Photographer and film director Michel Haddi’s latest book celebrates Tahiti’s natural beauty, surfing culture, and its people.

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In 2003, Michel Haddi, known for immortalising the likes of David Bowie, Tupac Shakur, Aretha Franklin and Kate Moss with his portrait photography, set out on an unexpected trip to the vibrant shores of Tahiti for a photoshoot.

What began initially as a routine assignment soon turned into a profound exploration of the island’s rich surf culture.

From a tiny boat, Haddi captured stunning images of Teahupo’o, one of the most powerful and deadly waves on the planet. He also took portraits of surfing legends, including Kelly Slater, widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all time.

Now, over two decades later, Haddi is unveiling his long-awaited photography book titled “Tahiti Surf“, made up of images from his two weeks on the sun-drenched French Polynesian island.

And the timing for its release couldn’t be more perfect, with the cinematic buzz of the Cannes Film Festival debuting Nicholas Cage’s adrenaline-pumping thriller “The Surfer,” and the Paris Olympics just around the corner, where the world’s top surfers will attempt to conquer the legendary waves of Teahupo’o.

In an exclusive interview, Euronews Culture sat down with Haddi to discuss the project, his inspirations, the challenges he faced, and the unforgettable moments along the way.

Euronews Culture: What initially inspired you to create Tahiti Surf?

Michel Haddi: About 25 years ago, my agent in Paris called me to his office and said, “Listen, I have a project for you. Let me know if you’re interested.” At that time, he was representing an actress named Linda Hardy, who had been Miss France in 1992. They wanted me to take photographs of her in Tahiti to which I agreed.

As soon as I landed in Tahiti, I realised that I had never felt closer to paradise at any point in my life. The place was absolutely amazing. For two weeks, we photographed Linda and everything around her.

One day, someone mentioned that I should check out the surf competition. The World Surf Tour was happening, and the legendary Kelly Slater was competing. We took a small boat out to Teahupo’o, and my god, it was unbelievable. It’s an extraordinary experience to be in a boat and see such massive waves coming towards you.

I ended up photographing everything from the surf, the surf patrol, Miss Tahiti girls, Kelly Slater, local children and even stingrays on a small island called Motu.

Euronews Culture: Why now?

Michel Haddi: About two years ago, I heard that the Olympic Games surfing event would be held in Tahiti. So, we found all my old photos from that trip and scanned everything. That’s when we realised we had a fantastic project on our hands.

Euronews Culture: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while photographing in Tahiti, especially considering the treacherous conditions at Teahupo’o?

Michel Haddi: When I was at Teahupo’o, I went with a fisherman in a small boat the day before the competition. Now Teahupo’o is surrounded by this very formidable coral reef and if you were thrown overboard, getting back would be incredibly difficult without an engine. You would just drift off to sea.

I had to tell the fisherman to slow down as we got closer because the sight of the waves crashing was overwhelming. I was lying down in the boat, and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Facing those powerful waves was the most challenging part for me. I brought only a small point-and-shoot camera, not my usual large equipment like a Canon, because I knew that if anything went wrong, everything could be lost.

Euronews Culture: What was your goal when photographing the surf?

Michel Haddi: Some surf photographers are much better than me and focus on the technical aspects of the sport, but I was more interested in capturing the beauty of surfing from an artistic perspective. I wanted to show that surfing was an art form. You’ll see this reflected in the cover and other photographs.

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Euronews Culture: Kelly Slater is a legendary figure in the surfing world. How did you approach capturing his presence in “Tahiti Surf”?

Michel Haddi: Well like many times in my life, I’ve photographed someone amazing without knowing much about them beforehand, and that’s just my luck.

So, when I was working at Teahupo’o, I didn’t know who Kelly Slater was. I knew he was a great champion, and that was good enough for me. I saw him and, as you’ll see in the book, there’s a photograph where he looks remarkably like a dolphin. For me, that was enough.

Euronews Culture: What makes surfer style so enduringly cool?

Michel Haddi: So, for years, I lived in Venice Beach, California, just 150 metres from the shore. Every morning, I would see surfers heading out to the waves. They have this unique attitude towards life; it’s almost as if they are surfing through life itself, trying to achieve their goals. These guys wake up for the waves and look fantastic doing it.

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They stay very fit and lean. They love to party and are very territorial, almost tribal. They travel from place to place in search of the perfect wave, just as I move from place to place as a photographer in search of the best shots.

The surfer girls, too, look incredibly fit, very cool, and exude a kind of freshness. If there’s one word to describe them, it’s “fresh.” That’s why I like surfers so much.

