What inspires a creative mind to capture iconic moments? Discover the vision of visual artist Bilal Zagaoui in his interview with The Game Magazine, where he shares insights into his unique and creative approach to photography and videography.
Bilal Zagaoui’s Visual Journey: A Creative Eye for Iconic Moments
In this interview, Bilal Zagaoui, a talented and versatile photographer and videographer who made a remarkable transition from the corporate world to a thriving freelance career, talks about his inspiring journey. Bilal shares insights into the creative and technical aspects of his work, his memorable experiences with some of the world’s most famous athletes and celebrities, and the ways he continually refines his craft.
Join us as we explore his story, his unique approach to photography, and his advice for aspiring creatives.
You worked in multiple areas, such as with the sporting goods manufacturer Adidas, before your photography career. How did you get into photography? What inspired you?
Indeed, I have been working at the Herzogenaurach office where the Global HQ is located. Been working 4 years for the brand and they will stay some of my best memories in a corporate job. I fell deep into photography as I was walking past my workplace every day. The campus is so inspiring that I wanted to show my friends what it looked like, the more I was doing it, the more people started to get interested, so I kept doing it. I then scaled it up by helping out teams around me that needed content in my free time, I really put the hours in perfecting the craft when I think back about it.
“I have a clear ambition and that is to become the best at event photography. I want to shoot the Oscars, that is a dream of mine, I don’t know how or when but I’ll make it happen one way or another.” – Bilal Zagaoui.
How was the transition from working a permanent job to freelancing and what did you experience during that time?
So the shift didn’t happen overnight, I had to do my 9 to 5 and then try to get involved in everything related to photography. As said earlier I was chasing opportunities on campus, celebrities and football players coming for a shoot or a campus tour. Also externally I was going on sets to help out on behind-the-scenes capture. I remember how hard it was to combine both my job and my passion. In terms of experience, I started to post daily so I was working around the clock with very few hours of sleep, my workflow was not quite optimized at the time so I was spending long hours editing overnight. I had to give up and sacrifice a lot of things whether it was cycling, family gatherings, or parties. But as Djokovic said “You have to earn your right to party” so I still managed to get some good ones, after the job was done!
What has been your most exciting photography/videography project so far?
It’s hard to pick one as there were so many highlights in the past 2 years since I started doing my thing. But for me no matter the experiences I had, whether it’s flying with a private jet company to go on a safari in South Africa or a Formula 1 VIP access in Miami, Monaco, and Las Vegas and even attending the World Cup final, Euro final, Olympic Basketball final in the best seats possible, the day I spent with Roger Federer on a Tennis court is going to be hard to top off. It really felt magical to share the bench with such a legend.
“[…] the day I spent with Roger Federer on a Tennis court is going to be hard to top off. It really felt magical to share the bench with such a legend.” – Bilal Zagaoui.
“I think what is unique about my photography is that it’s very spontaneous, I believe that I have a great sense of documenting life the way it is and the way it should be.” – Bilal Zagaoui.
Do you have a favourite photo or a photo that you are particularly proud of?
I have many of them but I feel like I’m improving every day while taking my camera out. From one job to the other I always look into my pictures and try to analyse a few different things:
– Did I use the right settings?
– Was I at the right place to catch the best possible light in the room?
– Is the composition interesting enough?
All this to say that my favorite picture is going to be the next one I’m going to take or at least the most recent and in my case, it’s the one picture of Lebron James celebrating his Olympic title with his daughter. This picture represents so much for me, I had to pay a lot of money for seats that were a little far from the court and I managed to sneak in so I could be in the first row right behind the VIP courtside guests and also Lebron James’ family. When he got closer to hug his daughter after they won over France he started this little dance with her and I pulled out my Leica Q3 to capture this moment with this 28mm 1.7 lens that gives so much texture to the photograph.
How do you come up with the ideas for your photos? Where do you get your inspiration from?
I think what is unique about my photography is that it’s very spontaneous, I believe that I have a great sense of documenting life the way it is and the way it should be. Never intrusive but still manage to capture these bold expressions from the talents I have in front of my lens in how I approach them.
For inspiration I usually look at the location and check what has been done before by other photographers, pinterest can help as well for poses and moods but again I don’t like to plan too much. If I don’t like a location and I need to take a photograph of someone coming, I just find a piece of wall and position them in front of it and that works for me.
