Kinetics is king in Max Manavi-Huber’s blistering sports photography

There’s a reason why there isn’t sports photography for chess – it’s all about movement, fury and kinetics. Whether it be through blasts of snow or ferocious blurs, the constant movement of athletes is celebrated in Max Manavi-Huber’s extremely stylish photography for brands such as Nike, Atomic and Salomon. Whether it’s for running shoes, skis or hiking gear, Max’s photos turn campaigns into what looks like screengrabs from blistering music videos – think along the lines of the voguish runners of Darude’s Sandstorm. “While I never sought out to focus my photography on sports, it happened naturally as movement and the outdoors is such a big part of my life,” says Max.

Playing with natural light and shutter speeds to create suspense and dramatic shapes, Max transports the viewer into an alternate world, a paranormal event in which sharp flashes of adrenaline junkies are caught defying the laws of physics on camera. As a student of graphic design at university, Max became attuned to white space, movement patterns and human geometry – all of which are experimented with in these breathtaking campaigns. “I constantly strive for unique perspectives and ways I can get really close or put myself in uncomfortable places to create distinctive visuals,” says Max. “I try to not repeat myself too often.”