Euronews Culture: A lot of these images look quite psychedelic. What was the creative thought behind that?

Michel Haddi: I think it’s because, ever since I was young, I’ve been drawn to intense, colourful, and metaphorical visuals. I’ve always perceived the world in vibrant colours.

It also aligns well with the kind of music I love, like electronic and dance music.I come from an era where, in the early seventies, psychedelic music was everywhere, with bands like King Crimson and Pink Floyd. It’s the essence of my life.

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It’s time to VOTE for your selection for the wildcard photographer to join the photographers of the Deep Summer Photo Challenge for 2024.

The Pinkbike judges have deliberated and digressed and now we are excited to bring you the Top 5 Wildcard Photographer entries for 2024. Now it’s your turn to vote and determine who the final photographer competing in the Deep Summer Photo Challenge at Crankworx, Whistler will be.

The Deep Summer Photo Challenge sees five top pro photographers competing alongside the Wildcard Photographer for cash and for the title of Deep Summer Photo Challenge Champion. This year’s lineup of photographers showcases a deeply talented crew, each with their own unique twist on telling the story of mountain biking.

Pinkbike readers can vote until July 7. The winner of the Deep Summer Wildcard Photographer Search will officially be announced on Tuesday, July 9.

And the Top 5 Wildcard Entries are:

This interview originally aired on “In the Moment” on SDPB Radio.

Kary Janousek combines art, history and chemistry to create photos of the present in the style of the past. She’s a North Dakota photographer who uses historic wet plate collodion.

Janousek shares the history and chemistry of her artwork. Plus, we learn how she works to bring the art form forward and how she hopes future artists will build on her work.

Her “History on the Lawn” event is Friday, June 14 at the Historic Adams House in Deadwood. It will include public demonstrations.

Learn more about Janousek’s presentation and demonstrations.

Explore more of Janousek’s work.

ISLAMABAD:

The Gilgit-Baltistan government in collaboration with the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) recently hosted a photography exhibition “Listen To Her – Whispers of the Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan”. The exhibition portrayed the work of renowned visual artist and activist Zaheer Chaudhry

Curated by Aasim Akhter, the exhibition aimed to highlight the fragile beauty of Gilgit-Baltistan’s valleys through the lens of environmental stewardship

Renowned Mountaineer/Climber Shehroze Kashif, Mountaineer/Climber Sirbaz Khan and Historian and Travel Writer Salman Rashid shared their thoughts on the significance of the exhibition and the pressing need for environmental conservation.

G-B Secretary Finance Aziz Ahmed Jamali and PNCA Director-General Muhammad Ayoub Jamali Director General PNCA were also present during the inauguration ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Mountaineer Shehroze Kashif said, “Zaheer Chaudhry’s photographs vividly capture the breathtaking beauty and the urgent plight of Gilgit-Baltistan’s natural landscape. This exhibition is a poignant reminder of our duty to protect these treasures for future generations.”

Aasim Akhtar, the Curator of the exhibition said, “Curating ‘Listen To Her – Whispers of the Valley’ has been a deeply rewarding experience. Zaheer’s work not only highlights the splendour of Gilgit-Baltistan but also serves as an urgent call to action. We must listen to the whispers of the valley and respond with empathy and determination to safeguard our environment.”

Zaheer Chaudhry said, “My journey through the valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan has been one of profound learning and reflection. Each photograph in this exhibition tells a story of nature’s beauty and its fragility. I hope these images inspire others to take action towards preserving our environment. Our land is not just a physical space; it is our heritage and our future.”

Born and raised in the ancient town of Ajudhan (Pakpattan), Zaheer Chaudhry graduated from Govt College University and the National College of Arts, Lahore.

With a deep connection to his land, Zaheer has immersed himself in photographing and studying historical records to understand how beliefs, rituals, myths, and diverse weather have shaped the lives of native people.

His professional career includes capturing over 100,000 travel visual stories, engaging in contemporary art practices, designing space and communication, and developing discourse at the intersection of environment and art.

He is known for planting trees as living sculptures and claims to be the most-viewed photographer in Pakistan, with over 500 photography exhibitions reaching more than 150,000 viewers.

There was a recent meme that took a jab at photographers from the generation of the pen tool in Photoshop. It personified us as old ladies with walkers being escorted out by a younger generation with their AI tools. In the comments, someone remarked, “Let’s see how these young bucks would survive with the 1999 version of Photoshop.”

