Mercedes Schlumpf

I was born into a family that brought the first automobiles to market at the beginning of the last century. For as long as I can remember, I have always heard about motorsport at home and automobiles in the broad sense.

My passion for modes of transport on land also led me to develop a passion for boats during the many school holidays that I spent in Brittany. After my military service in the Navy I began learning how to make sails for large racing multihulls and the last 12MJIs in the America's Cup at the end of the 1980s.

Back in the Paris region, I will join the DPPI press agency created by my father in 1962 where I will learn the basics of photography and business during the first 3 years.

Through a combination of circumstances I will create, develop and manage what will become 10 years later the most important structure for marketing boat photos within a photographic press agency.

At the beginning of this century I will restore several old automobiles, including one of the most emblematic single-seaters in French motorsport that had launched Matra Sport in a quest for victories for 10 years.

After this interlude I returned to my job as a photographer to produce subjects on automobile heritage and motorboats.