This picture is one of those you never plan. I was in an area close to Lyon, with a bunch of French mountain bike riders, Tony Rocci and Yannick Granieri, shooting on their favorite training trail. It’s an unremarkable place, but they cherish it because the ground is soft sand that can be easily shaped.
After some time shooting with flashes, I was not totally satisfied, apart from a few crazy pictures. The area was a little bit too small for big jumps and more panoramic pictures – and the guys were getting tired. That’s when Tony came and showed me that he could land stylishly on every jump, making a nice spray of sand, and he asked me if I could get it on camera. I said no worries – I always say that – and tried to get a very close up shot with my fisheye.
I tried first to bury the camera in the sand and shoot using a remote, but Tony never landed exactly in the same place, and we were scared he could hit and destroy the camera. So I did the shot myself. After a few attempts with flashes on, I decided it would look better as raw as possible, have no flashes and be in black and white. Lucky we didn’t collide, and still have this picture, which is just overflowing with energy!
Stéphane Candé

About the shot

Biography
I studied science – geology to be precise – but this had nothing to do with my career as a photographer. Growing up during the explosion of alternative sports warped my mind forever. More than photography, articles from a French windsurfing journalist in the 80s helped to influence me into becoming an action sports photographer. His stories were incredible!
Pictures from a Dutch photographer in an old copy of Photo Magazine also made a lasting impression. I saw full action close ups and very long telephoto lens shots. These came at the beginning of modern slide films, had heavy saturation and contrast and were the way to go then – truly revolutionary.
At the end of my studies I became sick, and when I came back it was certainly not to work in an office. I had to go out and have fun. I met new friends, impressed magazines and that was how I started as a professional photographer. I hope I'll be able to do this as long as possible.