2021 Adventure Photographer of the Year, Ben Thouard

1st place Adventure Photographer of the Year

Ben Thouard French Polynesia

17°50´50” S 149°16´2” W

Matahi Drollet catches a wave known as Teahupoo in Tahiti. “For this photo, I wanted to translate the energy of waves like these,” says photographer Ben Thouard. “I used a slow shutter speed to create the motion blur effect, giving a sense of speed to the photo. Speed is key in surfing, but capturing that sense of speed in an image was a real challenge. I’ve shot so many images like this, but this is the best I’ve got! I call it ‘Full speed’.”

BEHIND THE LENS

2021 Adventure Photographer of the Year, Ben Thouard

Ben Thouard France

ABOUT THE IMAGE

Big swell
Windless day
Sunny conditions
Captured late morning

Originally from the south-east of France, Ben´s passion for the ocean and photography brought him around the world. He discovered Tahiti 20 years ago and decided to call it home. After shooting watersports for magazines and brands for over a decade he decided to slowly take a turn in his career and shoot water in a more personal style. His goal is to capture what really inspires him. The beauty of nature, the element of water, the waves and more particularly the underwater world. That photographic quest draws a whole new perspective in his photography career. It inspired Ben to create three art books : Surface, Turbulences and Aqua Obscura and it opened doors to art galleries allowing him to pursue his own projects and to shoot what he really loves: water.