There’s no smoke without fire
There’s no trick without trial
There’s no perfect shot without preparation
There’s no result without collaboration
Following the first installment of The Art of MTB #1, JB Liautard and Thomas Genon are back with another collection of incredible photographs that marry the beauty of photography with that of mountain biking. And this time, we get to see behind the scenes in a fascinating film that reveals the depth of detail required to get that money shot.
From satellite images to hand-drawn diagrams. From the texture of the rock to the cultural heritage of the jumps. From the exact light of a sunset to a flash sticky-taped to a drone. When it comes to Jb Liautard and Thomas Genon, there’s no art without some science, and no madness without some method.
Their patience, perseverance, and very particular attention to detail produces something magical. Jb builds the idea, and Thomas buys into it. When their vision and skill collide, that snapshot in time is perfection.
"Mountain biking photography is something specific because it’s a really fast sport with a lot of codes and culture, I think that you really have to understand the sport to make it work. Most of the time, my photos are the result of a collaboration with an athlete where I try to mix action sport and art together. We talk about the idea, give each other advice, we fail, come back, and sometimes we make it work after a lot of tries. It’s definitely a case of teamwork; perfectionism on both sides is something essential to me."
Jb Liautard
"I really like working on the small details and Jb also has this state of mind. When you know that most of the time his shots are not edited a lot, you ask yourself how he does it. The goal behind this episode is to show all the work behind the pictures. After the first episode, we had some ideas and builds that we didn’t use. We wanted to explore those as well. It was quite spontaneous."
Thomas Genon
"I’ve been shooting photos for seven years now and behind-the-scenes videos are something I really enjoy doing and watching. In a world where social networks and Photoshop are taking over the internet, I think it’s essential to go back to basics and show something a bit more real. I like doing things in a DIY way and have as many things as possible done in the field. As mountain biking is an outdoor sport, weather conditions are also a key element. If there are clouds on the horizon, you don’t get the sunset, if the wind goes the wrong direction, the smoke doesn’t fill the frame.
It sometimes takes such a big team to make just one photo happen. We had a lot of people helping us with this video: videographers, diggers, assistants, and friends, and it was amazing to have so much support."
Jb Liautard