“For inspiration, I usually look at the location and check what has been done before by other photographers; Pinterest can help as well for poses and moods, but again, I don’t like to plan too much.” – Bilal Zagaoui.
Does photographing the most famous celebrities and professional athletes such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Rihanna or Patrick Mahomes affect your work? Is there a particular story you would like to share about your experiences with celebrities or professional athletes?
I’m so fortunate to be able to have access to these mega super stars and icons of the world we live in but as I photograph them there is always one thing that comes back: sparkling an emotion.
For Cristiano Ronaldo, I remember how tight it was to get close to him. We were at a big fight event in Riyad, Saudi Arabia where I flew in only with an accreditation from my good friend working at DAZN. I paid for the flight, the hotel, and the food and spent the whole week waiting for him to show up. When he got into the Venue everyone went totally ape around him so I waited until the craziness fell out and then approached him in between the chairs, gently asked him if I could get a picture of him (with my Leica which doesn’t feel like a big professional camera) and he replied back “with my son?!” which I didn’t expect but I automatically replied “Of course with your son!” and then he smiled and gave this picture to me.
Rihanna was a bit different. I saw her arriving as a surprise at the Dior fashion show last season and to grab her attention I just shouted “Riri! Please don’t stop the music” she then turned and smiled back at my camera.
I met Pat Mahomes a few times already through BOSS as I got sent on a few assignments in Formula 1 events, 2x in Miami and I also got to photograph him at the NFL Frankfurt Game when he was meeting with Antoine Griezman. The job was pretty straightforward. I just had to click as they were swapping jerseys.
“Start with what you have, whether it’s your iPhone or your old VHS camera it doesn’t matter.” – Bilal Zagaoui.
What does your setup and equipment look like? You also work a lot with 360° cameras like the insta360. How has the use of 360° cameras or similar technologies changed your work and what opportunities do these open up for you?
My setup is relatively compact, it holds a 31L Backpack and a small Rimowa hand luggage case when I gather everything I need for a big job. I sometimes only need my backpack.
360 Cameras have been such a great tool to experiment with and still are. I was experimenting so much with it until I found some very special ideas that got people around me very excited and then developed some cool editing tricks with it. I really appreciate the flexibility this offers and I even got the job with Roger Federer as the production crew needed someone that was really good at 360 cameras. Insta360 even reached out at some point and sponsored all the equipment I needed for my projects which I’m very grateful for. I’m looking forward to spotting more opportunities to use these cameras in the best situation possible.
Camera bodies:
– Sony A7Siii
– Sony A9iii
– Leica Q3
– Drone DJI mini if needed
Lenses:
– 16-35 2.8 Gmaster
– 24-70 2.8 Gmaster
– 100-400 4.5 Gmaster
Action Cameras:
– GoPro 12
– Insta 360 X4
Accessories:
– ND filters and reflection filters
– Cleaning kits and chargers
– Flashes B10 and A2 from Profoto
– Softbox
– Dji Microphone
– Tripod from peak design
You developed a very unique style that combines sports and fashion. How do the techniques differ in sports photography and, for example, in advertising campaigns for large companies?
I believe both worlds have similarities, in sports you have to anticipate what’s going to happen to get the shot, and in fashion or in events it’s the same thing just a little bit slower. So I believe sport is a very good base to capture fashion in a way.
Also, fashion is very complimentary to sports photography because if you know how to satisfy influencers, and celebrities in the fashion world then brands will notice it and put you on these commercials with all the big sports celebrities they have.
The last point is In sports you need to show movement so the use of slow shutter techniques is a big part of it while fashion photography most of the time has to be sharp to show garments and celebrities as clearly as possible. All in all, sports photography is about movement and action, while fashion is about the talent in front of the lens and what they look like.
You are not only a photographer, but you also do a lot of videography. How do you balance the demands of movement, timing and storytelling in videography with the static composition of photography?
So I built up a repertoire of visual techniques through editing 1000+ videos over the past 2 years and shooting 350k+ pictures. I figured out when to do videos and when to take stills more or less and can tell the most interesting stories according to the situation I have in front of me. I also know how to read the light in the room and position myself accordingly.
