Alex Buisse is an adventure photographer based out of Alberta, Canada, but it would seem that Chamonix, France has his heart – at least photographically. Alex is a climber, but around the same time he fell in love with that, he also fell into photography. The combination of those two passions allows Alex to create some absolutely stunning photographs.
These two disciplines seem to feed each other, and by Alex’s own admission have caused him to climb bigger and wilder mountains so that he would get better images. This balance of the physical art of climbing and the creative art of photography have also caused him to constantly work to become a better photographer. Imagine making some extremely difficult climbs only to not be able to do the scene justice in the resulting photos. That would be such a loss for us, the viewers.
Over a decade ago Alex was studying Computer Science when he dropped out to move to the climbing mecca of Chamonix, France to pursue adventure photography full time. I’m not sure how his parents felt about it at the time, but based on his portfolio, the world is a better place because we get the benefit of seeing his amazing work.
Alex’s work has provided him with some amazing opportunities, and unique life experiences. Alex has sailed an expedition yacht around Cape Horn, been invited to an Ethiopian coffee ceremony in Dadaab Refugee Camp, photographed Usain Bolt at the Olympics, skied to the North Pole, named three (small) mountains in Greenland, adventure raced through Tierra del Fuego, climbed on K2 and been winched from a rescue helicopter at night – on purpose! Alex is that person we have all heard about, the one that makes you realize you haven’t been living your life to the fullest.
Along with his adventure photography, he has branched out into a few other genres, including portraiture, humanitarian, automotive and industrial. His ability to deal with the complicated logistics of shooting in wild places, with unpredictable weather, make him a sought after talent.
His client list is a Who’s Who:
Patagonia
Garmin
BMW
Nissan
Novartis
VISA
Red Bull
Microsoft
Scandinavian Airlines
Adidas
Arc’teryx
Petzl
Black Diamond
Sports Illustrated
The Economist
International Olympic Committee
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
NationalGeographic.com
CNN
Alex is also one of the over 600 photographers in 41 countries that represented by the art production agency Wonderful Machine. Wonderful Machine is a very interesting concept, with a list of photographers that is top notch. I have to admit I am excited to try and get a few others from their roster on the show.
Join climber and adventure photographer Alex Buisse and me as we discuss his world of adventure photography, and as we take a deep dive, or should that be deep climb, into his image of Jeff Mercier climbing out of the depths of a moulin, a crevasse in Mer de Glace, Chamonix, France, on this Behind the Shot.
Connect with Alex
Portfolio: alexbuisse.com
Climbing Posters: montblanclines.com
Instagram: @alexbuisse
Twitter: @alexbuisse
Facebook: @alexbuissephotography
Alex’s Book
Mont Blanc Lines: French | Italian | English (Release October 6, 2022)
Alex’s Photographer Picks
Danielle Villasana: daniellevillasana.com | @davillasana
Eric Bouvet: ericbouvet.com | @ericbouvet
Alex’s App Picks
Sun Seeker: www.ozpda.com | Android | iOS
FatMap: fatmap.com | Android | iOS
Photographers Ephemeris: photoephemeris.com | iOS | iOS 3D
