FRANCK BOHBOT

Biography

Franck Bohbot is a French-American photographer, filmmaker, and master of architecture and color photography. Born on November 12, 1980, he splits his time between Paris and New York City. Known for his cinematic use of color and composition, Bohbot explores the extraordinary in everyday life. His work is influenced by the visual language of classic cinema and painting, resulting in a distinctive aesthetic that blends precision, emotion, and storytelling.

Originally from Longjumeau, a suburb of Paris, Bohbot began his career in event production before turning to photography in 2008. He started as a movie set photographer for independent films in Paris, eventually discovering the work of Julius Shulman, whose architectural photography profoundly influenced Bohbot’s vision. like a still from a nonexistent film. He has drawn artistic inspiration from figures as diverse as Jeff Wall, , Luigi Ghirri, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Edward Hopper, William Eggleston and Martin Scorsese.

Bohbot’s early series, including his photographs of public swimming pools in Paris, gained recognition for their striking stillness and cinematic tone. He followed with acclaimed projects such as his Libraries and Theaters series, which further demonstrated his mastery of interior spaces and architectural storytelling.

In 2013, he moved to New York City, where his career expanded as he began contributing to The New York Times, New York Magazine, and other major publications. During this period, he developed several iconic bodies of work, including Light on NYC, Cuts (portraits of barbershops), and Chinatown, a nighttime study of the neighborhood that Wired described as evoking the atmosphere of Blade Runner and modern film noir. National Geographic called him "a master of interior and exterior spaces," while ArchDaily noted his "quasiperfect symmetry" and surreal imagery. He also contributed photographs to Marla Hamburg Kennedy's Brooklyn Photographs Now, published by Rizzoli.

In 2015, Bohbot collaborated with British fashion designer Paul Smith, and was invited to exhibit in Tokyo his series Swimming Pool. They collaborated together on Paul Smith items, today sold out.

From 2015 onwards, Bohbot’s work broadened to include environmental portraits and character studies, with series such as I Am an Actor, capturing aspiring performers in their everyday lives. In 2017, he collaborated with audio archivist Philippe Ungar on We Are NY Indie Booksellers, a portrait series published in The Guardian, reflecting Bohbot’s continued fascination with storytelling, community, and cultural identity. His work during this time showcased a palette and framing often compared to the worlds of Wes Anderson.

In 2018, a family trip to Seignosse in southwestern France inspired the Forever Young series, a sun-drenched celebration of youth, freedom, and nature. This marked a turning point that led him to relocate to California.

Bohbot lived and worked in Los Angeles from 2018 to 2023 with his wife Katia, a designer, and their two daughters. Based in the Silver Lake neighborhood, he used his home as a studio. In LA, he regularly worked with publicists and PR firms, photographing emerging actors, and collaborated with interior designers while developing new fine art projects across California. His series LA Confidential and Angels explored the layered identities of the city, its dreamlike atmosphere, neon-lit nights, and diverse communities. His Back to the Arcades series, a nostalgic look at Southern California's gaming culture, is being published as a book by Settanta in 2023.

He also directed short documentaries, fashion films, and music videos alongside his photographic work. His monograph Light on New York City was published in 2016 by teNeues. Throughout his career, his images have been featured in The New York Times, Wired, Vogue, National Geographic, El País, and L’Obs. In 2013, he was commissioned by the Louvre Museum to photograph its gallery interiors.

Leica shooter for a long time, he was invited by Leica and Dubai Culture in 2021 to come and photograph with his own vision the city and its different neighborhoods, ambiance, and cultures. He has shot iconic series like Forever Young, Angels, LA Confidential, I am An Actor, or Back to The Arcade using various Leica cameras, including the Leica M6, Leica M240, Leica M10, Leica SL, and the Q series.

At the end of 2023, Bohbot returned to Paris. He began collaborating with fashion designer Iris Van Herpen, with work published in L’Officiel, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vogue. He also partnered with Maison Sarah Lavoine for Paris Design Week 2024, offering a cinematic portrait of Saint-Germain-des-Prés captured with his distinctive vision. He shot campaigns for Maison Castel, collaborated with the luxury palace Le Bristol, and continued contributing to design and architecture media, including Designboom, where he published features on Taliesin West (Frank Lloyd Wright) and the Teatro Regio in Parma (Carlo Mollino).

Now based in Europe, Bohbot is also focused on revisiting and completing earlier projects such as Swimming Pool and House of Books. He continues to travel across cities, observing and documenting youth culture, skateboarding, spaces of play and study, always driven by a fascination for color, structure, and real life. In a time dominated by artificial imagery, Bohbot remains deeply attached to reality, to moments, places, and people. His work is a visual archive, honest, vibrant, and timeless, meant to leave a human mark in the world through photography.

Exhibitions

2026 Centre Culturel du Manoir, Fondation Bodmer, Cologny, Swizterdland

2024 Maison Sarah Lavoine, Paris Design Week

2023 Pan Amsterdam

2023 Photo London

2022 Art Madrid, Spain

2021 London Art Fair, UK

2020 Photoville Brooklyn, NY

2019 London Art Fair, UK

2018 Journée Européennes des métiers d'art.

2017 Behance Pop-Up Gallery at Red Bull Arts New York. 

2016 C40 Mayors Summit, Lucie Foundation, Mexico City.

2015 Centre d'art contemporain André-Malraux, Colmar.

2015 La Nef, Wissembourg, France.

2015 New York Stories, United Photo Industries, Manhattan.

2015 "The Net" German Museum of Technology, Berlin, Germany.

2015 “Swimming Pool" at Paul Smith Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.

2014 “The colours of Architecture”, La Chambre, Strasbourg.

2014 "ASMP at American Institute of Architects (AIA), Chicago.

2014 “PROOF’s Auction & Exhibition”, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, NYC.

2014 “Affordable Art Fair on Hamstead Heath”, Crane Kalman Brighton Gallery, London.

2013 Winner IPA, during MOPLA at the Loft at Liz's, Los Angeles.

2014 “International Photography Annual”, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati.

2012 “Urban Photo Winners” Paris City Hall XII ème arrondissement.

2012 “Récit de gare” Maison de l’Architecture, Paris.

2012 “Rendez-vous image” Le Palais des congrès, Strasbourg.

Bibliography

2023 Back to The Arcade - Published by Setanta Books. ISBN 978-1-915652-04-1

2016  Light On New York City - Published by teNeues. ISBN 978-3-8327-3443-5.

2014  New York On & Off - Published by Yellow Korner. ISBN 978-2-919469-45-1

2014  Last Stop Coney Island - Self Published.  ISBN 978-1320230506

Awards

2017 1st Place, Golden, ND Awards

2014 1st Place Archifoto International Awards of architectural photography (Chinatown)

2014 2nd Place Moscou Photo Awards (Cinema)

2014 2 Honorable mentions International Photo Awards, Los Angeles (Chinatown & Cinema)

2014 Winner Third Prize PX3 Paris Photography Prize (This game we play)

2013 Winner 1st place International Photo Awards, Los Angeles (Swimming Pool)