Ben Thouard: Behind the Lens

Behind the Lens places a spotlight on the world’s foremost ocean photographers. Each edition focusses on the work of an individual who continues to shape public opinion through powerful imagery and compelling storytelling. This interview focuses on Ben Thouard, an award-winning French wave and surf photographer who lives and works in Tahiti, French Polynesia.

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Interview with and photographs by Ben Thouard

Through his photography, Ben Thouard seeks to capture the unseen part of wave energy and surfing. By developing his own style of shooting water textures, its transparencies and movements, he has become one of the best known ocean and surf photographers in the world.

OCEANOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE (OM): THANKS FOR TAKING TIME TO SPEAK TO US, BEN. LET’S DIVE RIGHT IN. WHEN DID YOU FIRST CONNECT WITH THE OCEAN?

Ben Thouard: I grew up in Toulon on the south coast of France. I have always been close to the sea. My father had a sailboat and would take us out on the ocean on weekends or holidays. We spent most summers sailing along the French coast. I think I’ve had a profound love and fascination for the ocean since I was really young. When I was around seven years old, my older brothers took me out surfing and I was hooked. Surfing quickly turned into an addiction; it was all I could think about.

OM: WHEN AND WHY DID YOU FIRST PICK UP A CAMERA? HOW DID YOU CONNECT THE DOTS BETWEEN YOUR PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AND YOUR PASSION FOR THE OCEAN?

Ben Thouard: As a teenager I found an old camera from my father in our attic. I asked if I could use it, bought a few films and started playing around with it. I quickly taught myself the basics and fell in love with the camera and photography. Capturing moments on black and white film became a huge passion. Of course, being a sailor and a surfer, it did not take me long to take my camera to the beach and I started taking photos of my friends surfing, the seascapes, and waves. It was very natural for me to try to capture the beauty of the ocean.

OM: WHAT WAS IT THAT ENABLED YOU TO MOVE FROM AMATEUR TO PROFESSIONAL?

Ben Thouard: Since I started photographing professionally at the age of 18, it has been a very long and rough road. Of course, there have been some moments when I thought about quitting because it was too hard financially, I couldn’t get consistent work or it was too tough to make a name for myself in the industry. I think dedication and perseverance brought me to where I am today. You overcome the hard moments, start all over again and eventually, after years, it starts to feel like it’s going to work. When I started to develop my own project of shooting waves and the ocean in my own way, I started to get recognised as a photographer. I think having my own style and signature made people see my work differently.

OM: YOU CURRENTLY LIVE AND WORK IN TAHITI. WHAT TOOK YOU THERE?

Ben Thouard: I’ve always dreamed of tropical places. A part of my family lived in Tahiti when I was a kid so I would always see photos and videos from there. I would always dream of it but never had the chance to actually go. After completing half of my photography school programme in Paris, I flew to Hawaii where I started shooting surfing and windsurfing. It really was a dream come true do discover the surfing spots I saw in the magazines as a kid. In between my trips to Hawaii, I would spend the rest of the year travelling, doing travel stories and photoshoots around the world. Then I had the opportunity to go to Tahiti for a trip in 2007. I spent one month at Teahupo’o and completely fell in love with the place. The waves, the light, the water, the people, the way of life… it had everything I was looking for, so I decided to move there.