Sea, mountain, plain, forest... The different settings in which outdoor sportsmen evolve add to the beauty of these disciplines. And when the sporting exploit is captured by renowned photographers, the moment is simply magical.
Tristan Shu
Based in Annecy, this French photographer works with the biggest brands (Adidas, Honda, Red Bull, ESPN, Armani) and on multiple sports. A small preference for paragliding and Jean-Baptiste Chandelier with whom Tristan regularly collaborates. With 41 000 followers on Instagram, this photographer is one of the most followed in France.
Laure Métairie
Like Tristan Shu, the mountains are also Laure Métairie's favourite playground. In the Hautes-Alpes, she captures as many ski mountaineers as paragliders or mountain bikers.
Tim McKenna
For over 20 years, Tim McKenna has specialized in surf photography in Polynesia. Born in France, he now lives in the archipelago. It is in August 2000 that he became known internationally with his photo called "Millennium Wave". On that day, he captured Laird Hamilton on the famous Teahupoo wave (see first image below). A picture which will relaunch the career of the American waterman, will make known the Tahitian spot to the whole world and will allow the image of Tim McKenna to enter the history of surfing.
Julia Cassou
Specializing in the world of climbing, Julia Cassou sublimates the exploits of climbers, whether on the biggest cliffs, in psicobloc or even on ice. Based in Toulouse, she was there when Julia Chanourdie achieved Eagle-4 in 2020, a 9b at Saint-Léger-du-Ventoux, making the French team climber the third woman in the world to achieve such a performance (see first publication below).
Chris Burkard
The first foreign photographer on this list, Chris Burkard is an international reference in the outdoor world, followed by 3.6 million people on Instagram. The 35-year-old Californian is notably renowned for his work with surfers in search of spots at the end of the world. He has done remarkable reports in Iceland, Alaska or Japan. He also touches the camera like his film "Arc of Aleutia" which we talked about in our article on the most beautiful outdoor sports films of 2021.
Jody MacDonald
Awarded with numerous prizes and working with famous brands (Patagonia, Red Bull, National Geographic, BBC...), this photographer has travelled through more than 100 countries and collaborates with surfers, paragliders, mountaineers or climbers.
Jean-Baptiste Liautard
This Frenchman specializes in the world of mountain biking and shoots with the best, such as Kilian BronMyriam Nicole or Amaury Pierron. Jean-Baptiste Liautard has won the prestigious RedBull Illume award and the best photo of the year award from the leading website Pinkbike. He never hesitates to work on his photos at length beforehand, using an artistic approach that is now his signature.
Krystle Wright
With more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, Krystle Wright is a photographer with a large following on social networks where she posts images taken in all universes (sea, mountain, desert, ice...). Her sports universe is wide (wingsuit, mountaineering, mountain biking, climbing, diving, surfing) and some of her pictures are references in these disciplines like this base jump in the United States.
Seb Montaz
It is with the trail and by following Kilian Jornet these last years that Seb Montaz made himself known beyond this discipline. Close to the Spaniard, the French photographer has notably directed the films "Path to Everest", "Langtang" or his latest more artistic production "Out of the blue". Never far from the mountain, his pictures make us admire nature as much as sporting feats.