Interview with Xavier Briel

“Great stories happen on the edge of human capabilities and where nature lives in its rawest form.”

Sometimes raw talent, creative flair and a whole lot of passion is the combination needed to take the leap into photography. Xavier Briel made that plunge just a couple of years ago, and is fast making his mark in adventure photography. Ever ready for action – either to leap in himself or to shoot it, Xavier lives by what he believes: that to capture great stories, you need to push beyond your comfort zone.

Xavier in action in Cape Town, with the Twelve Apostles range providing the perfect mountain backdrop © Xavier Briel

LD: Tell us about Xavier Briel – when and where were you born?

XB: I’ll be 29 in a few days – I was born on Friday the13th. I grew up in Pretoria and moved to Cape Town in 2010. I fell in love with the oceans and mountains of Cape Town as a kid when I used to come and visit family here. When I finished school and couldn’t play rugby anymore, I packed up my stuff in Pretoria and jumped on the plane. I’ve never looked back, I love this place.

Shooting from inside a cave on the descent from Suther Peak during Ultra-Trail Cape Town 2017 © Xavier Briel

LD: You’ve not been long in the game of sports photography, yet your work is outstanding. What got you into photography?

XB: I never knew what I wanted to do with my life and I was never really content with what I was busy with. All I did know was that I wanted to be outside and active, but I always thought that was a crazy dream and only super-lucky people get to do that! I studied to be a draughtsman and that’s the profession I was in when I moved to Cape Town. Quite unintentionally I became more involved with the IT side of my work, and ended up as a technical advisor for an IT company. We managed the traffic information system around South African driving licenses, which meant I had to drive around A LOT. I fell in love with the landscapes I drove past and started taking photos of them. At the same time, I started running and the love for both grew fast. As soon as figured out I could do both at the same time and make a living, I ditched the high-paying IT job and became a photography bum. In the beginning, I had to do a bit of everything to get by, but now I’m lucky and most of my work is centred around the outdoors. I started shooting full-time in January 2016.

Christiaan Greyling after winning Otter 2017. The finish area was packed with people, hence the blur © Xavier Briel

LD: What’s your philosophy around photography, and what do you aspire to achieve through your images?

XB: I believe the only way to create work that really matters, is by creating the kind of imagery that lets you not only see, but feel the moment. I’ve learned that the further you are from your comfort zone, the better the story becomes. Great stories happen on the edge of human capabilities and where nature lives in its rawest form. Getting to document these stories sometimes means that I have to push beyond my own comfort zone. My greatest advantage has been my ability to run long distances with my camera, and I believe my creativity is fuelled by my physical abilities. I hope they both keep getting stronger in the future.

No trekking poles? No problem! A local runner at Lesotho Ultra Trail. He was in third place on this final climb © Xavier Briel

LD: Any cliffhangers or near-misses you can tell us about?

XB: I’ve lost small things like lens caps and SD cards before. One time I’d been shooting high on the mountains behind Franschhoek, and when we got back to the car I realised I’d left one of my lenses on the mountain. That was a fun 13km panic-run to fetch it! I’ve been very fortunate and haven’t broken or lost anything big … yet. At trail running events I often have to run holding a camera, and I’ve lost count of the times I’ve taken a tumble. Fortunately I’ve pretty much perfected the tuck-one-arm-and-sacrifice-my-face manoeuvre, a roll that looks much like I’m falling with a beer in my hand. I’ll let you know when my luck runs out…

This is something all runners do when they reach the Hout Bay aid station, 60km into UTCT 2017 © Xavier Briel

LD: What has been your most memorable trail running shoot?

XB: I shot PUFfeR 2016 just for fun, and it ended up paying off big time. Stuart McConnachie, race director for Ultra-Trail Cape Town, saw my images and wanted to meet up. We met for coffee and before I knew it, I was an official photographer at Ultra-Trail Cape Town 2016. That event opened many doors for me, and also taught me much about networking. I’ll always be thankful to Stu for giving me a chance. In turn, I believe that race gave me an opportunity to shoot Skyrun 2017, a race I’ve always wanted to be part of. It was very special when I managed to cover just under half of the route with a camera. I guess I have many favourite shoots, but UTCT 2016 was my first big race and definitely the most memorable.

Broken cheekbone after falling early in the race. This was 50km in, and she was still going. Pure grit, UTCT 2017 © Xavier Briel

LD: What are your photography aspirations? Any dream places or adventures or challenges you’d love to shoot?

XB: This year I want to get more into climbing, but I still love shooting trail and have my eye on many international races. I’d like to become synonymous with trail running. I have this dream of shooting a runner in the Rwenzori mountains on the border of Uganda and the DRC, and in the Makgadikgadi salt pans in Botswana. Africa is filled with amazing adventure opportunities, and there is so much to show the world through photos. I also have some conservation projects planned, where my goal is to link trail runners with the environmental issues that exist in the areas they run in. My long-term goal is to shoot more documentary-style work, and to showcase Africa and its people. To be honest, my list of aspirations is quite long…

I have never seen a guy as happy to finish a race as Mvuyisi Gcogco – 5th at Otter 2017 © Xavier Briel

LD: What has been the most compromising position you’ve had to be in for a shoot?

XB: Skyrun 2017 was a physically tough race to shoot and I was out there for a very long time. I reached the Balloch wall just before sunset, and spent the majority of that night shooting portraits of the backmarkers as they reached the top of the climb. I ended up taking over the sweeper duties, and I had to make sure no one was left behind. That was a very long night, and I had to guide two people to the finish because they were too exhausted to pay attention to their maps and the one had a badly rolled ankle. The fact that we had to climb over fences didn’t help either. Luckily I’ve never found myself in trouble in the mountains, largely because I use the right gear. That should be a priority for any mountain mission.

LD: Whose photographic work has most aspired you?

XB: I have so many. To avoid giving you a long list, I’ll stick to local. Kelvin Trautman has a unique style and his ability to tell a story is amazing. I also admire how he’s able to push his body physically. These are skills I really want to work on. I’ve also been fortunate enough to work with Craig Kolesky a couple of times and have learned so much from him – he has the unique skill of creating amazing images from any situation.