I laughed so hard that I wondered if I was transitioning to the “back in my day” age group. I reapplied my wrinkle cream as I added the comment, “and a film camera! They would never survive.” Well, give me my walker because back in my day it wasn’t so easy to take successful pictures. These are three ways that starting in film photography has made me a better digital photographer.

Being a typical penniless college student meant that I had to be very careful how I spent my money. In my film photography class, it cost a lot to print even one image. First, the cost of the film, then the cost of the liquids to develop the film. Then came the big killer: the paper. Each sheet cost around $1. Mind you, this $1 was when gas was $0.98/gallon, and the minimum wage was $5.15/hour. So, printing even one image cost a bit of money. On an academic scholarship and working mornings and nights to make ends meet, I literally could not afford to take bad pictures. It was simply too expensive. After a few rounds of throwing failed images out and watching my money go down the drain, these are three lessons I learned quickly.

1. Starting in Film Photography Made Me Compose My Shots Carefully by Looking at the Edge of My Frame

When photographing, people often look at the “positive space” of their images: the main subject. It may be a person or an object. I often see photographers taking images without considering the edge of the frame or the negative space. Once they see the shot pop up on their LCD, they suddenly see the soda can leaning against the wall in the background, for example. When I shot film, I didn’t want to pay $4 to see that can. I quickly learned to look around my image, doing a quick check on the 4 edges of my frame before taking the picture. Looking at your negative space as well as your positive space when you’re shooting is a great habit to pick up and will save you time in post-processing.

2. Starting in Film Photography Taught Me To Shoot for Highlights

Many digital photographers know this rule, but if you’ve ever shot film, you’ll really feel the pangs of overexposing your highlights. Nowadays, we have such pixel-rich images, we can pull back our highlights with more ease. When developing film, you had to cut a piece of opaque paper and attach it to a wire. You then had to quickly move the contraption back and forth over the overexposed portion to block light from hitting the print while the rest of the image received the light to develop. You can see it done here at the 4-minute mark on the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrCifRniOcs

After repeating that process many times and throwing out those precious $1 sheets of paper one after the other, you learned quickly to expose your highlights correctly.

Although you can more easily bring back highlights with the RAW images we have now, if you blow out your highlights and try to bring them back it can lead to an unrealistic HDR look. I see this a lot in landscapes where photographers blow out the sky and try to bring it back in post. The image that will be easiest to work with is one that is exposed for highlights. If you have dark areas of your image, it’s easy to brighten those without compromising the image color or quality. If you overexpose your highlights, it will show in your final image.

3. Starting in Film Photography Taught Me To Plan My Shoots Beforehand

In the digital age, if it’s a week that I’ve just been buried by life and I’m hanging on a thread, there have been rare occasions where I’ve walked into my product studio, picked up the product, and just “started playing.” What typically ensues is an hour or two of taking shots that are not up to my standards, stopping the shoot, grabbing my notebook, and tackling the process of ideation. I start over the right way. I sit with the product, think, look at competing brands, take notes, sketch ideas, and lay out a plan for the shoot. I may or may not have to pick a few props up and restart the next day. When I do it right, how I do it most of the time, I plan the entire shoot days before I pick up my camera. I prepare my studio the day before and have everything planned and laid out for a successful day.

Whether you’re a product photographer, landscape photographer, or portrait photographer, planning your shoot will always lead to more successful results. It could mean researching the market and finding a way to create imagery that doesn’t exist in that space. It could mean researching the area of the wedding or driving through the Saturday before at the scheduled time of portraits. This would allow you to see where the light hits and get inspired for the best images you can have at 2:30 pm with that dreaded afternoon sun. There’s nothing worse than having a spot picked out for portraits and realizing on arrival that the sun will not give you your desired look in that space. With film photography, we didn’t really have the luxury of taking a dozen pictures before deciding “it wasn’t working.” The development process itself took hours for one roll of film. You had to have a plan that would work before you started. Taking the steps to plan your shoot beforehand will result in better pictures and better use of your time in the digital age.

Of course, you don’t have to have any experience in film photography to be a talented digital photographer. There are plenty of self-taught digital photographers around the world that produce work that is vastly more impressive than mine. However, no matter what your background is, I hope that these three tips will help you take more successful pictures and will minimize your time in post-processing.

As always, my favorite part of my articles is in the comments. Did you start in film photography? What is a valuable lesson you learned from that foundation? Do you look at your negative space before you take a picture? If not, I hope this is a habit you will adopt. Let me know your experience and thoughts in the comments.