Portrait © Maggie Steber
Éléonore Simon is a photographer, operations manager, and writer with a background in literature and art history (Université Lumière Lyon II, the University of Pennsylvania). After starting her career in New York, where she worked as a studio manager and served as a teaching assistant at the International Center of Photography, she moved to Valparaíso, Chile, in 2016. There, she developed different bodies of work, among which Valparaíso, a street photography series exploring the mythical seaport. In 2022 she moved back to France and joined the team of the French photography magazine EPIC.
Her photography, which captures the poetic interplay of light, shadow, and form in everyday moments, has been exhibited in the U.S., Europe, and Chile, and has earned her numerous awards. Éléonore is also an active member of UP Photographers, the editorial board of revue EPIC, and the association Les Filles de la Photo. She frequently contributes articles to publications such as revue EPIC and Process and participates as a guest and jury member at international photography festivals.
Highlights
Exhibition Valparaíso
In Santiago, Chile
Solo show at the Centro Cultural Las Condes in Santiago, Chile, supported by the French Institute of Chile.
See video introduction on YouTube and articles in the newspapers El Mercurio and Las Últimas Noticias.
Publication in Revue Epic #4
“Parmi les villes qui fascinent, le nom de Valparaíso résonne, et souvent en couleur ! Éléonore Simon en a monté et descendu chaque escalier, s’est faufilée dans chaque ruelle pour réaliser de la « Vallée Paradis » un portrait tout en lignes et en courbes, une plongée dans un port et ses habitants, qui ne sont pas tous humains.”
"Among the cities that fascinate, the name of Valparaíso resonates, and often in color! Éléonore Simon climbed up and down every staircase, snuck into every alley to create a portrait of the "Paradise Valley" all in lines and curves, a dive into a port and its inhabitants, who are not all human."
Le réalisme magique d’Eléonore Simon, interview with Genaro Bardy
“Dans cette interview Planche Contact, Éléonore Simon partage son expérience et une série de photos prises à Valparaiso pendant le confinement du Covid-19.
Elle présente ensuite une série de photos prises dans une arrière-cour d'une église à Valparaiso, expliquant son processus de sélection et son choix de travailler en noir et blanc. Enfin, elle discute de son projet sur Valparaiso et partage son processus de sélection et d'édition des photos.
Éléonore explique comment elle choisit les images qui se démarquent et comment elle construit une séquence narrative. Elle discute également de son approche des personnages dans la photographie, en privilégiant les figures isolées ou ambiguës pour créer du mystère.”
"In this Planche Contact interview, Éléonore Simon shares her experience and a series of photos taken in Valparaiso during the Covid-19 lockdown.
She then presents a series of photos taken in the backyard of a church in Valparaiso, explaining her selection process and her choice to work in black and white. Finally, she discusses her project on Valparaiso and shares her process of selecting and editing the photos.
Éléonore explains how she chooses the images that stand out and how she builds a narrative sequence. She also discusses her approach to characters in photography, favoring isolated or ambiguous figures to create mystery."
