Ben Thouard is driven by his desire to create something original in his ocean photography. Having trained in Toulon and Paris, he has since gone on to win numerous awards for his work, which has featured on the covers of Surf Session, Carve, Air Tahihi, SUP and numerous others.  After some years spent photographing solely watersports, he fell down the rabbit hole of trying to photograph the perfect wave. We caught up with him to find out what it is about the ocean that inspires him.

Surface, a short documentary about Ben by John Rodosky and Roam Media will feature during the Ocean Film Festival – click here for more information.

Oceanographic Magazine (OM): Where are you based at the moment?

Ben Thouard (BT): I moved to Tahiti 11 years ago for the wave of Teahupo’o. It’s a magical place where the waves are completely unique. It’s the perfect place to shoot underwater and exploring the endless possibilities of photographing the surface of the ocean. My friend, professional windsurfer Baptiste Gossein, invited me in Tahiti for a photography trip. we spent one month in Teahupo’o and I completely fell in love with the place. I love the vibe here, the lifestyle, the culture, the light and the waves – Tahiti has everything and I could not believe it when I first came here. At that time, I was living in Paris, just because it was close to the airport and the easiest in terms of logistics, so moving to Tahiti was an easy decision.

OM: When did you first connect with the ocean?

BT: I’ve always been closely connected with the ocean. My dad always had a sailboat and we spent every summer holiday on board. Then a little later when I was around eight years old, I discovered surfing with my older brothers. I  fell in love with this sport and it became addictive. My first surfing lesson is a powerful memory that will stay with me forever. Standing up on the board for the first time and managing to ride the wave properly was the most incredible feeling!

OM: Why did you first pick up a camera?

BT: I found an old camera from my father at home and I was drawn to it right away. I bought a few rolls of film and started shooting my friends surfing. When I was 19 I did my first trip to Hawaii to shoot windsurfers – that’s where everything really started for me.