Often times it is inevitable to be caught up in the tragic lucidity captured by skilled contemporary war photographers.

Yet the art of anthropological photo-journalism – or should that be photoanthropology? – is equally vivid, enthralling, and breathtakingly informative.

At the forefront of this genre is the Toulouse-based photographer, Eric Lafforgue.

Producing content for mediums as diverse as television, radio, the music industry, press, mobile, and travel photography, the Frenchman’s work as a freelance photographer and multimedia sits alongside his company “La Crea Multimedia”.

And Lafforgue’s bibliography is as impressive as his vast array of activities, counting numerous books as well as features in National Geographic and UNESCO World Heritage, to name but a few.

Despite the geographical breadth of Lafforgue’s portfolio, his unfaltering panache renders each new project with equal passion for detail, enthusiasm for eye-wateringly stunning shots, and the ability to capture the beauty in his milieu, whether it is in Vanuatu, Italy, Germany, Japan, Cambodia, or Djibouti.

Although it has been a tough call, my two favourites have to be Papua New Guinea – which is also available in book form - and Libya.

The colours and activities captured by Lafforgue in Papua transport the viewer to the Pacific islands, and encourages the loss of oneself in the images:

On Libya, the dusky colours suggest balmy summer evenings and placate the eye with the warm tones and sensuous expressions of his Tuareg and Ghadames subjects:

Lafforgue then, has taken my love of photography in a new direction.

Photoanthropology is the way forward.