Ahoueke HilaireFood & beverage photographer

Photography

Projects

Each project gives the brief, the real constraint, the deliverables and the exact scope of the licence granted.

The three opening visuals side by side: the chef in front of the bar window, the food-and-cocktail pairing on the wooden ledge, and the head bartender carving an ice ball.

Hennessy Very Special Tour in Paris: a pairing night at Journey

Paris · 2025

On 13 November 2025 the Hennessy Very Special Tour reached its final stop, at Journey on rue des Petits Carreaux. Chef Sho Miyashita and bartender Robin Jude Le Texier had built a pairing menu there: four cocktails on Hennessy Very Special, three dishes answering them. I shot the opening night, from the first plate to the end of it, with two opposite briefs to hold inside the same evening.

The three opening visuals side by side: the bottle under the vine, a bartender in dark glasses with a bar spoon, and the bottle held up against the neon.

Camp Monkey in Marseille: two days of the global Monkey Shoulder gathering

Marseille · 2025

On 3 and 4 September 2025, Monkey Shoulder brought its advocacy bartenders and its brand ambassadors from around the world to Marseille for Camp Monkey, its annual gathering. I shot it as photographer, commissioned from London by the brand, across two days of seminars, competition and bar visits.

The three opening visuals side by side: the two Pinot Noir bottles, the portrait against the ivy, and the evening table.

Alain Milliat sparkling grape juice: two tables and a packshot

Paris

Two sparkling grape juices, a Chardonnay blanc de blancs and a Pinot Noir blanc de noirs, photographed in Paris for the house of Alain Milliat. One shoot in two registers, the packshot and the table, from brunch in full daylight to dinner by candlelight.

The three opening visuals side by side: the bar spoon in the mixing glass, Taketsuru poured into a tasting glass, and the highball set down on the counter.

Nikka Perfect Serve 2024: the global finals shot in Paris

Paris · 2024

On 2 and 3 December 2024, fifteen bartenders from around the world met at Bar Fréquence in Paris for the global finals of the Nikka Perfect Serve. I shot both days of the competition as photographer for La Maison du Whisky. Seven hundred images were delivered.

A bottle of Monkey Shoulder and an iced highball with orange, set on the record browser of a London record shop.

Monkey Shoulder at Next Door Records: a World Music Day shot in London

Londres · 2025

On 10 June 2025, Monkey Shoulder took over Next Door Records, a record shop in Shepherd’s Bush, for its World Music Day. I shot the day as an advertising photographer, on my own, from the bar being built to the doors opening to the public. Five visuals were selected by the brand and ran on its social channels.

The pale green circular bar of La Douce Heure under its golden canopy, with a striped parasol and high stools, on the Galeries Lafayette rooftop.

St-Germain × Galeries Lafayette, La Douce Heure: five visuals by a spirits advertising photographer

Paris · 2026

On 18 June 2026, St-Germain opened La Douce Heure on the rooftop of Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann. I shot the opening day as a spirits advertising photographer, on a Monks production, and the images were delivered on a rush turnaround. Five visuals were selected, adapted for print and DOOH, and shown all summer across the walls and screens of the store.

Bartender in a black hat measuring Jack Daniel's Bonded into a jigger, in the half-light of a ringside bar.

Jack Daniel's Last Round: a bartender competition shot in Paris

Paris · 2023

On 15 May 2023, Jack Daniel's brought twenty bartenders from across France to Paris for Last Round, a competition built around two then-new expressions, Bonded and Triple Mash. Semi-finals in the afternoon, the final in the evening, one winner at the end.

Reception at Hôtel Bohem, burgundy wall, round pink banquette and three framed prints of the Sacré-Cœur.

Hôtel Bohem Sacré-Cœur: photographing a Paris property weeks after it opened

Paris · 2026

Hôtel Bohem reopened on rue Lamarck in March 2026, in a building that had been closed since 2020. I shot it in late April, weeks after the opening, for The Hotels Agency. Two deliveries: rooms and lifestyle in May, the lobby in June.

Room at Hôtel Louison, teal velvet headboard and a lit brass sconce.

