Ocean photographer Ben Thouard explains his passion for the sea.
There is something that happens to the body in the ocean,” says Ben Thouard. “You are rocked by the water’s movement. It feels like meditation. I’m part of it, and that’s where the inspiration comes from.” For Thouard, photography does not begin with distance or observation. It begins with immersion. The ocean is not a backdrop, nor a dramatic setting to frame an image from afar, but the medium itself… Something to be entered, negotiated and endured. Where land and sky offer separation, water removes it entirely.
On land, you’re on land, not in land,” explains the 39-year-old French photographer who has spent the last 17 years living in Teahupo’o, Tahiti – a location synonymous with some of the heaviest and most dangerous waves on the planet. Over that time, he has grown a reputation for some of the most stunning underwater photography ever produced. He is winner of multiple awards, has produced three of his own immaculate books, all the while growing a deep respect for our oceans and all who swim and sail in them.
“The sky, the air – it’s hardly perceptible. Water is different. It has textures, reflections, movements, lots of different shapes. To me, it’s an endless subject. It’s so beautiful and artistic.” That endlessness has defined both Thouard’s career and his lifestyle. Born in the south of France, his decision to base himself in the South Pacific was not driven by convenience or novelty, but by commitment.Teahupo’o is a wave that tolerates no approximation. Breaking with extraordinary force over a shallow reef, it demands precision from surfers and water users alike. For a photographer working in close proximity, the environment is as unforgiving as it is visually compelling.“I’ve spent a lot of time out in the ocean there,” Thouard says. “Shooting empty waves, surfing, and of course a lot of underwater photos. After a while you just get the sense that you and the ocean are one at the same.” While that may be true, it’s also fair to state that exposure has accumulated consequence. Equipment loss, physical injury and near-misses are not exceptional events, but part of the working reality of heavy-water photography.
I’VE WITNESSED SO MANY BEAUTIFUL THINGS UNDERWATER. THE PHOTOS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME – PHOTOS THAT REPRESENT A LONG QUEST OF OCEAN PHOTOGRAPHY
This emotional priority does not come at the expense of technique. On the contrary, Thouard is explicit about the technical standards he applies to his own work. “Of course it needs to be perfect technically,” he says. “It cannot have any defect or failure. That’s why I spend so much time shooting again and again the same subject, in order to get the perfect shot.” The repetition is deliberate. Conditions change subtly but constantly – light, swell direction, tide, wind – and it is only through sustained exposure that patterns begin to emerge. Even then, outcomes remain uncertain.“But the number one criterion,” he continues, “is always the emotion that comes out of the photo. And of course that is very personal. It belongs to each person.”
This approach has gradually distinguished Thouard’s work within the broader field of ocean and surf photography. While many photographers focus on action, scale or athletic performance, his images often hover between representation and abstraction. Yet asked what sets him apart, Thouard is reluctant to self-define.“I don’t know – you tell me,” he says, laughing. “Honestly, I think each photographer has their own style and vision of the ocean. It belongs to each of them to let it come through their photography. And I think that’s the hardest goal… to define your style and artistic vision.”Recognition has followed, nonetheless. Thouard’s images have been widely published, exhibited internationally, and awarded across major photography competitions. Awards, he insists, remain meaningful, not as markers of success, but as indicators that something important has happened.
“I’ve flipped over with my jet ski and lost all my cameras and lenses in the water,” he says. “I’ve been caught by big sets a few times and ended up on the reef. I’ve lost my housing and fins. I’ve crashed on the reef and got many scars.” These moments are recalled without embellishment. For Thouard, they are not markers of bravado, but evidence of proximity – proof that the work is being done from within the environment rather than at a safe remove. The ocean does not adapt to the photographer; the photographer adapts to it. Yet Teahupo’o is also where Thouard’s most significant creative milestones have been achieved. Over nearly two decades, he has built a body of work that prioritises form, texture and movement over narrative action, often stripping the wave of human presence entirely.“Above all, what I’ll remember is that I’ve shot three books there,” he says… his latest, Aqua Obscura, is recently published. “And I’ve witnessed so many beautiful things that happen underwater. I’ve also captured photos that are very important to me – photos that represent a long quest of ocean photography.”That long quest is anchored in a clear, consistent philosophy. For Thouard, photography is not about spectacle, nor about the singular decisive moment. It is about emotional transmission – an idea he returns to repeatedly.“The perfect shot, to me, is the photo that will transmit the most emotion,” he explains. “Photography, especially when it comes to art, is really about emotion. That’s the reason why I think people buy art… it’s because they feel something when they see it.”
“When you submit your photos to contests, they are judged among so many others,” he says. “Winning means that your photos were stronger in emotion than the others.”Outside of formal projects, the ocean remains central to his daily life. A lifelong surfer, Thouard describes the water as a place of shared experience as much as solitary focus.“I’ve been a surfer my whole life,” he says, “so the ocean will always be a place where I have fun and share good moments with friends. It’s also where I resource, exercise and feel inspired,” he continues. “This is where I spend most of my time – surfing, swimming, diving, fishing, shooting. It is a good life!”Living in Tahiti allows for that continuity. Thouard is married and a father of two daughters, and family life unfolds within the same environment that underpins his professional work.Long-form publishing has become one of the clearest expressions of his commitment.
Each of Thouard’s books represents a multi-year engagement with the subject, allowing ideas to develop beyond individual images.“Aqua Obscura is my third book. After working on Surface and Turbulences, I wanted to show something different.” The project began as an exploration of black-and-white photography, driven by a desire to isolate water’s essential qualities.After two years of work, however, the absence of colour began to feel limiting. “I felt sad,” he admits. “I was missing the blue of the beautiful Pacific Ocean.”The solution was technically ambitious. Rather than returning to conventional colour printing, Thouard and his team developed a bespoke process that relied exclusively on blue inks. We transformed all the work into blue and white,” he says. “We developed a special colour profile, ordered custom blue inks, and didn’t print the book in CMYK like other books.” The result is a tightly controlled visual language. It’s one that allows images from Tahiti, Hawaii and Portugal to coexist without geographical hierarchy.
For Ben Thouard, the ocean is not an occasional source of inspiration. It is the spectacular environment in which the work is done.
