July 9, 2025
By Clementina Verge
Tucked between the tree-lined hills of Kent, a quiet yet powerful creative movement is unfolding. At its heart is Cedric Gairard, a Paris-born documentary photographer and creative director whose work has spanned continents and iconic brands—but who now turns his lens toward something more personal: the shared spirit of artistic community.
Gairard’s newest venture, FotoDiary, is both a gallery and a multidisciplinary creative studio—a thoughtfully curated haven for artists, thinkers, and storytellers. Recently opened in Kent Barns—a small cultural enclave known for its galleries and artisanal shops—the distinctive space is quaint but grand in scope, not merely to showcase art, but to nurture it. While individual artistic vision remains essential, FotoDiary transforms creativity into a shared experience, fostering a vibrant community where expression is deepened through collaboration.
“I’ve always been interested in the human story,” says Gairard. “FotoDiary is a resource—a hub—for artists who want to collaborate, not compete.”
Born in Paris, Gairard began traveling at 20, driven by curiosity and a restless visual mind. Three decades in global advertising took him through creative epicenters like Paris, Amsterdam, and London—working with brands like Adidas, Coca-Cola, and Oatly—helping them expand, redefine, and reinvent. It was thrilling work—but it came with a growing desire to reconnect with something more grounded.
“Reinvention,” he says, “became a mirror. The more I helped others define their vision, the more I started to see mine.”
After 17 years building a life in New York, Gairard and his wife, Eliza, returned to her roots in Litchfield County. In Kent, he found stilliness, space to photograph night skies and forests, and to capture “the connection and interdependence of humanity’s delicate balance with nature.”
Now, with FotoDiary, Gairard distills decades of creative production experience into something more personal, yet no less ambitious.The studio-gallery champions a philosophy of creative collaboration, where artists, clients, and storytellers converge to transform production challenges into opportunities. More than just a gallery, FotoDiary is a living workspace—an incubator for ideas where individual talent is celebrated, and creative partnerships are cultivated.
The studio became a response to a creative hunger Gairard recognized across disciplines: photographers, filmmakers,writers, illustrators, set designers—artists in motion—yearning not just for work, but for belonging. Now, he builds bridges between the inspired and the inspired-by, and in the age of digital saturation, Gairard is advocating for something rare: depth.
“The studio wants to represent a diverse group of local creatives and image-makers,” Gairard shares. “The idea is to create opportunities—real ones—for artists to grow, and for clients to access work that is not only high quality but grounded in something authentic.”
“Every artist has a unique style, and I’m not here to replicate but to create a space where collaboration thrives over competition,” Gairard says. “Art holds the power to tell stories—stories that are too complex, too fragile, too charged. It bridges the gaps, sparks reflection, and invites conversation—and I’m grateful to open that channel.”—fotodiary.com
