Paris-born Mathieu Bitton, a Leica Ambassador, has photographed some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Quincy Jones, The Rolling Stones, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, and Bruce Springsteen, as well as designing and art directing albums, posters, books, and promotional materials — earning him three Grammys. Here he explains how to break through a creative block, why rules of composition are meant to be broken, and why he burns sweetgrass over used equipment.
What Are Must-Carry Items Always in Your Bag?
Leica M11 Monochrom with APO-Summicron M 50mm f/2 and extra battery, Leica Q3, vintage Leica SF-20 flash, lens wipe, USB-C charger for both phone and camera, a lighter (I don’t smoke but someone always needs a light in my business), a notepad with a Pilot ballpoint pen, some old trade paperback book, currently Mr. Majestyk by Elmore Leonard.
What Art Books Should Every Photographer Own?
In no specific order: Henry Miller & Brassaï Quiet Days in Clichy (the original rare printing), Gordon Parks Collected Works, Elliott Erwitt Paris, New York, and Dogs, Henri Cartier-Bresson The Decisive Moment, Herman Leonard Jazz Memories (Vintage French Edition) or Jazz (U.S.), William Claxton Jazz Life, Bruce Davidson East 100th Street, Roxanne Lowit Moments, Irving Penn Small Trades, William Eggleston The Outlands, Jim Marshall Proof and Jazz, Ernest Cole House of Bondage, Diane Arbus An Aperture Monograph, Malick Sidibé Mali Twist, Jacques Henri Lartigue The Invention of Happiness, Sebastião Salgado Genesis, Richard Avedon An Autobiography, Weegee Naked City, Ansel Adams The Camera.
How Do You Know When a Photo Is a Success?
When I don’t have to ask myself if the image is good or if it works for the intended job or vision. I think there is a silent language for a successful photograph. I don’t like to follow technical rules either. I like symmetry or the rule of thirds, but it doesn’t have to apply to a great image. Reality doesn’t follow as many rules as we’d like it to. Instinct is better than rules as far as I'm concerned.
Which Photographers Inspired You? What About Their Work Inspired You?
Henri Cartier-Bresson, Bruce Davidson, Jim Marshall, Eli Reed, and of course Gordon Parks. Contemporaries that inspire me are Andre Wagner and Phil Penman. Masters of the craft. Brassaï is a huge influence on my new book Paris Blues. The fact that they spent hundreds of thousands of hours patiently capturing incredible moments that would forever be otherwise lost. Their dedication to the craft. The choice and love of specific cameras (as a Leica collector and user, I understand how intimately one can be married to certain cameras). These photographers see something in this world I believe I see too. Almost like another dimension that exists parallel to ours. Many of these photographers were courageous and put themselves in uncomfortable places to capture certain works. And black and white inspires me so much. My first published book Darker Than Blue, which was all black and white, was very inspired by Parks and Reed. And James Van Der Zee.
What Photo Skill Do You Wish You Were Better At?
Zone focusing with the Leica M. My friend Phil Cuenco at Leica is better at it than anyone I’ve ever seen. It’s the only thing I’m jealous of. And also to be as fast as my friend Mark DePaola with the Leica Noctilux 50mm f/0.95 lens. I’m slowly getting there. But Mark is a true master of the craft. His upcoming book A Stab at Heaven from the film of the same name is a great example of his use of that lens.
Do You Have Any Rituals? Superstitions?
Showing gratitude is a ritual, even if internally before shooting. I like to clean my cameras before each use, even if just with a lens cleaner or wipe. Making sure the SD cards are wiped is an important ritual too. Making sure all batteries are charged. We’ve all made that mistake before. Superstitions: yes, I never like talking about a shoot or project before it’s announced. I never get excited or at least show any excitement when I book a new project out of fear it could jinx it. I collect old Fred Harvey Native American turquoise rings and in that culture (which I have nothing genetically connected to), they burn sweetgrass to bring new energy to the old things, so I do that with older Leicas and lenses I purchase. I once purchased a 1980s Leica M6 from a pawn shop in West Hollywood and as I paid for it, the guy told me the gentleman who owned it had gotten run over by a bus while shooting a picture of a building, much like how one of my favorite architects, Antoni Gaudí, was killed in 1926 at 73 years old, but it was a tram in Barcelona. I have a big obsession with numerology too, so even the serial numbers on my cameras have to add up to a good number. Incidentally, the new Leica M11 Black Paint “Leica 100” New York City Edition camera I just got last week is #73. I was also born in 1973.
Where Do You Find Inspiration for an Image?
