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A full commitment to promoting cultural preservation
 In early 2000 during the CASKE expedition
J-Philippe founded Native Planet, a 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit
Organization. Its mission is to promote cultural
preservation. Native Planet offers consultation and
implementation of solutions that empower local communities
and help them in their efforts to preserve their autonomy,
land and culture. It promotes small-scale cultural
eco-tourism as a sustainable development solution by
consulting directly with native communities, producing
engaging documentaries of their lifestyles and promoting
their tourism programs to travelers via a set of online
resources. It also assesses the needs of specific
communities, and connects individuals and organizations to
genuine opportunities to give assistance. For more
information please visit the Native Planet website at
http://www.nativeplanet.org/
Communication and trust, immediacy and emotion
 J-Philippe’s signature is shooting
photos that tell a story. He prefers candid shots that
capture the immediacy and spontaneous emotion of a moment in
lieu of artificial or re-created scenes. His philosophy is
that it is crucial for the photographer to establish
communication and trust with his subjects, especially when
working with Indigenous peoples. Jean-Philippe often spends
days and sometimes weeks building a good rapport with
villagers before shooting his first frames. A difference
that is evident in the quality of his work..
Uniquely qualified for the toughest assignments
As a photographer, Jean-Philippe will consider
assignments related to world cultures and adventure/leisure
travel, especially those focusing on indigenous peoples’
issues.
His experience as a guide in mountains, jungles and oceans
(diving and sea-kayaking), his language skills (English,
French, Japanese, Spanish, Indonesian) and his broad network
of contacts developed through the
Native Planet NGO,
make him uniquely qualified to carry out assignments in
areas where others would run into serious difficulties. He
considers his most important asset to be his ability to
relate to people from all walks of life and to negotiate his
way through difficult situations, such as tribal politics
and dealings with government officials. Photography isn’t
just a job, it is a way of life, a way of making friends and
in Jean-Philippe's opinion, the best way to promote mutual
cultural respect and understanding.
Jean-Philippe sells his photos directly
through:
Around
the World in a Viewfinder
a culture & travel stock photo agency
He is also represented by the following
Stock Photo Agencies:
Bilderberg
(Germany)
Hoa Qui (France)
Jean-Philippe is available for assignments as:
Visit Jean-Philippe's portfolio website:
www.jpsviewfinder.com/jps/
or
View his latest documentary work:
Mentawai Shamans and Traditional Hunters
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View some of Jean-Philippe's Reportages:
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Read some of Jean-Philippe's Stories:
To Be Published:
Adventure & Travel:
Culture & Health:
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Return
to: Around
the World in a Viewfinder
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Travel/documentary
photographer Jean-Philippe Soule was born in France in 1966.
He spent two years as a guide in the Mountain Commando Elite
Special Forces of the French Army. He then immigrated to the
States in 1987 and over the next 5 years, worked his way up
through the ranks to manage a localization team at
Microsoft. His thirst for adventure, extreme sports, and
travel and a lifelong interest in world cultures led him to
Asia for a seven year long adventure. He trekked in the
Himalayas, explored the jungles of Sumatra and Irian-Jaya,
Indonesia, lived for 6 months with a family of shamans among
the secluded Mentawai tribe on the island of Siberut (
