Meet Arnaud Montagard, a Kedger and freelance photographer living in the USA!

After receiving a double degree from ESC Clermont and Robert Gordon University, and spending one year in Scotland where he got a Bachelor in International Business, Arnaud entered KEDGE’s Master of Management Grande Ecole Programme (GEP) in 2011 and exhibited his first photos in the Paris Salon de la Photo. He left for New York during his gap year for a six-month internship at a web marketing agency and then spent the next six months as a freelance photographer in Paris. 

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After his gap year, Arnaud spent a semester at Suzhou, China before doing a final year internship as a digital marketing consultant at the Faircom agency in New York. He won the Portrait à Vichy Festival competition that same year.

In 2015, with his diploma in hand and his end-of-studies internship completed, Arnaud decided to become a freelance photographer in Paris and then moved to New York two years later to pursue this career.

More recently, in 2018 and 2019, several of his photos have been exhibited at the International Center of Photography of New York, the Saatchi Gallery in London, and The Hoxton Hotel in Paris. 

Lastly, Arnaud has published his first photography book entitled "The Road Not Taken", has had one of his photos exhibited at the Los Angeles Festival, and won 1st place in a photography competition held by the Florida Museum of Photographic Art.

Over the course of his career, Arnaud has worked for many well-known companies such as Accor, Veuve Clicquot, Sandro Paris, Ba&sh, Adobe, Air France, and Marriott Hotels, and the quality of his work has been worthy enough to be published in Le Monde, National Geographic Traveler, Vogue, Financial Times, The Guardian, and others.

1️⃣ What gave you the idea and desire to do what you’re doing today?

"I started taking photographs seriously in high school at the age of 15, and when I was at business school I realised that I could potentially make a career out of it. Several companies contacted me to offer me work (The Kooples, Accor Hotels, and Airbnb) while I was still a student. While on my gap year, I decided to spend six months of my time as a freelance photographer. The thing that’s the most important, and what made me decide to make this my profession, is to have a passion for it."

2️⃣ What are your plans for the future?

"My future plans are to do more documentary work and exhibit my photos in new places. I’ve also lived in Louisiana for six months to develop a more journalistic approach and to focus on new subjects."

3️⃣ If you were to give advice to any KEDGE graduate who wants to do something similar, what would it be?

"The school gave me the chance to live in several different countries (China, Scotland, USA), so I was able to create a series of photos from around the world and get published in several magazines. Being self-employed also means managing your own small business. This means selling your work, marketing it in the best way possible, and knowing how to display it. I did the entrepreneur programme at school, which has helped me enormously in advancing my career. My advice: you have to try and get started without waiting too long. Time flies!"

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