For me, a good photograph is when you stop a motion, that one moment in between the time someone is fixing their outfit and forgets to pose or when you call their name, and you have half a second to capture the moment. An emotion in their eyes or their body language that tells a story.
For videography it’s a question of rhythm, there is more complexity that goes into finding out the tone you want to use, the hook to capture your audience’s attention. Selecting the right shots to tell your story and drive the message you want to send. It’s very easy to make a video, it’s way more difficult to land a message.
“For videography, it’s a question of rhythm, there is more complexity that goes into finding out the tone you want to use, the hook to capture your audience’s attention. Selecting the right shots to tell your story and drive the message you want to send. It’s very easy to make a video, it’s way more difficult to land a message.” – Bilal Zagaoui.
How important is social media to your work as a photographer and videographer, and how has it influenced your career?
I’d say social media is the most important tool I have to promote myself. I don’t have much PR as I’m a bit of an alien in the industry, coming out of nowhere, living in Germany while I’m French with a Moroccan background so there is this language barrier that’s not so easy to overcome in terms of PR representation which led me to focus on my own social media.
Social media hasn’t influenced but rather shaped my career, as a one-man show at the time I had to focus on short production, impactful and straight-to-the-point kind of outcome. I couldn’t afford to spend a week editing the same job so I had to stick with short social media content that still is good quality but doesn’t require a lot of post-production work and crazy effects.
I believe that I have the right positioning which is delivering “same-day elevated content” at a very fast pace with a very limited team. I sometimes work with an assistant and an editor on big projects but most times I get sent alone.
To name a few I covered the Monaco Grand Prix for Mercedes or The Olympic Games in Paris for Adidas with a two man team which is pretty impressive when I think back at it. Imagine companies this big giving the keys to their social media to me, I’m at the same time so grateful and proud and also very naïve that they trust me with such big projects and budgets.
I believe that’s also why these projects are successful, I don’t make them a big deal and tackle them with a fresh eye to make them look even cooler than they already are with the support of a great network of creators I can rely on when needed.
You already give a lot of helpful tips to your followers on your Instagram. What are the most important tips you can give to aspiring photographers who might want to pursue a career similar to yours as a freelance photographer?
I hear a lot of people asking for advice on the camera they should buy or when they should start and how they should capture this or that. I can give them the following advice:
– Start with what you have, whether it’s your iPhone or old VHS camera it doesn’t matter. Start documenting your day-to-day and post the results daily. After 100 posts consider upgrading your gear to learn new techniques and keep building up your portfolio.
– Don’t quit your steady job to be a freelancer, you should do both until you feel like your freelancer career is established and that you can rely on some solid client.
– Take some risks! Collaborate, Reach out, Connect, Buy an expensive ticket to an event and bring your camera in, and create something with it. Authenticity x Spontaneity is a winning formula for social media.
How do you feel about the emerging technology of artificial intelligence especially in photography and videography? Do you already use AI tools on a regular basis?
I see so many opportunities in AI. I used it in many situations such as creating some voiceovers or removing things out of my pictures. Adobe is implementing it into their software which makes my workflow so much more efficient. Chat GPT for emails, storyboards, and captions is a time savior.
What are your goals and dreams for the future?
I have a clear ambition and that is to become the best at event photography. I want to shoot the Oscars, that is a dream of mine, I don’t know how or when but I’ll make it happen one way or another. If anyone can hear me manifest it and help me speed up the process I’d be very happy!
Then I want to open a gallery or a studio in Berlin with Blink Media Gmbh, this is the company I have with my good friend Vincent Poetzsch and we’re looking forward to settling in the capital to establish ourselves even more.
I’m also looking for opportunities to give back, maybe a podcast or some workshops to teach the little I know about the business of photography.
Credit for the cover photo: Bilal Zagaoui.
Read more interviews in The Game Magazine:
Marcelo Guelber Góes on Capturing Football’s Defining Moments: An Interview
How Is EURO 2024 Seen by Top Sports Photographers? Insights from Vitalii Kliuiev
Where Dreams Turn Reality: Documenting Glory at Real Madrid
From La Boca To The World: Where Passion and Football Heritage Collide in a Sea of Blue and Gold