His colourful, dynamic and often humorous work catches the eye and captures the imagination, and he has a surefooted commercial sensibility thanks to his unusual background. Before becoming a full-time photographer, Jean–Yves was an art director at ad agency DDB. Now splitting his time between London, Paris and New York, he believes this insight into the other side of the creative process shapes his approach. So on the one hand he understands how big agencies operate and what clients expect, and he is very respectful of a campaign's core idea. But at the same time he believes his job as a photographer is to push it as far as he can.