No more the latest Bugatti: in Aix-en-Provence, Yannick Neve is a dream car photographer.

A convertible red awaits us near Oustaù per Touti, a reception hall in Cabriès. On the edge of the D60, it is in this parking area that its owner, Yannick Nève, meets. He has seen very few red cars, the ones that go faster than others. This 24-year-old from Aix and Var, is a car photographer. And of course he is one of the few to make a living from it, in Provence.

A quick trip to the Instagram social network is enough to discover the kind of cars that stand in front of his lens. One of the latest posts in his feed shows a unique car that he has photographed. There, in front of the sunset that the Côte d’Azur has its secret, the Bugatti W16 Mistral faces the Mediterranean. Limited to 100 examples, priced at five million euros each, this French supercar is Bugatti’s flagship model featuring a 1,500 horsepower W16 engine.

Photographing the Bugatti W16 Mistral, “his best memory”

It is one of the most luxurious cars released in recent years, and so Yannick photographed it. “German photographer Stephan Bauer (big name in automotive photography, Editor’s note) he asked me to be his assistant for two daysremembers Aixois, who did not hesitate long before accepting. I helped him a lot with equipment, packing things. But when there was a shortage, I used the opportunity to take my photos. We shot at sunrise and sunset. We were the only ones in the world who had approached the car at that time. It was quite an organization, but it’s definitely the best memory, out of everything I’ve done.“

The rest of his career is not necessarily ashamed of these pictures. Often, his photos are taken in Provence. On the Route des Crêtes, Yannick prepares a Jaguar XJS, a convertible from the 1980s. At the Col de l’Espigoulier, he captures the speed of the Ferrari 360 Modena. At the Grand Sambuc circuit, in Vauvenargues, he kills the McLaren Artura with its elytron-opening doors. In front of Sainte-Victoire, he improves the BMW Z4 road.”Cars are a passion that I have had since I was young“, recalls the photographer, who started by making skateboard videos, then “take a little picture of everything“, before devoting himself to “carspotting”, a profession that involves taking pictures of unique cars on the street.

His career path goes through the audiovisual school in Valenciennes – “despair“, he explains – then the Erasmus year in Vienna (Austria), and finally BTS in photography at the Blaise-Pascal high school in Marseille.Then I went independentcontinues Yannick, who managed to monetize his work a year ago. It went from strength to strength, with one shot a month, then several a week.“

Provence “lends itself well to car photography”

Its customers are luxury car dealers, such as Overdrive Automobile in Venelles, or the famous CarJager platform in Aix-en-Provence. “I really liked the artistic side of it“, believes Théo Masurel, co-founder of Mistral Motors, a businessman from Signes (Var). He entrusted him with the task of launching a Porsche 911 type 993 for sale.Yannick is very enthusiastic. Immediately, he took out his camera to shoot everything. He even asked me to move cars to play with shadows.“”I edit a lotHe describes the great party of the mind, who always works with the light of nature. That creates obstacles, in terms of climate. The beginning or end of the day, when the light is slightly orange, is perfect. When there is a lot of sun, or the weather is cloudy, it is a good ground.“

Besides, what is a good car photo? “I like it when they are rolling“, explains Yannick. To photograph the car in motion, he sits on the open trunk of another, which is in front of the model.With a beautiful backdrop, it’s even better.“

That’s good, Provence has no shortage of them. “The region lends itself well to automotive photography“, continues Yannick, behind the wheel of the Alfa Romeo GTV Spider. We have everything we need, including the sea, passes, small mountains.“He’s looking forward to stepping up a gear soon, and partnering with developers who make him dream.”BMW, I would like, but instead of old models“, he said, also admitting weakness to Porsche. Before speeding up, hair blowing in the wind.