Meet Manon Tamalet: Photographer/ director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Manon Tamalet and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Manon, how do you think about risk?
At the age of 13 I wrote my first script for a music video. 5 years later I graduated from high school, got my IELTS and moved to Los Angeles on my own without knowing anyone there, to build my career as a director. If there’s one important thing I’ve learned as an adult, it’s that in life you have to take risks, you have to get out of your comfort zone. When you want to, you can. Never give up on a dream just because of the time and risks it will take, the time will pass anyway. Going to live on another continent where I had no one, is the biggest risk I took in my life, but also the best decision I made.

Today I live from my passion, photoshoot to photoshoot, movie set to movie set, and I continue to take risks every day.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a photographer/director, I work more with men in photography, working different style of photography. I try to show a certain attraction through my photos, to put forward the beauty of men.

I work with two different cameras one digital and one film 35 mm.

I bought my first camera a short time ago, saved more than 6 months to buy it and today I have 3 cameras that I am very proud of.

I also work on movie sets as a grip and production assistant.

To succeed you need contacts, networking is very important but also talent and creativity.

To make a place for yourself as a young woman, and as a foreigner is a big challenge. You have to be the best in everything. You have to create, write, direct as much as possible.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Downtown Los Angeles is by far my favorite place in Los Angeles, it reminds me of New York. I love to get lost there, walking for hours with my film camera in hand, taking pictures of passers-by and the skyline.

To eat, I would say the little farmers market at The Grove is my favorite place, there is so much choice, I love to go there on Saturday afternoon to eat Lebanese, sit at a table in the sun and read a book. There is also a French market, where you’ll find hundreds kind of cheeses.

Then there is La Fiesta Cantina in West Hollywood which is a great place for happy hour!

If you have a film camera you should definitely go to Last Good Film Lab in Hollywood, they develop the pictures and do an amazing job.

There are so many great places in Los Angeles, it’s such a diverse city, from koreatown to little Tokyo, you have the choice.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have had great support from my family, my father and my step mom who have supported me in this decision.

Friends who believe in me and congratulate me daily, colleagues with whom I have created a very strong bond.

My father made me the person I am today, he taught me to get up, despite the injuries, the obstacles, and continue to fight no matter what.

Virginie, my step mom who made me the woman I am today, who made me the warrior.

My close friends , familia, Teresa and Beto, who are my biggest fans in Los Angeles and who taught me the values and culture here.

And my grandmother to whom I owe my passion for art.

Instagram: manontmla