In his first-ever shoot with the Canon EOS R5, extreme sports photographer and Canon Ambassador Jean-baptiste Liautard applied a three-step process to create this mirror image of a rider performing a breathtaking night-time jump. Taken with a Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM lens at 16mm, 1/200 sec, f/4 and ISO1250. © Jean-baptiste Liautard
It's been just seven years since Jean-baptiste Liautard (Jb) started taking his photography seriously and while others might still be finding their feet, he's quickly established himself as a pioneering extreme sports photographer, able to create compelling imagery on the grandest scale. At the tender age of 25, he is already a Canon Ambassador, has picked up a string of awards, including Pinkbike's Photo of the Year 2019, and names Red Bull among his ever-growing list of clients.
His remarkable work results from a refined photographic process. With a final vision in mind, Jb shoots over several stages, each resulting in a single image. At each stage, he adds layers of complexity until his vision is realised. "When you start shooting, every photographer wants to take a lot of pictures because you don't want to miss anything," he explains. "I want to make the right moment happen at the right time. I work in a way that allows me to take a couple of frames that are really what I want in terms of lighting and composition. It's an approach I developed quite early because I was bored of editing pictures I didn't like."
Jb applied this process during his first-ever shoot with the Canon EOS R5 and Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM lens, resulting in a truly incredible final image (above). Here he talks us through his approach and the techniques behind it.