Born in France in 1952, Simon Chaput has had a passion for photography since his father gave him a Kodak Brownie camera for his 8th birthday. As a youth, he devoured photography publications and taught himself how to shoot and set up his own darkroom so that he could print his own pictures. His intent was to study photography at secondary school, but due to setbacks, including required French military service, his desire to be a photographer was thwarted until later life. It wasn’t until after he left France, closing down his art gallery that he had owned for seven years and moved to New York in 1983, that he would be inspired again to start shooting and focus on his photography.
