Meet Photographer Dom Daher

What lies behind an action shot that gives you chills?

Gorgeous images that inspire thousands of fans often hide a grueling adventure along the way. Go behind the lens with Dom Daher who has spent over two decades capturing the emotional essence of international freeski, letting his photos speak for himself.

In a world where everyone knows each other but few make a sustainable living, only those who endure can share the truth. You lose feathers, you grow thicker skin, you build a reputation. The shoots for the top magazines, those pristine slopes bathed in golden light, the perfectly timed angle, all come at a cost. With evolving technology, demanding clients, and 20+ years of experience, Dom’s work is now becoming global.
In his creative kitchen from his studio in Versoix, Switzerland, he conceptualizes, plans, and imagines. From inspiration at high altitude, through preparation, to final delivery, everything needs to move fast. You must aim true while remaining attuned to nature’s unpredictability. Technically, his eye must be flawless. He prepares as rigorously as the athletes he photographs: on altitude, together, their lives often literally in balance. Mistakes in the mountains can cost dearly, but the bonds forged in shared hardship and triumph only grow stronger.

Dom has remained steady, fully aware of the risks his job imposes. He explores, with increasing intimacy, the interplay between the photographer and the photographed, the unspoken letters of freeride skiing. He thrives on capturing genuine character without artifice. The chemistry he presents a nearly fraternal bond between shutter and rider is unmistakable. Through all challenges photographers face, sometimes a small door opens to immense success. A Marseille-born skier turned adrenaline-fueled image hunter, Dom has opened that door around the globe. With a precise eye and deep respect for human action, he frames edgy freeride lines on the global outdoor stage.

There was a time he was photographed himself as a skier before taking command behind the lens. His craft was shaped by an emulsion of French photographers and artistic creatives, loosely bonded like a high-altitude rope team. Long before social media existed, he contributed to the visual achievements of top freeskier names—ski, snowboard, surf. He’s the living memory of the Freeride World Tour, documenting its backstage and spotlight since 2008. Dom has weathered changing eras, from working within Skieur Mag’s editorial team to forging his independent path. Though social networks have disoriented many photographers, he has stayed at arm’s length, loyal to his first love: printed media. His pulse races on shifting terrain, unstable though it may be. Despite digital upheaval, the passion driving him, and more than luck, the raw talent keeps him grounded.

At Forward, we’ve always celebrated the artists shaping outdoor culture. Today, Dom opens up to our magazine with humility. He speaks frankly about the complex equation of his profession: balancing wisdom and risk, passion and pleasure, psychological strain and the longevity required to sustain a photographer’s career in the action sports industry of 2025.

Hey Dom, how did your photography career begin?
“I got started completely backwards. Writing was always my first love. I come from journalism. I grew up skiing in the Southern Alps before transitioning to photography. A Danish photographer once offered to shoot me for my sponsors, and that was the spark. We’d go on an annual ski trip and tell stories through photos, it was amazing. I then enlisted in the army. Afterward, Bruno Bertrand from Skieur Magazine offered me a premature exit to join the editorial team. I dabbled in everything, and my love for photography grew as I bought and published images for the mag. I got more serious when I met Stef Candé. He taught me almost everything and inspired me to go all in.”

When did you know this would become your life?
“After four years at Skieur Mag, I needed space, snow, and movement. I wanted to work in the mountains, not behind a desk. I had the contacts and realized I could launch a freelance career. At the time, the industry was still rooted in film. Everything moved at a deliberate pace. The Red Bull Rampage downhill mountain biking event was my first true professional expedition, I loaded up 20 rolls of film. I’ve always loved that approach ! It avoids endless post-production and digital shortcuts. Nowadays, photographers return from a shoot with 10,000 digital files, but that was a different era.”

