Lucas Veuve Photography
Lucas
Veuve
Swiss-born documentary photographer and filmmaker. Phnom Penh to Malaysia. Humanitarian storytelling across Asia. Co-founder of Big Boat Films.
Lucas Veuve · @lucasveuve
"My grandmother is my greatest inspiration. She always depicted the characters in her film with dignity and artistry. I can already see her influence in my work."
Some of the most interesting people I have met in my life so far happened to be expats living and working in Cambodia. On my last visit to Phnom Penh I met Lucas Veuve: a Swiss travel photographer equally inspiring in his humanitarian work with NGOs including CARE International, ECPAT and Friends International. He had moved from London to Phnom Penh and found, as he describes it, "a breath of fresh, dusty air." His grandmother, Jacqueline Veuve, was a respected Swiss film director. Growing up on her film sets gave him both his instinct for storytelling and his commitment to depicting subjects with dignity.
My grandmother is my greatest inspiration. She was a successful filmmaker, documenting the life of interesting people and their crafts. She always depicted the characters in her films with dignity and artistry. When I was a child, I used to go on the film set and observe her at work. It really inspired me to get out and start shooting. I can already see her influence in my work: I love documenting the life of people and communities and raising awareness of issues affecting them in a dignifying manner.
One of my first major assignments was for CARE International in Sri Lanka. My partner Aimee and I spent two days in the tea plantation documenting the life of tea pluckers and how they are empowering women on the estates. I met some extraordinary people dedicated to giving women a greater voice in the running of the estates. The technology and processes have not changed since the colonial period. It was like going back in time, but everything worked like clockwork. Why change something that isn't broken?
I like the laid-back lifestyle most. Moving from London, it was a breath of fresh, dusty air. People drive like crazy here but there is no road rage or anger in the traffic. Phnom Penh is full of potential and there is not a day without a new business opening up. I have been able to work as a freelancer as the cost of living is much lower than England or Switzerland. I can afford to do what I love to do without struggling. There is an interesting mix of local Khmers, Khmers who grew up overseas and came back, and expats like myself, which makes the city incredibly diverse.
"I watched a documentary on land grabbing and evictions in Phnom Penh and met the activist during the screening. She invited me to follow her group who have been fighting for housing rights since their eviction. Land grabbing is a very common story here as Cambodia develops at such a fast pace."
Lucas Veuve · Phnom PenhI really like to read David DuChemin's blog. He always brings up interesting topics on photography and vision. I also follow Zach Arias' blog: he shares a lot of his knowledge on photography and technique and it's always engaging. I also watch a lot of documentaries which unfortunately don't always get broadcast widely or are too controversial for some countries to show. It's great to know that there are people out there expressing what they believe and raising lesser-known issues.
Big Boat Films
Lucas Veuve is now a director and storyteller based in Malaysia, driven by a genuine passion for digging up unique narratives and creating content that makes a positive impact for brands. His humanitarian photography continues across Asia: from India's Kashmir to Cambodia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Philippines. His commercial work includes Samsung, Hilton, Raffles, Google, Huawei, SC Johnson and DBS Bank.
He co-founded Big Boat Films, a production company based in Hong Kong and Malaysia specialising in branded content and full-production management from concept to delivery. The grandmother's influence is still visible in everything he makes.
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More photography and documentary work from the Antakly Projects archive.
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