About Chris

My name is Christian Gilles. I was born on the 29th of december 1983 on a small French island located in the Indian Ocean. I grew up between Paris (where mom is from), Reunion and first arrived in Australia in 2005.

From a young age, I have always enjoyed taking photographs. Back then, I used Polaroid & Film Cameras such as my fantastic Canon AE-1. Funny enough, I remembered my parents telling to slow down on the number of photographs I used to take. Indeed, the digital era was at least 10 years away and, film processing could become very expensive. But when you are a kid, you don’t think about all of this. You believe that money grows in trees and the only thing that matters to you is being happy.
A lot of people ask me how I started everything. Well, there is no formal answer and it is because of a combination of circumstances that I am doing this today. You know, I am self taught and would have never thought in a million years that I would be a photographer.
It all started in New Zealand in 2009 when I could not find a job in my branch. In Paris, I studied economy & business to become a financial analyst but such jobs where hard to find in Christchurch, especially for a foreigner.
I soon decided that I needed to do something to live/survive. What could I do? Well, I’ve been taking pictures all my life and thought about selling them. So, I decided to start doing the markets.My very first market was on the West Coast of New Zealand in a little place that I love more than anything else called Punakaiki. For those who know, it is the place where there are the famous Pancake Rocks. I received a fantastic response from the public and decided to give it a go in a biiger city, Christchurch. I was soon welcomed by the managers (Gloria&Joe), fellow stallholders and my work became popular with the locals & tourists!

Today, I proudly trade at one of Australia’s most famous markets: The Rocks Market. I’m still building a portfolio and believe that it is always a work in progress.
I have got many projects to come & to be achieved and, following my dreams is one of them!
Everyday, many people ask me what is my favourite photograph and what sort of camera do I use. Well, my favourite photograph is the one I am going to take tomorrow and you don’t need the best camera in the world to achieve the best results!

In conclusion, I would like to thank everybody who has supported me for the last 3 years and say that being happy, hard-worker & passionate are the keys of the success!
Please feel free to contact me at anytime if you have any questions whatsoever.

Regards & good luck to all,

Christian Gilles.