Do you still shoot film and print personally for yourself?
“Absolutely, it remains one of my biggest passions. Real black-and-white film has an inimitable texture. Recently, I completed an entire architecture project shot on analog, developed and printed by hand in my studio. It felt complete, like working in the good old days. My dream has always been to create my own magazine. I’ve put together photo books with Matt Georges and others, published on Neufdixième. For years I’ve considered launching The Freeride World Tour Journal. After all the years as the tour’s official photographer, I have so many stories, adventures, and behind-the-scenes moments. It's a project I hope to bring to life someday.”

Which photographers have inspired you most?
“From the very beginning working for Skieur Mag, I had direct access to incredible photographers. Many became friends and mentors. Stef Candé is my benchmark, professionally and technically, no one compares. I’ve also always drawn inspiration from print culture. Outdoor sports culture was built on printed media. I learned from magazines, built my creativity through observation, and refined my photographic technique.”

You’ve traveled all the world for your shoots. Do you remember your worst nightmare on the other side of the planet?
I’ve got tons of stories I could tell you… To keep it simple, I’ve earned two nicknames in the business: Dom Galère (“Disaster Dom”) and Chat Noir (“Black Cat”)—no joke.
On my very first photo shoot with Candide Thovex, I lost all my images. Never found them again. That was a tough one to swallow.

Another terrifying moment? Escaping a helicopter crash in Alaska during a freeride trip. It was chartered for our crew : Julien Régnier, JP Auclair, Richard Permin, and Fab Maierhofer. At the very last minute, fate had it that we didn’t get on board. It crashed during takeoff. No one was on board, and even the pilot made it out alive. But yeah, we came close to dying that day.

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These days, riders are constantly pushing every discipline to its absolute limit. How do you find your own balance between wisdom and risk to keep delivering quality work safely?
“Early in my career, one of my close friends died in an avalanche. A buddy and I found the body ourselves. That kind of thing never leaves you. And sadly, there have been more accidents since. The world of outdoor sports photography can be brutal.
The mountains always have the last word. I’m lucky to be really well supported today,especially on the Freeride World Tour, where we’ve got trauma doctors, mountain guides, and a full safety infrastructure that minimizes risk.

And with age and experience, I expose myself far less than I used to. When I go on a shoot, the athletes I work with tend to be very aware of the dangers. But when I shoot with younger riders who lack experience, I become the one making the safety calls for the day.

Take steep skiing for example, usually done late in the spring season. With recent low-snow years, we have to hike more to reach good lines, which increases the risk of falling rocks, serac collapses, or avalanches.

Sometimes I’d rather come back with a less impressive photo and make it home alive.
It’s a fine line. Shooting right in the heart of the action, close to the rider—it’s priceless. But it’s not always without consequence.”

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What do you feel most intensely when capturing that decisive moment on the Freeride World Tour?
“I’ve been shooting the tour for 18 years, and yet I still feel huge pressure every time I press the shutter.

I’ve witnessed how freeride skiing has evolved technically, it’s exploded. The cliffs that used to be a big deal are now considered warm-ups. Riders go bigger and farther.
The night before an event, I barely sleep. I'm stressed. I pack and repack my bag ten times to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.

We don’t shoot from helicopters anymore during the competitions. So now I have to be more creative and safe while standing still, often in the freezing cold, right on the face. It adds a whole new layer of difficulty.

Today, some of the young riders out there are the kids of my old friends who used to compete back in the day. We’re a big family. There’s emotion involved.

I don’t want to see them crash. I worry about them.

Even after all these years, the intensity of those moments hasn’t faded.”

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Does the current lack of snow ever push you to the edge when trying to get great shots?
“Yeah, no question. Winters lately have thrown a wrench in the works.

We get fewer bluebird days, and my availability on the perfect day is more limited too.

There’s less snowfall, which means a weaker snowpack and shorter weather windows.
We’ve had to adapt. That’s the new reality. Skiing is still the same, but the context has changed.

Luckily, my creativity helps. I’ve learned to anticipate, fine-tune my gear, and lighten my photo pack so I can move with my subjects.

The athletes I work with are incredibly fit. They’re used to the lack of snow and don’t hesitate to hike for hours to reach what they’re after. That forces me to stay in shape and prepare hard to keep up and get the shots we need.