Exhibitions and features
Solo exhibition
Valparaíso, Centro Cultural Las Condes | Santiago, Chile | Nov 2021
Group exhibitions
Paris, Année 0 | Leica Store Paris Beaumarchais | Oct-Nov 2024
La Vie en Bleu | Mediterraneo, Gare du Sud Nice | June 2024
Retina Latinomérica Otras Calles | Hidalgo, Mexico | Jul-Aug 2022
Women Street Photographers
Artspace PS109 | New York, NY | April 2022
59 Rivoli | Paris, France | Aug 2021
Artspace PS109 | New York, NY | Dec 2020
State Historical Museum | Chelyabinsk, Russia | Aug 2020
Kuala Lumpur Photography Festival | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Aug 2019
PhoS Photo Festival | Sofia, Bulgaria | May 2019
Mirada de Mujer
Biblioteca Pablo Neruda | Santiago, Chile | Nov-Dec 2021
Centro Cultural Agustín Ross | Pichilemu, Chile | Aug 2021
Perrera Arte | Santiago, Chile | Jun-July 2021
Head On Festival Double Trouble: Exposing Women in Street
Brisbane, Australia | Mar 2021
Sydney, Australia | Nov-Dec 2020
Los Diez AI-AP (American Illustration and American Photography)
Photoville | New York, NY | Sept 2019
Angel Orensanz Foundation | New York, NY | Nov 2018
Two Way Street Street Foto San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | June 2019
Let There Be Light (and Shadow) Umbrella Arts Gallery; New York | NY Feb-Mar 2018
Magnum Swap Shop theprintspace; London, United Kingdom | June-July 2017
Scene on the Street Jadite Galleries; New York | NY Feb 2017
Anthologies
Reclaim the Street. Stephen McLaren & Matt Stuart, published by Thames & Hudson, April 2023
Women Street Photographers. Edited by Gulnara Samoilova, published by Prestel, March 2021
Publications
Revue Epic, Volume 4, October 2021
Eyeshot Magazine, The Mirror, December 2020
Eyeshot Magazine, Flora and Fauna, April 2020
Festivals
The Photographer’s Gallery Photo London 2023 (“Reclaim the Street” round table)
Basquedok Festival 2022 (speaker and portfolio reviewer)
Street Week by the Los Angeles Center of Photography 2021 (speaker; watch the presentation on YouTube)
Italian Street Photography Festival 2021 (judge)
Street Foto San Francisco 2020 (judge)
Street Photo Milano 2019 (speaker, portfolio reviewer and “Photo Slam” judge)
Miami Street Photography Festival 2018 (speaker and judge)
Street London 2018 (panelist and speaker for Women in Street)
Live presentations and interviews
Le Réalisme Magique d'Eléonore Simon, Interview with Genaro Bardy (in French), May 2024
Women Street Photographers, Interview and exhibition walk-through, November 2021
Retina Latinoamerica, Interview (in Spanish), November 2021
Observadores Urbanos, Interview (in Spanish, on YouTube), April 2021
Street Week in LA by the Los Angeles Center of Photography, Presentation and Q&A (YouTube), April 2021
Conversation with the Unexposed Collective and the Women of UP, Presentation and Q&A (YouTube), March 2021
Street Photography Magazine, Podcast, April 2019
Features & Press
Las Últimas Noticias, “Fotógrafa francesa queda cautivada por los rincones de Valparaíso”, November 21, 2021
El Mercurio, “Fotógrafa francesa captura la emotividad de Valparaíso”, November 10, 2021
Retina Latinoamerica, Valparaíso, September 2021 (in Spanish, and in English)
Three Photo Influences Of Mine, Outerfocus Website, May 2020
BEX Autores, MIRAM - Mirada de Mujer, April 2020
Caption Magazine, Interview and feature of Las Mujeres Detrás del Volante: Micreras de Valparaíso, March 2020
AI-AP, Dispatches from Latin America: Discovering a New Life and Vision in Valparaiso, Chile, October 2019
UP Photographers, Interview, October 2019
Eyeshot Magazine, Valparaíso, June 2019
Street Photography Magazine, Artist of the Month, April 2019
ARTPIL, Valparaíso, Improvisation Becomes Art, March 2019
Underexposed Magazine, Interview, October 2018
Women in Street, In Valparaíso, Chile with Eléonore Simon, July 2018
Podcast Les Sœurs Simon
A podcast about creative endeavors: inspirations, writing, photography, (un)decisive moments and more. Created with my sister, Héloïse Simon (podcast in French, available on Sound Cloud).
Un podcast de deux sœurs artistes, Éléonore la photographe et Héloïse l’écrivaine. Ensemble, on parle projets en cours, instants décisifs et moins décisifs, syndrome de la page blanche, inspirations, conseils et cheminements. Le 3e jeudi du mois.
Contact
To discuss assignments, collaborative projects, or simply to say hello, you can use the contact form below or email me at eleonoresimonphotography(at)gmail(dot)com.
I also offer individual tutoring sessions. Whether you are looking for long-term mentoring or an occasional meeting to work through a creative or technical issue, I will be happy to help move your creative project forward! Please get in touch to inquire about rates.