I find inspiration in my subjects and the history that brought us together. I’m not a big mood board kind of guy. I know people who put together amazing boards before a shoot. I don’t like looking at other work to inspire mine. Of course, my brain is full of beautiful images that inspire me, so it’s more like an imaginary data bank of inspiration. I will, however, find inspiration from poetry. My favorites being the Beat poets such as Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory Corso, Jack Kerouac, and French poets like Guillaume Apollinaire, Charles Baudelaire, and Arthur Rimbaud. Great films can inspire me too. Louis Malle's Elevator to the Gallows will always do the trick, especially with its incredible Miles Davis score.
Photographers Are Always Told to Develop a Style or Find a Voice, but There Is Little Advice on How to Find That Voice. What Guidance Can You Offer?
I always tell young photographers who ask me how I have gotten to the point where people recognize my work. It’s something I always strive to accomplish. I tell them to stop trying to emulate other photographers. That is only good practice if you’re trying to come up with specific lighting. “How did Avedon do that?” “How many lights did Horst use?” That’s specific. I tell them to keep digging, keep setting up the shot you imagine in your mind, then repeat it a thousand times until different subjects look like they are part of the same series. Take risks. Fail as many times as you need to until you come up with your own look.
Have You Ever Had a Creative Block? How Did You Overcome It?
More than a few times! It is the worst feeling when you are stuck. Because I am an art director and designer first, there is a sequence of steps I take in my work. The worst possible thing is if I ever lose my inspiration — be it due to personal failures or stress, forces of nature. How have I gotten out of it? Sometimes it’s as simple as someone I admire (usually a great artist) gives me a heartfelt compliment about a specific piece of work. It sounds self-aggrandizing, but we all have that little kid version of ourselves that sometimes feels insecure or scared. It’s something I have to fight hard to break through. And when I do, my work improves.
What Is the Best Learning Experience You Have Ever Had?
I have always been known to wear many hats in my career. I started my “career” running a Prince fan club when I was 12 or so. Then I started designing fanzines and bootleg CDs of things I wanted to one day make official. Then I started working as an art director and designer in fashion (I was senior packaging and design director for American Eagle Outfitters in NYC in the mid-1990s, right out of NYU). Then I got the opportunity to work on a book on Blaxploitation film posters with Quentin Tarantino, so I quit that job and came to LA to work on that. One thing led to another and I started working on a lot of album covers, box sets, and DVD packaging, amongst other things. Then I started to manage artists. Musicians. I was also producing some music projects. Shooting. Designing, etc. The story is too long for this, but I met Quincy Jones who really took a liking to me and my works in the early 2000s. I used to go over to his house for dinner and bring him new projects I was working on or things that had just come out. Well, one day, he cornered me and asked me what, of all the things I did for a living, I liked the most and — most importantly, since I never slept — what made it possible to pay my bills. He said I was doing too much and needed to focus on three out of the ten things I did. That is when I started focusing on photography and things really took a turn for the best. I was so proud to shoot Quincy’s last at-home photo shoot a few years back. He passed a few days before the opening of my Paris Blues exhibit at Leica Gallery Meatpacking in NYC this past November, and thus I dedicated the show to him. He is also in the book, as we had spent some great times together in Paris over the years.
What Technique Do You Use Most Often?
The rangefinder on the Leica M cameras. There is no better way to lock into a magical moment. Autofocus is great, and I use it with concerts with the SL3-S cameras and backstage with the Q3 and Q3 43 cameras, but the rangefinder feels like a paintbrush to me. It’s what separates Leica M users from every other kind of photographer, including phone photographers. There is something so beautiful and authentic about using an all-manual camera in 2025.
When You Look Back on Earlier Work, What Are Your Thoughts?
I see how desperate I was to be accepted as a photographer because I had too many friends who were great photographers when I was coming up in NYC. My roommate during my NYU days was a great photographer. I never thought I could actually become a professional photographer. My earlier work shows a naiveté and a bit of insecurity that I love to see today. In a way, I still feel like I’m just getting started.
Bio: Paris-born Mathieu Bitton is a photographer, designer, art director, and producer who has worked with some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Quincy Jones, The Rolling Stones, Kendrick Lamar, Stevie Wonder, Lenny Kravitz, Dave Chappelle, Lady Gaga, Mel Brooks, Bruce Springsteen, and dozens more. He has designed and art directed albums, posters, books, and promotional materials for a wide range of filmmakers, musicians, and entertainers. He is a three-time Grammy winner, Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters, and recipient of the Seal of the President of the United States for his book Paris Blues in 2024. He explains why rules of composition are meant to be broken, why you should burn sweetgrass over used equipment, and how to break a creative block.
Top Ten is a recurring feature in which we give notable photographers a list of questions from which they choose their favorite ten (or in this case, twelve) to answer. Answers may be edited for length and clarity.
Website: www.mathieubittonphoto.com
Twitter/Instagram: @candytman
Headshot credit: ©2024 Jason Roman @stockezy.
All photos by permission Mathieu Bitton.