And when you add all the unstable snowpack and tricky weather into the equation. It’s a lot of moving parts to manage if you want to stand out as a photographer.”

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What’s the biggest mental toll after all these years working in the field?
“From a financial standpoint, there’s definitely less money in the ski and snowboard industry than before.

What weighs on me most is seeing how brands allocate their budgets. There’s a reluctance to take creative risks. Product shots that help sales get prioritized, while action photos can end up unused.

I’m not complaining, I’ve learned to adapt.

This profession has evolved. Social media has completely changed how we work.
Now you’ve got to be “Instagram-friendly”, that’s how photographers showcase their work today, let’s not kid ourselves.

Over time, I’ve watched generations of riders pass in front of my lens—some of them later became marketing directors or athlete managers for their former sponsors.
And me? I’ve had to reinvent myself too, and explore other avenues.”

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Can you tell us how your connection with Forward Outdoor came about?
And are there any upcoming projects with them this winter?
“Josh and Jesse Cohen from Faction introduced me to Tony McWilliam years ago in Verbier.

Later, during the Covid pandemic, I did a catalog shoot for Candide Thovex’s brand—that led to three years of working for Candide Collection, followed by campaigns for Forward Outdoor after the brand relaunched. Funny how good things can come out of difficult times.

Tony and I have always gotten along. We know each other really well, and my studio in Versoix has hosted several collaborations. We’re planning to meet there again soon to work on the upcoming collection.

I also recently worked with Jérôme Caroli, one of their athletes, a Swiss skier and mountain biker who’s currently producing a personal film.

We shot some footage at the Grand Combin near his home, and we’ll likely continue working together on the bike side too so stay tuned.”

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What led you to gradually start shooting other sports?
“I’ve always had a passion for cycling. Some of my skier friends like Enak Gavaggio and Géraldine Fasnacht were also into Base jumping.

I had the chance to work for Red Bull for twenty years, and for Swatch for seven. These are brands that naturally gravitate toward all kinds of action sports and sponsor a wide range of athletes.

That’s how surfing entered my client list, along with downhill mountain biking, Base jumping, and even alpine skiing, a beautiful sport filled with emotions to capture.
But it was also a personal need, a desire to step away from skiing for a while, that naturally pushed me toward other exciting and fulfilling projects.”

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In a time where there’s relentless pressure to produce perfection, and an endless stream of digital images flooding our brains, what makes a good photo in 2025, Dom?
“It’s all very cyclical. Trends come and go. Fisheye lenses are back, certain editing styles remind us of specific eras, but that’s not what truly matters. What really counts for me is the story behind the image. The composition. What it tells. The emotions it carries. These days, our eyes are trained to recognize Instagram-style shots, blurred backgrounds, bright colors, overly polished tones and honestly, I get quickly tired of that. When I’m on a ski trip at the other end of the world, it’s often the moments in between the action that tell the story. The travel, the cultural encounters, the atmosphere, those are what give depth and soul to a set of images. That’s what makes them meaningful in my eyes.

To get there, you have to learn to tell a story through your photographic perspective.”

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If you could take your career in any direction right now, what would it be?
“I’ve always stayed open and diverse in my work. Right now, I’m doing a lot of photo editing for magazines, and it could be my new dream job in another era...

I’m assisting Matt Ross with the photo curation for Backcountry Magazine, and I recently worked on a cookbook project that tells the story of forty chefs under forty who are reinventing traditional mountain recipes. It’s coming out soon with Glénat Editions.

If I ever stepped away from sports photography, I’d probably turn to documenting artisans.

There’s something incredibly powerful in the authenticity they bring to their craft and in the stories that can be told through a single portrait.

There’s a certain raw character that comes through in people who love what they do.
For me, being a photographer has always meant bearing witness to emotion and finding ways to pass that on.That’s why I chose this job and it’s what will always keep me doing it, at least the longest time possible..”

Words and interview by Maxence Gallot for Forward Outdoor.