Gaël Duclos

Finding stillness at the heart of effort.

The concrete of a skatepark, a singletrack at sunrise, the last fifteen kilometres of an ultra. What draws me in, as much as the performance itself, is everything around it — the light, the terrain, the setting, the moments in between.

This way of seeing goes back a long way. An ecologist by training, I've always been drawn to observing and understanding nature — from growing up on a farm to my working life. Nature, and protecting it, are values that remain deeply rooted in me.

Sport followed the same path. As a kid, every competition on TV turned into a family challenge. As a teenager, skateboarding had me taking my first pictures on the family compact camera. But it was later, during my studies, that photography really took hold.
Trekking and running then led me to trail running — a real revelation. Combining effort with wide-open spaces just made sense, right where sport meets adventure.

After working as an ecologist, then a spell in IT, I needed my work to mean something. In 2026, I acted on it and set up as a freelance photographer, bringing together the three things that drive me: nature, sport and image-making.

My background shapes the way I work: scientific rigour, a clear framework, careful project management and polished delivery.
Races, brands, athletes or personal projects: I cover one-off events as well as long-term projects, in both photo and video.

Based near Nantes (France), I travel wherever projects take me.