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.

Jewels Lewis poses as the first customer to purchase the new Apple iPad 2 at Apple Store, Regent Street on March 25, 2011 in London, England. The latest iPad went on sale in the UK at 5:00pm.

Actor Jack Black attends the New York premiere of “Kung Fu Panda 2” at Ziegfeld Theatre on May 24, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

A woman hands flowers to a member of the Wisconsin National Guard standing by as people gather for a vigil, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S., August 28, 2020. (Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

John Pfaff lays on a fallen tree Thursday, September 10, 2020, in Salt Lake City. Two days after a windstorm wreaked havoc in Utah, many schools remain closed and tens of thousands are still without power. (Photo by Rick Bowmer/AP Photo)

Head coach Kim Mulkey of the LSU Lady Tigers enters the stadium on the red carpet before playing against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament championship game at American Airlines Center on April 02, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

American DJ, model and YouTube personality Chantel Jeffries is seen on April 01, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rachpoot/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)