Louis Vignes (June 8, 1831 - July 1, 1896) was a French naval officer, photographer, and cartographer. After graduating from the École navale in 1846, he had risen to the rank of lieutenant by 1860. During these years, he took up an interest in photography as a hobby and became connected with pioneers in the field, such as the Société française de photographie. Taking photographs on postings around the Mediterranean, he earned a reputation within the navy as a skilled photographer. For this reason, he was asked to accompany Honoré Paul Joseph d'Albert, duc de Luynes on his first expedition to the Dead Sea region in 1863 - 1864. Afterwards, Vignes saw various postings around the world in the navy, eventually achieving the rank of vice admiral and becoming the Inspecteur général de la Marine. The photographs Vignes took during the duc de Luynes's expedition constitute some of the earliest of the region, and his use of glass negative plates produced especially good quality images for the time.