Hôtel Louison: a Left Bank lifestyle series, in February

Paris · 2026

Hôtel Louison occupies an 1856 building on rue de Vaugirard, between Montparnasse and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. I shot a lifestyle series there in February 2026, photo and video, prepared in advance by the property.

The Terrou-Bi pool at dusk, timber terrace bar and palms facing the Atlantic.

Hôtel Terrou-Bi, Dakar: two days to photograph the beach, the pool and the Senegalese kitchen

Dakar · 2025

The Terrou-Bi is a five-star on the Corniche Ouest in Dakar, with a private beach, a marina and a casino. The quote was signed on 10 February 2025, the shoot ran on the 13th and 14th, and retouched photographs were delivered on 3 March. The commission was renewed twice in the year that followed.

The Diamono room, olive velvet banquette, tan leather armchairs and a lit black marble counter.

Le Diamono, the Terrou-Bi listening bar: three days of content creation in Dakar

Dakar · 2025

Le Diamono is the listening bar of Hôtel Terrou-Bi in Dakar: turntables, a wall of vinyl, a list of about a dozen signatures and a terrace open onto the marina. The property’s second commission after the February 2025 reportage, shot on 10, 11 and 12 April.

The open hearth of the Maison Lichen wood oven, red embers and a burst of sparks.

Maison Lichen, Bordeaux: shooting an opening night and the wood fire that justifies it

Bordeaux · 2026

Maison Lichen cooks over wood and carves in front of the guests. The commission came from Daisy Cocktail Crew, quote signed on 11 March 2026, to cover the opening of the venue. Photographs delivered on 3 April 2026.

Oval metal dish set down on the table at YARRA, tomato and melted cheese studded with green olives.

YARRA Wine & Food, Bordeaux: two years of content for a Chartrons wine bar

Bordeaux · 2025

YARRA Wine & Food is a French-Australian wine bar in the Chartrons, run by Albane Brumont and Aaron Skovell, with more than two hundred and fifty references. The collaboration has run since 2024, in successive series rather than one-off commissions.

Gold velvet curtain at Bar des Muses, a lit menu holder and a coupe garnished with three olives.

Bar des Muses, Paris 3rd: shooting cocktails in an 18th-century theatre kept in the dark

Paris · 2025

Bar des Muses sits inside an 18th-century theatre on rue de Saintonge, in the Marais. Commissioned by the Elegancia Hotels group, briefed on 18 March 2025 and shot on Friday the 28th. A second session followed.

A table at Papillon, four guests in floral shirts, blue wall and the house sign behind.

Papillon, Bordeaux: blowtorched cocktails and street food on the Chartrons quays

Bordeaux · 2025

Papillon is a California-leaning cocktail bar on the quai des Chartrons in Bordeaux, with its own street food and a weekend brunch. The series was shot in May 2025, in the room and at the counter.

A Toucan sandwich cut in half and held open, herb omelette, melted cheese and mushrooms.

Toucan, Bordeaux: the images of a sandwich shop that has since closed

Bordeaux · 2025

Toucan was a sandwich shop at lunch and a tapas bar in the evening, on rue des Augustins in Bordeaux. The series was shot in June 2025. The address closed on 13 October 2025.

A laid table at Déméter seen from above, several plates, sourdough bread and a bottle of wine.

Déméter, Bordeaux: a restaurant’s photographer and community manager, monthly, since 2024

Bordeaux · 2026

Déméter is a bistronomy table in the Saint-Pierre quarter of Bordeaux, with a short, rotating menu. This was not a shoot: I am the restaurant’s photographer and community manager, billed monthly, with a record going back to March 2024.

Upper gallery at La Sultana, crystal chandelier and turned-wood balustrade above the pink patio.

La Sultana Marrakech: photographing a set of Kasbah riads, room by room

Marrakech · 2026

La Sultana Marrakech is a set of restored riads in the heart of the Kasbah, inside the listed medina. The series was made during a stay, in the winter of 2025-2026, as a collaboration rather than a commission: a stay, and images.