A camera clicks in a Paris studio. The actress shifts as the photographer tweaks his lighting. It captures Cedric Van Mol’s journey from sketching cartoons to shooting magazine covers, he went from drawing cartoons to becoming one of Europe’s top celebrity photographers.
His path from sketching in Montpellier to shooting magazine covers shows what happens when talent meets opportunity.
Meet the Photographer
Cedric Van Mol stands out in the busy world of photography with his eye for composition and light. He brings a cartoonist’s perspective to his shots, finding angles that tell deeper stories. His photos reveal character, not just appearances.
Each photo captures something authentic about the person facing his camera.
Who Is He?
Born in 1978 in Montpellier, Cedric grew up drawing cartoons with support from his teacher mother and architect father. By sixteen, his sketchbooks burst with characters showing his keen eye for detail.
Everything changed in 1994 when a friend lent him a film camera. The hobby became a passion, and he soon sold his comic collection to buy professional equipment.
At 19, he moved to Paris with just his camera and a thin portfolio. The city’s arts scene welcomed him, and he landed assistant gigs at fashion shoots where he learned technical skills and client relations.
His career took off when a magazine editor noticed his test shots with a model. She hired him for an editorial spread, opening doors to bigger jobs. Soon, his name appeared in credits across major fashion magazines.
How Old Is He?
Born in 1978, Cedric is 47 years old as of 2025. In a youth-focused industry, his years of work help people relax in front of his camera.
His Famous Ex-Wife
Cedric Van Mol stepped into public view when he married Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko in 2000. Their four-year marriage put the private photographer in the spotlight as Kurylenko’s career launched with modeling contracts and film roles.
They met during a Paris photo shoot where Olga modeled. The connection sparked fast, leading to marriage after a short courtship. Though they split in 2004, the relationship boosted his profile in entertainment circles, opening doors to new clients.
Since then, Cedric has guarded his personal life. He avoids discussing relationships in interviews, keeping conversations focused on his work.
Is He Single Now?
Public records and interviews show Cedric Van Mol isn’t married as of 2025. Since divorcing Olga Kurylenko in 2004, he’s kept his love life private. In a rare 2023 interview with a French photography magazine, he said simply, “My cameras are the only commitment I need right now.”
This privacy contrasts with his early career when marriage to Kurylenko landed him in gossip columns. Friends say he puts work first, often spending weeks on location or in his studio perfecting projects.
Big Moments in His Career
Cedric’s twenty-plus years behind the camera include several standout projects that defined his artistic voice:
- Harper’s Bazaar Ukraine Cover (January 2012): Perhaps his most recognized work featured his ex-wife, Olga Kurylenko, on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Ukraine. The striking black and white portrait showcased his unique lighting style, with dramatic shadows framing Kurylenko’s face. The issue sold out within days, and the image has been featured in photography exhibitions around Europe.
- The Paris Collection: This series of street portraits captured emerging designers during Paris Fashion Week in 2015. Shot entirely on film rather than digital, the collection earned praise for its raw, unfiltered look at fashion’s next generation. The series appeared in Vogue France and later became a limited-edition book that sells for premium prices among collectors.
- Celebrity Portrait Series: Between 2016-2018, Cedric photographed twenty A-list actors in their homes rather than studios. This intimate approach revealed personal sides of his subjects rarely seen by the public. The black and white series toured galleries in London, New York, and Tokyo before individual prints were sold to private collectors.
- Commercial Campaigns: His work for Renault’s electric vehicle launch (2019) and Pantene Pro-V’s rebrand (2020) brought his artistic vision to commercial spaces. Both campaigns won advertising awards for their striking visuals and helped cement his reputation beyond editorial photography.
- “Faces of Change” Exhibition: In 2022, Cedric dedicated a year to photographing climate activists across Europe. The resulting gallery show in Berlin generated both praise and controversy for its honest look at environmental crusaders from all walks of life. Three images from this collection now hang in the Paris Museum of Modern Art.
Awards & Honors
Cedric’s work has earned him recognition across the photography world:
- Prix de la Photographie Paris (2014): His series of shooting behind-the-scenes shots at Paris Fashion Week won gold in the documentary category. Judges praised his “remarkable ability to capture unguarded moments amidst chaos.”
