{"id":1835635,"date":"2026-03-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1835635"},"modified":"2026-03-19T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T21:00:00","slug":"life-behind-the-lens-matt-georges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1835635","title":{"rendered":"Life Behind the Lens: Matt Georges"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Matt Georges comes from a rich French tradition of experimental photography which stretches all the way back to Louis Daguerre, who developed the first \u201cDaguerrotype\u201d photos using chemicals back in the 1830s. His work is instantly recognisable, but wildly varied and impossible to pin down. The one constant is his desire to experiment: playing with different photographic and processing techniques, not as an end in itself, but as a means of creating a mood that says more about the moment than a faithful photographic recreation ever could. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>Georges\u2019 work would stand out whatever the subject matter. But he was drawn to snowboarding from a young age, attracted by the free-spirited culture that surrounds the sport, as well as the enduring visual appeal of the mountains that form its backdrop. \u201cI grew up in a small ski resort near Grenoble called Saint-Hilaire-du-Touvet\u2014just four T-bars and a \u20ac5 day pass,\u201d he says. His parents gave him his first film camera as a teenager, and he never looked back.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Matt Georges. Photo: Alex Pfeffer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n


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\n<\/span>Coming of age just as the analogue world was giving way to digital helped shape Georges\u2019 omnivorous artistic tastes\u2014as did stints as a graphic designer at the snowboard magazine <\/span>Method<\/span><\/i>, and senior photographer at the (now sadly shuttered) pan-European magazine <\/span>Onboard. <\/span><\/i>Now 41, and living in Montpellier with his wife and three daughters, he runs his own multimedia creative studio Club Sandwich, and still heads out on expeditions and shoots regularly. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>As much at home in a dark room as he is in front of a screen, Georges has worked with all manner of techniques over the years\u2014from embracing the light bleed on vintage Hasselblad film, to skimming the ink off polaroids. We\u2019ve yet to see him experiment with Louis Daguerre\u2019s original chemical combinations, wouldn\u2019t put it past him. Choosing just ten photos to showcase Matt George\u2019s long and diverse career was almost impossible. So these are just a few highlights of the journey so far.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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What first got you into photography?<\/b><\/h3>\n

The father of my best friend had a little photo lab in his basement. He used to tell his wife he was shooting landscapes, but in reality he was mostly photographing nudes. He was the one who introduced me to film development and black-and-white printing. I must have been 14-15 at the time, and it gave me the chance to start photographing my skateboarding friends. We traveled a lot across France for competitions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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HOME RUN
As the last light of the day faded, we were rushing to pack up because the way back down to Chamonix was long, exhausting, and tricky, especially in the dark. Arthur Longo hiked back up to grab his backpack. I saw him strap in on the in-run but he yelled: \u201cHey guys, don\u2019t shoot, let\u2019s go\u2014it\u2019s just a quick ollie.\u201d Of course, knowing him, I kept my camera ready. Right after he landed, the filmer, Jake Price, who was standing next to me, just went: \u201cFuuuuuuckkk, I knew it!\u201d [Laughs]
Camera: Canon 5DS R
Lens: Canon EF24-70mm f2.8
Settings: Shutter 1\/1000 | Aperture f6.3 | ISO 400<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019re one of the lucky few in life who\u2019s turned something you love into your job. Does shooting snowboarding ever still feel like fun? Or does it always feel like work these days?<\/b><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s always a mix of feelings. It really is the best job in the world, but so much depends on who you\u2019re traveling with and who the client is. It can get very stressful if the conditions aren\u2019t right or if the people around you aren\u2019t a good fit. At the end of the day, though, there aren\u2019t many jobs where you get paid to explore the world\u2014so complaining would suck! Still, it\u2019s hard work, and most people don\u2019t really realize what it takes to get a good photo or a video clip<\/span><\/p>\n

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FLOATING ON AIR
This was shot from the Brevent sector of Chamonix, on a very cloudy day. You never really know what to expect with this kind of weather, but I\u2019ve been shooting for almost 20 years now, and in my experience it\u2019s always these days where you get some of the best stuff.
Camera: Nikon FM2
Lens: 50mm
Film: TMax 400 roll<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is it that keeps you coming back to mountains, as a subject?<\/b><\/h3>\n

I don\u2019t think I would take photos if it weren\u2019t for the adventure\u2014whether in the mountains or anywhere else in the world. And of course it\u2019s beautiful and quiet up there!!<\/span><\/p>\n

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THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER
This spot had been on my bucket list for years. It\u2019s the Halifax Dryslope, in Yorkshire. I finally got to come here with Jamie Nicholls and his cousin, Katie Ormerod. Both of them learned to ride here, and went on to represent the UK at the Olympics. Inevitably, we were greeted by classic UK weather \u2014 pouring rain! But I loved it, and as strange as it sounds, it turned out to be one of my best trips ever. It felt so far from our snowy mountains in the Alps, and yet the scene that\u2019s developed around the slope is incredible.
Camera: Canon 5DS R
Lens: Canon EF24-70mm f2.8
Settings: Shutter 1\/1000 | Aperture f5.0 | ISO 400<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who or what are your biggest photographic influences?<\/b><\/h3>\n

For some reason, I\u2019ve always felt more connected to skate photographers\u2014people like Brian Gaberman, Sem Rubio, French Fred, or Mike O\u2019Meally, to name just a few. At the same time, my good friends Carlos Blanchard, Aaron Schwartz, and Silvano Zeiter have also had a huge influence on me. We\u2019ve known each other for so many years, and they continue to impress me, year after year.<\/span><\/p>\n

