Every September, the historic streets of Perpignan become a meeting point for photographers, editors, journalists and visual storytellers from around the world. For anyone who cares about the power of photography, Visa pour l’Image remains one of the most important festivals on the international calendar. The 38th edition took place from 29 August to 13 September 2026, once again transforming the city into a showcase for the very best in contemporary photojournalism.

Red Visa Pour L'Image Perpignan photography festival logo sign in bold white text.
Visa Pour L'Image international photojournalism festival poster in Gothic stone archway door.
Aida Dahmani photography exhibition display panel inside historic building at Perpignan festival.
Gothic cathedral interior with vaulted arches and tall windows hosting festival visitors.
Visitors examining black and white framed photographs along gallery wall at photo festival.
Two people sitting on bench between historic red brick walls at Perpignan venue.

Photography That Matters


In an age of AI-generated imagery, misinformation and increasingly fragmented media, this year's festival felt especially relevant. Across the exhibitions, screenings and panel discussions, a common theme emerged: the enduring value of photography as a truthful and documented witness to events.


The 2026 programme featured 27 exhibitions spread across Perpignan's historic buildings, including the Couvent des Minimes, Église des Dominicains and Hôtel Pams. The festival's organisers placed a strong emphasis on the role of verified visual journalism in a world awash with synthetic imagery.


For photographers working in architecture, construction and the built environment, the festival provides a timely reminder that every photograph is more than a record. The strongest images communicate context, reveal human stories and encourage us to look more carefully at the world around us.

Visitors examining black and white photography exhibition displayed on a freestanding cube in a historic hall.
Pedestrian walking past a sunlit ochre-colored building with weathered walls and shuttered windows on a narrow street.
Man in blue shirt viewing framed color photographs displayed on a gallery exhibition stand indoors.
Visitors browsing framed photographs in an opulent gallery room with golden chandeliers and draped walls.
Large-scale photography exhibition panels displayed in a historic brick courtyard under a clear blue sky.
Two people walking on a sunny street lined with colorful Mediterranean-style buildings with balconies.

The Magic of Perpignan


One of the reasons Visa pour l’Image remains so special is its setting. Rather than being confined to a convention centre, exhibitions occupy churches, cloisters, former universities and historic civic buildings throughout the city. Visitors move between venues on foot, discovering both the photography and the architecture of Perpignan itself.


As architectural photographers, we are always fascinated by the relationship between image and place. The festival's use of historic spaces creates an experience that cannot be replicated online. The architecture becomes part of the exhibition, influencing how the photographs are seen and understood.

Two silhouetted figures on a cobblestone street beside a wall with bird mural and colorful buildings.
Narrow alleyway between shadowed buildings opening to sunlit street with pedestrian and classic architecture.
Silhouetted person photographing exhibition panels with artwork and text on a brick wall gallery.
Aerial view of a man walking past a white building corner with a blue street sign in sunlight.
Silhouettes of visitors viewing illuminated photo exhibits in a dark vaulted stone gallery space.
Sunlit building facade with green iron balconies, drainpipe, and vibrant blue door casting dramatic shadows.

The Evening Screenings


For many visitors, the highlight of the festival remains the open-air projections at the Campo Santo. As darkness falls, thousands gather within the medieval cloister to view the most significant photographic stories of the year on a giant screen. The combination of powerful imagery, thoughtful editing and a remarkable setting is unforgettable.


It is a reminder that photography is not simply about individual images. Sequencing, narrative, audio, music, and presentation are equally important. These are lessons that translate directly into architectural photography and film, where coherent storytelling is often more powerful than any single photograph.

Audience watching a large red Visa pour l Image photography festival screen at an outdoor night event.
Two people walking through an ornate tiled corridor with decorative mosaic floors in a historic building.
Two projected screens showing aerial sailboat and vineyard landscape images at a dark projection event.
Silhouette of a person standing in a sunlit alley beside an ornate arched doorway in a historic brick building.
Red neon number 9 sign glowing in a shop window with colorful reflections at night.
White garment hanging on a wire outside a weathered building window with dramatic shadows on the wall.
Yellow building facade displaying a tribute banner for Jean-Francois Leroy, founder of Visa Pour l'Image Perpignan.

