It’s hard to find two sports as far apart as cycling and basketball. Still, there is a hyphen interesting which responds to the name of Matteo Marchi. Born in Imola in 1982, Matteo is a well-known photographer in the field of the wedge ball, in particular in the NBA where he made the boom in the last 4 years, but who has also been able to make himself appreciated in other sports, including cycling, where he has been recently the official photographer of Tour of Italy U23 along with his mentor Marco Isola.
It was with Isola that he began his career in 2003, he left the tourist villages where he was an entertainer and began putting away the negatives. From there it was a slow crescendo of photos and experiences that led him to collaborate with International Basketball Federation, taking photos of the Italian Serie A, the Euroleague, Europeans, World Cups and even two Olympics, London 2012 and Rio 2016.
At that point, however, for a basketball lover, the icing on the cake is missing: theNBA. «I packed my bags and left for New York, without actually having anything in my hand – says Matteo -. I started doing small photo shoots in any field to support myself, and in the meantime I was accredited as a freelancer for NBA games, obviously without earning anything. I began to get noticed, my photos were liked and even on social media the following was more than good (@matteomarchiph on Instagram, ed) “. Eventually, the big call: “I started working for the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden. A crazy experience ».
The story lasted four years, then the pandemic clipped his wings, forcing him to return to Italy: «I hoped until the end that they would call me back, but because of the problems linked to the pandemic it was not like that. I hadn’t even canceled the apartment in New York because of the risk of never finding another one. I threw away thousands of euros for nothing ».
However, Marchi did not lose heart, he returned to collaborate with maestro Isola and the International Basketball Federation, welcomed Formula 1 back to Imola and further deepened photography in cycling. «I had always done the Giro delle Pesche Nectarine and cycling has always been in my heart. Lately I was lucky enough to do several races, thanks to a collaboration with RCS and lastly the U23 Tour. From a technical point of view, it is a very difficult sport to capture, there are many variables and unknowns, much more than in basketball, but on the other hand it can give enormous emotions. Personally, I admire a lot Jered Gruber, has an unmistakable, artistic style. When possible, I like to go beyond the simple photos of departure and arrival ».
So is it better to photograph basketball or cycling? Matteo, who as a good Romagnolo always has a joke ready and never misses the opportunity to have a laugh in company, has his own thoughts: “Basketball is like a wife / husband, he is always faithful to you and you always have it . Cycling is like a lover, you see it more rarely but it is always an intense adventure ».
(on the cover some shots by Matteo Marchi at Giro U23)
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