Johan Lolos
Johan Lolos (b. 1987) is a Belgian-Greek photographer based in Liege, Belgium, also known as lebackpacker on social media.
Johan started taking photographs as a child, mainly when on holiday with his family. In his early 20s, he focused mainly on event photography (concerts, festivals, weddings, nightlife), which helped him learn to master light and composition. After graduating with a degree in Public Relations in 2013, Johan travelled to Australia and started documenting his experience as a backpacker. The National Geographic photographers and explorers Johan had been following for years made him realise that he needed to step out of his comfort zone and start his own adventure.
After a year spent in Australia, where Johan gained some press attention, he left for New Zealand, where he spent another year. With a rapidly growing social following, it wasn’t long before Johan became a photo reference on social media, showcasing New Zealand’s mountainous landscapes. This helped him create his brand as a lebackpacker and be approached by his first clients. In 2015, Johan decided to go full-time as a travel photographer.
In 2017, Johan went on a 5-month photographic journey across Europe, with the need to document the beauty of his own continent. 17 countries visited, 40,000 km travelled, many people met.
This project, Peaks of Europe, was published as a 256 page coffee table book by Lannoo, and is Johan’s first book.
Peaks of Europe also marked the beginning of a new chapter for Johan, as he was gradually shifting from pure landscape photography to more travel and documentary photography
In 2018, Johan travelled to Myanmar, following in the footsteps of Steve McCurry, where he only took portraits & travel photography. His Myanmar work was soon published in magazines, which made him realise that he now wants to focus more on the social aspect of travel, and combine it with the natural wonders of our planet.
In 2019, he spent 2 months travelling through Southern Africa in order to introduce himself to the world of wildlife photography, which is also close to his heart.
Just before the pandemic attack, Johan also went to Haiti for a humanitarian NGO, Médecins Sans Frontières, which is to date the project that has moved him the most.
Johan also hosts a podcast and a YouTube show, both in French and entirely focused on the profession of photography.
Johan Lolos is a Toyota Europe Ambassador and a Lexar Ambassador. C
Johan’s clients include Nikon, Panasonic, L’Oréal, MontBlanc, WeTransfer, Huawei, OnePlus, Jack Daniel’s, Eastpak, as well as tourism boards from all over the world (Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway, Jordan, Dubaï, Greece, …)