- International Photography Awards (2018): The Celebrity Portrait Series earned him first place in portraiture. The competition received over 10,000 entries from 120 countries that year.
- Getty Images Partnership (2021): Selected as one of ten photographers worldwide for Getty’s Master Series, getting his photos out to more people and recognition among commercial clients seeking editorial-quality imagery.
His Daily Life
Cedric rises at 5:30 am daily to catch “the golden hour” when morning light creates perfect shadows. Friends rarely see him without a camera, even during personal time.
His studio fills the top floor of an old textile factory in Paris’s 11th arrondissement. Floor-to-ceiling north-facing windows provide the steady natural light he needs. Between trips, he spends days here shooting or editing.
Travel fills most of his year, with only 15-20 weeks in Paris. He skips luxury hotels for local apartments to better experience each culture while shooting across Europe, North America, and Asia.
Unlike peers who delegate equipment to assistants, Cedric handles his gear. He moves between digital and film based on the project, carrying a compact Leica for personal work alongside Canon equipment for client shoots.
How does he Makes Money?
Cedric has built a diverse revenue stream that provides both creative freedom and financial stability:
1. Editorial Photography
Magazine shoots remain his bread and butter, with day rates for major publications reportedly ranging from €3,000-€8,000 depending on usage rights. Though less lucrative than commercial work, these assignments build his portfolio and artistic reputation.
2. Commercial Contracts
Advertising campaigns for fashion, beauty, and luxury brands provide his largest income source. A single campaign can pay six figures, particularly when it includes worldwide usage rights. He limits these to 4-5 projects annually to maintain artistic balance.
3. Fine Art Prints
Limited edition prints of his personal work sell through galleries in Paris, London, and New York. Prices range from €2,000 for smaller prints to over €15,000 for large format pieces from his most famous series. His print business has grown substantially since 2018.
4. Workshops and Mentoring
Twice yearly, he hosts intensive three-day masterclasses for advanced photographers, teaching his techniques and business practices. These sell out months in advance despite the €5,000 price tag, creating both income and a pipeline of talented assistants for his studio.
His business structure—a limited liability company based in France—helps shield personal assets while managing international licensing deals. Colleagues note his care with paperwork and permissions, particularly when photographing celebrities who have their own image rights concerns.
What does he own?
Cedric has built substantial physical and intellectual assets throughout his career:
1. Paris Studio
His 200-square-meter studio/living space in eastern Paris serves as both workspace and home. Purchased in 2010, the property has since doubled in value thanks to neighborhood gentrification and its custom renovations.
2. Equipment Collection
Beyond working gear, he maintains a museum-quality collection of vintage cameras, including rare Leicas and Hasselblads. Insurance documents value this collection at over €200,000.
3. Image Library
Perhaps his most valuable asset, his digital and film archive, contains over 500,000 images spanning his career. This library generates passive income through licensing deals and provides material for retrospective exhibitions and books.
4. Production Van
A customized Mercedes Sprinter serves as a mobile studio for location shoots, equipped with generators, lighting gear, and a small editing suite. This investment allows him to bring studio-quality results to remote locations.
5. His Paris Loft
Cedric’s primary residence combines living and working space in a former industrial building in Paris’s 11th arrondissement. The 200-square-meter loft features exposed brick walls, original factory windows, and wooden beams that date to the 1890s.
The space divides naturally between home and studio, with a photography area occupying about 60% of the floor plan. This studio section includes a cyclorama wall (curved to create seamless backgrounds), built-in lighting tracks, and a digital editing suite. A small kitchen serves both personal needs and catering during shoot days.
Cedric Van Mol Net Worth
His estimated net worth is €1.2–1.8 million (≈ $1.3–2 million) as of 2025. This figure accounts for his property holdings, equipment assets, business value, and investment portfolio.
His income fluctuates with project schedules but has shown steady growth over the past decade as his reputation solidified. Tax filings indicate annual earnings between €250,000-400,000 in recent years, placing him comfortably among top-tier professional photographers while falling short of celebrity photographer status.
What distinguishes his financial picture is its stability—unusual in creative fields prone to boom-and-bust cycles. By diversifying income streams across editorial, commercial, fine art, and education sectors, he’s built resilience against industry shifts that have challenged many peers.
