Graine de Photographe

What Graine de Photographe does

Graine de Photographe is a France-based photography education and services company operating under the legal entity SAS FULL FRAME, with its headquarters at 1 Boulevard Henri IV in Paris. The company is structured around two primary sub-brands: the consumer-facing Graine de Photographe, which delivers in-person and online photography courses, workshops, masterclasses, long-form training programs (including a 6-month Academy), thematic workshops, gift vouchers, and professional portrait sessions across more than ten French cities; and GP Business, a corporate services division offering customized training, team building events, corporate portraits, and photo/video reporting to enterprise clients and employee committees (CE). The company also operates international photo expeditions to destinations such as Brazil, Russia (Baikal and Saint-Pétersbourg), and Ireland, supported by a Paris gallery and exhibition space on Île Saint-Louis.

The underlying technology consists of a service delivery platform rather than a software product: course catalog and booking flow via grainedephotographe.com and gplab.fr, supplemented by email marketing, Instagram content, and a community newsletter (Graine de Voyageur). Equipment partnerships with Fujifilm, Sigma, Profoto, Lumix, Ricoh, and Emtec provide physical gear for expeditions and workshops, while a publishing alliance with Éditions Eyrolles and a venue partnership with Fondation GoodPlanet extend content distribution. No proprietary software platform, mobile application, or AI/ML capability is disclosed in the source materials.

The business model is predominantly transactional. Consumer revenue is generated through one-time course fees (for example, €675 per person for a 3-day Arcachon landscape workshop), gift vouchers, and trip packages. Corporate revenue from GP Business is structured as professional services engagements with customized quotes and multi-year contract terms, billed via direct contact through [email protected]. The company is privately held by founder Marc Lavaud, with no disclosed external investors, no subsidiaries, and a minimal stated capital of €20,000, reflecting a lean, founder-owned operating model.

Name

Graine de Photographe

Legal name

SAS FULL FRAME

Website

https://gplab.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Graine de Photographe is a France-based photography education and services company offering in-person and online courses, workshops, photo trips, and corporate services through its GP Business division to individual enthusiasts and enterprise clients across more than ten French cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photography Education and Training Services

NAICS

Photographic Services (54192), Commercial Photography (541922)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Photography & Videography (EDAAAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Photography & Photo Production (BPAFAIAF), Photography & Still Production (Stills, Product, Lifestyle) (MPAAAMAI)

Keywords

• Photography education
• Photography workshops
• Corporate photography services
• Team building events
• Photo training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Photography Courses and Workshops: Individual and group photography courses including techniques, creative, studio, smartphone, and retouching courses. Also includes masterclasses and themed workshops.
2. Photo Trips and Travel Packages: Organized photography trips including domestic (Arcachon, Saint-Pétersbourg) and international destinations (Baikal, Brazil). Includes workshop format with professional photographer guidance.
3. GP Business Corporate Services: Corporate photography services including portraits, reporting, product shoots, team building activities, and customized training for enterprise clients.
4. Gift Vouchers: Photo gift vouchers and packs sold for courses and experiences
5. Professional Portrait Sessions: Professional photography sessions including portrait, group photos, and book packages

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Graine de Photographe is a French photography education and services company delivering in-person and online photography courses, masterclasses, themed workshops, a proprietary 6-month Academy program, and international photo trips to individual enthusiasts. Through its GP Business sub-brand, it sells corporate photography services including team-building events, corporate portraits, photo/video reporting, and customized training on client equipment from smartphones to professional cameras.

