Green & Wild

Born on 2 March 1994, Mathieu Courdesses is a French wildlife photographer. A graduate of ESCP Europe, he specializes in the photography of endangered species. From the Mountain Gorilla in Rwanda to the Orangutan in Sumatra until the Brown Mane Lion in the Kalahari Desert, this nature expert has learned to share his knowledge and sensitize his audience through his work as a guide in southern Africa for 5 high seasons. The strength of his photographs is in his work of light and in his keen wildlife knowledge. His photos are almost not edited, the design of his work is not to make beautiful but to witness a natural event, a story, or just a light. His photos reflect his personal vision of a tiny microcosm of still-wild parts of the world. His work as a photographer is particularly characterized by the quest for crossed looks. He watches and tries to capture this moment that sometimes lasts only a fraction of a second during which the eyes of the animal and the lens meet. Through these looks, Mathieu has the feeling of immortalizing a dialogue between the animal, himself and, by extension, the public. Mathieu also claims an aesthetic research on the role that natural light can play in composition. The work of composing light in Mathieu’s photographs is his signature. The young photographer’s work has won international awards. Nominated for the Paris Match 2018 contest among the 20 best student report photos on 80,000 files. In 2021, then in 2022, he won the public prize of the Albert II Foundation of Monaco photo competition. Mathieu represents the new generation of wildlife photographers.