Marco Zappone spent his childhood in France, Italy, Africa, and the Middle East before studying anthropology and film during a nomadic, erratic youth. After several years as a bibliophile and collector, he helped to found the Photosynthèses publishing house in Arles, which he has headed ever since. Zappone started taking photographs at a very young age and at one point considered making it his career. The idea eventually came back to him later on, and photography became the founding theme and main mission of Photosynthèses.