Paola is a French photojournalist and documentary photographer based in New York City and member of Women Photograph. With a degree in Political Science and Urban Development, she began her career in the public and development sector before transitioning to photojournalism in 2020. In response to Covid-related border closures, Paola recounted stories of parted binational couples in portrait and writing. She then documented the work of the NGO Gbobètô in Benin, which leverages waste management to foster development. She relocated to Montreal in 2021, covering news for AFP and various media outlets, and graduated in May from the Documentary Practice & Visual Journalism program at the International Center of Photography, where she received the Director's Fellowship. There, she developed her project "Silent Radar" which explores the liminal space between physical and virtual reality, collaborating with users of the VRChat platform. Recently, she has worked with The Washington Post and The New York Times, and is also an assistant to Eliane Laffont (editor and curator, former director of the Gamma agency and co-founder of the Sygma agency), working on the archive of her husband, the photojournalist Jean-Pierre Laffont.
Available for assignments.
Contact information: paola.chapdelaine@gmail.com / +1 (332) 254-4821
CLIENTS
Editorial publications: The New York Times, The Washington Post, AFP (Agence France Presse), Le Devoir, Pivot Québec...
Organisations: French Ministry of Ecology, MSF (Doctors Without Borders), Le Wagon coding school...
AWARDS / EXHIBITIONS
2023. Homecoming 2022 & 2023 Collective exhibition, RIT City Space, Rochester, NY
2023. CPOY. Finalist in the Portrait category / Award of Excellence in the Portait category / Award of Excellence in the Interpretive Eve category
2023. Lenscratch Student Prize. Honorable Mention
2023. Photoville. 'Change: the urban and natural landscape' - in collaboration with ASMP, NYC
2023. "Breaking more boundaries" group exhibition, Culture Lab LIC, NYC
2023. Lucie Foundation - The Portrait Project Take Two. Finalist in the B/W category
2023. 'Lifelines' OYC group exhibition, International Center of Photography, NYC
2023. Women Street Photographers annual exhibition, NYC
2022. Selection in the 2022 Pride Project by Feminist and Art Feminist // Online exhibition + Artist Feature
2022. Trophée Femmes d'Impact laureate - artist category
2022. Laureate of the Pic for Change contest by Pic&Pick // Group exhibition at the Polka Factory, Paris, France
2020. 2 Honorable Mentions at the Paris Photography Awards (1)
2020. Jury's pick and 3rd people's choice award, "Saveurs d'Australie" Contest, Wipplay
2017. Directed "Undocumented", a short documentary film about 'La Colmena' a Staten Island organization helping undocumented immigrants find safe day labor. Selected in the "social impact" category of the MegaCities ShortDocs competition.
EDUCATION
2023. Eddie Adams Workshop XXXVI
2023. Documentary Photography & Visual Journalism, International Center of Photography (ICP), New York - Dean's scholarship
2016. Master in Urban Governance, Sciences Po
2014. Bachelor in Political Science, Sciences Po Bordeaux