Product overview

Graine de Photographe is a photography education and services company operating through two main sub-brands: (1) Consumer/educational services offering structured photography courses (technical, creative, studio, smartphone, online, retouching), masterclasses, long-term training programs including a 6-month Academy, thematic workshops, and gift certificates; and (2) GP Business offering corporate photography services including professional shoots, corporate portraits, custom training, and team building activities. The company also provides international photography travel experiences, maintains a gallery/exhibition space in Paris, and offers professional photo sessions. Services are delivered in-person across multiple French cities (Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Royan, Strasbourg, Toulouse) as well as online.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cours Photo Techniques Technical photography courses covering camera operation, exposure, depth of field, composition, and other fundamentals, delivered to photography learners in-person across French cities and online.
• Cours Photo Créatifs Creative photography courses including street photography, portrait, night photography, black-and-white, and urban architecture, for individual learners seeking creative development.
• Cours Photo Studio Studio photography courses covering professional studio techniques and culinary photography, for learners seeking controlled-environment skills.
• Cours Photo Smartphone Smartphone photography courses for creative and expert-level mobile photography, targeting learners using mobile devices.
• Cours en Ligne Online photography courses available remotely for students who cannot attend in-person classes across France.
• Cours Retouche Photo Photo editing courses covering Lightroom at discovery and development levels, for learners seeking post-production skills.
• Masterclass Photo Advanced photography masterclasses covering macro photography, street photography, creative photography, equestrian photography, long exposure, and ornithological photography, for advanced learners.
• Formations Longues Long-term photography training programs including 6-month Academy courses for beginners and advanced students, weekend workshops, and teen photo courses.
• Graine de Photo Academy 6-month intensive photography training program for aspiring photographers, delivered as the company's flagship long-form offering.
• Voyages Photo Photography travel experiences to international destinations including Brazil, Russia (Baikal), Ireland, Saint Petersburg, and Bassin d'Arcachon, led by professional photographers.
• Ateliers Thématiques Thematic photography workshops covering various subjects and techniques, for learners seeking focused single-topic training.
• Chèques Cadeau Gift certificates for photography courses and experiences, available as gifts for special occasions.
• Galerie / Exposition Photography gallery and exhibition space in Paris (Île Saint-Louis), hosting rotating exhibitions by Graine de Photographe photographers and guest artists.
• Cours Argentique Film photography courses including discovery, wet plate collodion portrait initiation, and full-day film photography workshops.
• Balades Photo Photographic walks in Paris exploring locations like covered passages, Buttes Chaumont, Père Lachaise, Montmartre, and the international university district.
• Séances Photo Professionnelles Professional photo sessions including professional portraits (30 min), group photos (1 h), and portfolio/book photography (2 h) packages for individuals.
• Portraits Corporate Professional corporate portrait photography sessions for businesses and their employees, delivered as part of the GP Business corporate services offering.
• Prises de vue - Reportages Photo and video coverage of company activities, events, infrastructure, products, and services, delivered as part of the GP Business corporate services offering.
• Formation sur-mesure Custom photography and video training programs for company teams using their own equipment from smartphones to professional cameras, delivered as part of GP Business.
• Team Building Custom team-building events including private photo workshops, themed activities, seminars, and photography-focused trips for corporate groups.
• Challenge Photo Team-building competitive photo challenge where teams create photo series on different themes, judged by a professional photographer.
• Roman-Photo Team-building workshop where teams create a photo novel from a jointly developed scenario, shooting and printing their story.
• GP Business Corporate photography and training services offering professional photo/video shoots, team-building workshops, custom training programs, and special offers for employee committees (CE).

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FujifilmcoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment partnership where Fujifilm provides cameras (X-T3, GFX 50R) and lenses for photo trips and workshops. Company's photographers test and showcase Fujifilm equipment during travel expeditions.
• SigmacoreTechnology or IntegrationJapanese lens manufacturer providing Sigma Art and Contemporary lenses for photographers. Partnership includes exclusive testing opportunities for students in Lille and equipment for travel expeditions.
• ProfotocoreTechnology or IntegrationSwedish lighting equipment manufacturer providing Profoto A1 flash units for studio and field photography. Used for corporate portrait sessions and international expeditions.
• BaikalNaturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRussian travel agency specializing in nature expeditions. Organizes Lake Baikal trips with special 15% discount for Graine de Photographe alumni. Multi-year partnership for expedition logistics.
• Fondation GoodPlanetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation by Yann Arthus-Bertrand providing venue for creative photography workshops at Domaine de Longchamp in Bois de Boulogne.
• Éditions EyrollesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical publisher providing technical library for trainees and platform for photographers to publish books. Mutual content partnership with shared quality standards.
• Worldway PhotominorGTM or Marketing PartnerTravel agency partner for photo trips, co-organizing events like Graine de Voyageur apéros with joint marketing efforts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/grainedephotographe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grainedephotographe-com

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Graine de Photographe