made contact with the town hall, beginning to photograph various events and ceremonies. In the process, he connected with the local firefighters, marking the beginning of a strong relationship with Longny's fire department.
Chouibkhi created the photos for this year's firefighters' calendar. Although he cannot accompany the firefighters directly to emergency calls, he follows them during training exercises and courses. "I love this small fire station; it's a real family," he explained.
However, Chouibkhi documents the firefighters' work in a different way – not through photography, but through video. He is also a videographer, and "today, I think I do more video than photography, even though I remain versatile." This decision to offer video services came from a desire not to get locked into a photography routine.
Whether working with still images or moving pictures, Chouibkhi offers a "cinematic" artistic direction inspired by American blockbusters. His work is recognizable by its strong contrasts and controlled saturation and color grading. "It's a visual aspect that I love, and in video services, it's rare to offer that," he noted.
While Chouibkhi learned photography through training with Jerome Thierry, he taught himself videography. Mastering the difficulty of color grading was no small feat. "I learned by trying different software, testing lots of settings, understanding how it works, color curves – all of that is far from simple," he said.
The software he uses for color grading his video productions is DaVinci Resolve, the same program used for numerous Hollywood films including Avatar, La La Land, and Pirates of the Caribbean. "The idea is to respect the color codes of different worlds – rather yellowish for western; more red for the firefighters' world," he explained.
Chouibkhi delivers his video productions "turnkey" to clients with quick turnaround times. "For photos, they're delivered in about two days," he said. His skills have allowed him to shine not only locally in Longny-les-Villages but well beyond the town's borders, throughout France, Belgium, and even the United States, "a country where the western universe is in another dimension entirely."
