Members of the Al-Baraa bin Malek batallion, part of the Free Syria Army's Al-Fatah brigade, duck to the ground as they pull a man (R) who was shot by a sniper twice in the Bustan al-Basha district of the northern city of Aleppo on October 20, 2012. (Photo by Javier Manzano/AFP Photo)

A model presents a creation by British designer Christian Cowan at New York Fashion Week Spring 2019 in New York, New York, USA, 08 September 2018. The Spring 2019 collections are presented from 06 to 14 September. (Photo by Alba Vigaray/EPA/EFE)

Miss Haiti Mideline Phelizor competes in the evening gown competition during the preliminary round of the 71st Miss Universe Beauty Pageant in New Orleans, Wednesday, January 11, 2023. (Photo by Gerald Herbert/AP Photo)

French photographer and director Romain Laurent started making portrait-based GIFs as a way to produce work outside his commercial jobs, a spontaneous project that would encourage him to produce consistently for himself rather than clients.