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ORANGE CRUSH
Kazushi Yamauchi, aka Orange Man, is a well known Japanese snowboarder and monk who\u2019s part of the Car Danchi Crew, up in Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan. They sleep the whole winter in their tiny little campers and just follow the perfect powder wherever it falls. They\u2019re truly amazing people! Like pretty much everything he owns, Orange Man\u2019s van is painted bright orange, so he\u2019s easy to spot.
Camera: Mamya II
Lens: 90mm
Film: Portra 400<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If there\u2019s one photo you wish you had taken \u2013 by anyone, of anything, from any era \u2013 which one would it be?<\/b><\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve always loved the famous skateboarding photo by J. Grant Brittain of Tod Swank pushing under a bridge, with that massive shadow stretching across the frame. It has inspired\u2014and continues to inspire\u2014so many generations.<\/span><\/p>\n

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LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
This day, I didn\u2019t shoot any action at all\u2014I just spent six hours sitting on my snowmobile, waiting while the sun played hide and seek. Eventually I had to leave, still hungry to try and make this spot work, as it was my last day after a two-week trip up there. Funnily enough, this photo of Swiss rider Matt Schaer just standing, looking up the slope, ended up becoming my best-selling print ever.
Camera: Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
Lens: 70-200mm f2.8
Settings: Shutter 1\/1000 | Aperture f13 | ISO 100<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Where\u2019s the craziest place your work has ever taken you?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Photography has taken me to so many incredible places, but often it\u2019s more about the people you share the journey with than the destination itself. Fuck that sounds like such a clich\u00e9! [Laughs] That said, places like Svalbard, Kamchatka, and Chile were amazing to experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

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NIGHTSWIMMING
Night riding in Japan. Stadium lights, endless powder runs, friends, ramen. That\u2019s the good life!
I could do this all night long, it\u2019s just pure therapy for the mind.
Camera: Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
Lens: 24-70mm f2.8
Settings: Shutter 1\/200 | Aperture f5.6 | ISO 2500<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They say the camera never lies. Do you think that\u2019s true? Why \/ why not?<\/b><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s always an interesting and tricky question to answer, because what you see isn\u2019t necessarily what others see. The camera is a tool that reflects choices, perspectives, and sometimes distortions\u2014which is why we should always look critically at what a photograph is showing us. What are you trying to reveal, what story are you telling, and from what angle?<\/span>
\n<\/span>Factors like lens type, perspective, lighting, exposure, and framing can completely change the way an image feels. A photographer decides what to include and what to leave out\u2014and that framing alone can create a biased narrative. For instance, a photo could make a protest look violent if it focuses on a single clash\u2014but the same protest could appear peaceful if the photo showed the wider crowd sitting quietly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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JIBBING THE ATOM
This was one of those days that really make you question why you shoot street snowboarding. People just don\u2019t get it \u2014 they yell at you, they treat you like a kid who never grew up, call the police, and do everything they can to shut you down. But then you come away with a shot like this, of Sebi Springeth, hitting up a playground in Slovakia, and all the bad vibes are instantly forgotten.
Camera: Canon R5
Lens: Fisheye 8-15mm f2.8
Settings: Shutter 1\/2000 | Aperture f5.6 | ISO 400<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What are you working on at the moment?<\/b><\/h3>\n

In 2019, I founded Club Sandwich Studio with my friend Perly, who\u2019s also a snowboard photographer. It\u2019s an independent publishing house, mainly focused on photography, design, and our shared board culture. Beyond publishing a bunch of projects each year, we also run a small creative agency that collaborates with brands to curate exhibitions, set up pop-up bookstores, and more. Our days are definitely full \u2014there\u2019s no time to fuck around!<\/span><\/p>\n

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CLOUD SURFING Sometimes the lifestyle stuff makes for better shots than the action itself. This was in Piemonte in Italy, and the rider hidden grinning through the smoke is Thomas Delfino. Snow was dumping like five-euro coins that day, you could barely see a thing. But it still felt so good to be outside hustling. To me, that\u2019s the best part! Camera: Canon EOS 1D Mark IV Lens: 70-200mm f2.8 Settings: Shutter 1\/400 | Aperture f5.0 | ISO 200<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can keep up with Matt\u2019s work at <\/span><\/i>mattgeorges.com<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>clubsandwich.studio<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>@matt_georges<\/span><\/a> on Instagram.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Header Image:<\/p>\n

A WALK IN THE PARK<\/span>
\n<\/span>Classic Russian vibes: as long as you pay off the cops, you\u2019re good. The longer it takes you to land your trick, the more expensive it gets! Luckily Will Smith nailed this gap to boardslide to boardslide pretty quickly. I love shooting with this camera \u2014 it\u2019s not easy, but it really forces you to think outside the box.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b>Camera: <\/b>Hasselblad X-PAN<\/span><\/p>\n

Film: <\/b>TMax 400 with light leaks<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Matt Georges comes from a rich French tradition of experimental photography which stretches all the way back to Louis Daguerre, who developed the first \u201cDaguerrotype\u201d photos using chemicals back in the 1830s. His work is instantly recognisable, but wildly varied and impossible to pin down. The one constant is his desire to experiment: playing with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,280],"class_list":["post-1835635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-whitelines-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1835635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1835635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1835635\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1835635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1835635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1835635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}