Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, photographs Mathieu Forget during the launch of the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

It was an image that quickly made the rounds on social media: Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, holding a brand-new iPhone in his hand, capturing a shot of a dancer suspended mid-air on the perfectly manicured lawn of Apple Park in Cupertino, California. The dancer in question, Mathieu Forget, also known as Forgetmat, is a French visual artist whose work defies gravity and redefines the boundaries of motion photography. A moment that was both aesthetic and strategic, carefully staged yet not without sincerity.

Mathieu Forget, the flying man, photographed by Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

A Launch Under the Sign of Creativity and Art

The iPhone 17 Pro Max marks a major evolution for Apple, particularly in the fields of photography and video. Thanks to a new periscope sensor, a brighter lens, and the deep integration of Apple Intelligence (their in-house system combining generative AI and onboard machine learning), this model aims to win over a demanding audience: content creators, videographers, photographers... and artists. In this context, inviting Mathieu Forget to take part in the launch was no coincidence. He belongs to a generation of tech-savvy artists capable of showcasing the full potential of digital tools — without ever compromising artistic control.

At the heart of the iPhone 17 Pro Max launch event, mobile photography played a central role in Apple’s messaging. And for good reason: this new generation of smartphone represents a major technological leap, especially in the field of imaging. It appears to have been tailor-made to meet the needs of the most discerning content creators.

The Making-of: Behind the Iphone Photos of Tim Cook and Mathieu Forget

A Next-Generation Periscope Sensor

One of the major innovations is the integration of a 6x periscope telephoto lens — a first for Apple — which enables high-quality optical zoom at long focal lengths, without any loss of sharpness or reliance on destructive algorithms. This technology, made possible by groundbreaking in-house engineering, allows users to capture distant subjects with impressive detail while maintaining excellent natural background blur (bokeh).

For artists like Mathieu Forget, who often work in large architectural spaces or outdoor environments, this type of focal length opens up new creative possibilities: more distance, more precision, and above all, greater freedom in composition.

Exceptional Low-Light Performance

Thanks to a new real-time image processing system, combined with the A19 Pro chip and the Apple Imaging Engine, the iPhone 17 Pro Max significantly improves the quality of photos taken in challenging conditions — backlighting, nighttime scenes, or dimly lit interiors.

The new Nightography 2.0 mode uses artificial intelligence to automatically manage contrast and texture, while preserving a natural look — far from the overly aggressive filters that smooth faces or distort colors. For performances like those of Forget, which play with natural light and shadow, this level of fidelity is essential.

Video: The Smartphone Becomes a Cinema Camera for Artists

On the video side, the iPhone 17 Pro Max pushes boundaries even further with ProRes 8K at 30 fps support — a first for an Apple smartphone. This professional format provides maximum flexibility in post-production, particularly for videographers and independent filmmakers.

In addition, an improved Action Mode allows for stabilization of ultra-dynamic sequences, even without a gimbal. The iPhone thus becomes a true filmmaking tool, capable of tracking fast-moving subjects without losing sharpness or introducing shake.

In the context of the collaboration with artist Mathieu Forget, these features take on their full meaning. His work relies on movement, on capturing the perfect instant — down to the millisecond — and on levitation. The ability to shoot in high definition, with smooth stabilization and well-balanced color dynamics, makes it possible to capture not only the aesthetic of the gesture, but also the emotion of the moment.

Apple Intelligence in the Service of Image Creation

Finally, the arrival of Apple Intelligence — Apple’s new on-device generative AI system — introduces a range of innovative features, including:

• Real-time composition suggestions while shooting;

• Smart cropping based on analysis of the main subject;

• Semantic search in the photo gallery (“all the photos where I’m jumping,” “sunrise in the desert,” etc.);

• AI-assisted non-destructive editing, allowing you to brighten a subject without affecting the background, or remove distracting objects with professional precision.

These features transform the iPhone 17 Pro Max into a mobile creative studio, capable not only of capturing the moment, but also of refining, enhancing, and reinterpreting it — all while keeping the artist in full control of the creative process.

Tim Cook and Mathieu Forget

Mathieu Forget, the Artist Who Defies Gravity

Born in 1989, Mathieu Forget is the son of former tennis champion Guy Forget, but it’s in the visual arts that he found his own path. Franco-American, he grew up between France and the United States, initially studying communication and sports management before pivoting to dance, photography, and performance. He quickly developed a unique style: photographs in which he appears suspended mid-air, often set against urban or architectural backdrops.

What sets his work apart is the absence of digital manipulation: Forget captures the precise moment when his body reaches an improbable point of balance in the air — a levitating aesthetic that evokes both contemporary dance and street art compositions.

His series The Levitation Project, exhibited at the Didam Museum in Bayonne in 2024, marked a turning point in his career, solidifying his place at the intersection of physical performance and photographic composition. On social media, particularly Instagram, his videos and images have garnered millions of views. The artist has established himself as a rising figure on the digital art scene, capable of collaborating with major brands while maintaining a strong personal vision.

Twilight by Mathieu Forget, photograph edited in a limited series of 10 copies. Discover the artworks by Mathieu Forget available for purchase through Class Art Biarritz.

An Image, a Message

The photo taken by Tim Cook — or rather orchestrated by Forget — is not simply a technical demonstration of the new phone. It’s a visual manifesto: one of a smartphone designed not just as a capture tool, but as an instrument of creation.

“With this new iPhone, you can really create without limits, even in motion,” Forget said in a short video posted on Instagram. “It’s a tool that respects my vision.”

The image is carefully controlled, but the intention is genuine: Apple wants to show that the iPhone 17 Pro Max is powerful enough to support professional artists, without compromising on image quality, even in challenging conditions like high speed, backlighting, or shallow depth of field.

A Bold Artistic Strategy

Apple is no stranger to this approach. For years, the brand has been positioning itself with creators: photographers, filmmakers, musicians, designers... But with the deep integration of Apple Intelligence, the company takes a new leap forward. It now offers a more personal and intuitive approach to visual creation, combining smart suggestions, assisted editing, and dynamic image management.

In this context, the collaboration with Forget makes perfect sense. His work is based precisely on mastery of time, the instant, and lightness. And that’s exactly what the iPhone 17 Pro Max promises: fast, precise capture that stays true to reality, even in unpredictable moments.

The iPhone as a New Authoring Tool?

Beyond just a product launch, this partnership marks a cultural turning point. In an era where smartphones are everywhere, Apple wants to remind people that its products are not just screens: they are storytelling instruments.

Forget is not an influencer. He is a visual artist with a strong signature, an aesthetic rigor, and mastery of body and image. By partnering with him, Apple plays a more subtle card: that of contemporary creation rather than mere virality.

“I’m not selling a phone. I’m showing what it can do when you have an artistic vision,” Forget explained in an interview given alongside the event.

Conclusion: More Than a Phone, a Creative Manifesto

The meeting between Tim Cook and Mathieu Forget crystallizes a clear vision of what Apple wants to embody in 2025: a bridge between technological innovation and artistic expression.

In a world saturated with images, it’s no longer enough to offer a good camera. You need to provide a tool that stimulates the imagination, adapts to the movements of the body, the changing light, and fleeting moments.

And perhaps that is the real success of this moment at Apple Park: in the image of an artist levitating, captured by a CEO who became a photographer for a moment — the iPhone serving art, not the other way around.