Remembering Jean-François Leroy



This year's festival was marked by the death of founder and long-time director Jean-François Leroy, who passed away shortly after the opening of the event. Since creating the festival in 1989, Leroy helped establish Visa pour l'Image as the world's leading gathering dedicated to photojournalism. His influence on generations of photographers and editors is difficult to overstate.


The 2026 edition therefore carried an added sense of significance, celebrating not only outstanding photography but also the legacy of a figure who championed visual journalism for nearly four decades.

Outdoor photojournalism exhibition displays large format prints on panels outside a historic building.
Narrow alley between colorful yellow and brick buildings with blue shutters against a bright blue sky.
Visitors browsing photojournalism exhibition in a gallery with exposed brick walls and track lighting.
White laundry sheet billowing dramatically on a clothesline against an aged building facade in sunlight.
Visitors viewing large-scale photography exhibitions on white walls inside a rustic industrial gallery space.
Colorful laundry hanging on a clothesline between vibrant orange and yellow buildings under blue sky.

Why Festivals Still Matter




In a profession increasingly dominated by screens, social media and endless image streams, festivals like Visa pour l’Image offer something rare: time to slow down and engage with photography properly.


Whether documenting conflict, environmental change, social issues or the built environment, great photographers share a common goal. They help us see more clearly.


That is why, nearly four decades after its founding, Visa pour l’Image remains essential. Not simply because it showcases exceptional photography, but because it reminds us why photography matters in the first place.


For anyone with a serious interest in visual storytelling, Perpignan continues to be one of the most inspiring places to spend a week each September.

Person viewing large outdoor photojournalism prints mounted on a historic building facade.
Sunlit brick apartment buildings with ornate iron balconies casting dramatic shadows on a European street.
Visitors browsing colorful framed photographs displayed on metal grid structures in a well-lit gallery.
Sunlit stone building corner with blue street sign, curtained doorway, and beige utility box.
Visitors walking through a grand medieval brick hall with arched ceilings displaying a photography exhibition.
Banner for the 38th Visa Pour l Image International Photojournalism Festival in Perpignan with Canon sponsor.
Person walking past a sunlit yellow building with barred windows and ornate iron balconies.

Standout Exhibitions


As always, narrowing Visa pour l'Image down to a handful of favourites is nearly impossible, but several exhibitions stayed with us long after we left Perpignan.


The retrospective of Raymond Depardon and Magnum Photos was a reminder of why he remains one of the most influential documentary photographers of the last half century. Spanning decades of work, the exhibition demonstrated Depardon's extraordinary ability to combine journalism, humanity and visual simplicity. For many visitors, it was one of the most moving and memorable shows of the festival.


Equally powerful was The People of Minneapolis vs. ICE by David Guttenfelder for The New York Times. The project examined the human impact of immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, presenting a nuanced and empathetic portrait of communities living with uncertainty and fear. Guttenfelder's photography balanced quiet observation with powerful storytelling, demonstrating how documentary photography can illuminate complex social issues without resorting to spectacle.


Another exhibition that proved difficult to forget was Afghanistan: The Girls Sold to Survive Drought by Élise Blanchard. The work documented families facing severe economic hardship and climate-related pressures, revealing the devastating consequences that prolonged drought can have on the lives of young women and girls. The photographs were both sensitive and uncompromising, addressing a subject that rarely receives sustained international attention.


Together, these exhibitions captured what Visa pour l'Image does best: bringing global stories to a wider audience through photography that is rigorous, compassionate and impossible to ignore. What struck us most this year was not the technical quality of the photography, impressive though it was, but the commitment behind it. In an era of AI-generated imagery and shrinking attention spans, these photographers had invested months, and sometimes years, documenting stories that demand careful observation and trust. Visa pour l'Image continues to remind us that the most powerful images are still those grounded in reality and human experience.