Ben Pierce

When I'm on the water looking for compositions. You know, I'm always trying to find something that's a little bit different for me. And so I'm always kind of driven by a little bit of that adrenaline rush, maybe that dopamine hit to find something that I'm inspired by that I think will be something that maybe changes someone else's perspective of the swamp environment. But I don't shoot, you know, images for other people. I like to capture images for myself and that's the kind of the number one goal. However, I do love hearing other people's responses to my work, and my favorite responses are always ones that tie back into some really deep memory for them. That was so important. You know, maybe it was a thought about fishing with their granddad or going down to their camp with their family. And if it brings back those kind of emotions for somebody, those are the best kind of responses. I can hear about my images and not the reason I go out there, but man, it's so rewarding to hear people have a deeper connection to the images that they see from me.

So I think that the best kind of photography is photography that inspires people to take action, whether that's, you know, a landscape like swamps and how they are often misunderstood and maybe misrepresented if it gets people to have action, maybe to support, promote something in a positive way, that's the best kind of photography that can be landscape photography, that can be portraits. As long as it's making an impact, that elicits a positive response. That's my favorite kind. And I think the stuff that's going to be the best kind of photography.

You know, my photography style is primarily been swamp landscapes. It's what I've gotten a little bit more recognition from over the last several years. And I love that I'm recognized as a swamp photographer. There's a very small community of people who love getting out in this environment and capturing this scenery and to be able to represent my home, Acadiana. To represent the state of Louisiana, our most iconic environment, and be an ambassador in that kind of way is something that I take to heart, and it's something that I really cherish. Every time I get on the water. I want to make sure that I capture images that best tell the story of our landscape here in Louisiana. 

So there's several projects that I'm interested in as a photographer, and one is always trying to expand my style, challenging my approach. I've really liked getting into some more nighttime photography recently, and what I love about that is I can utilize artificial light in the dark to illuminate a scene and to create something out of nothing. It's almost like a blank canvas, except in this situation, the canvas is completely black, you know, with the nighttime sky. I've really enjoyed doing that and want to dabble in it a little bit more. Additionally, I really would like to start collaborating more with local painters and other artists in the community. We've got opportunities for me to be on the water and capturing images that I think can also inspire them because I'm so inspired by other artists here in Lafayette and across Acadiana, and I would love to be able to give back to them and figure out ways that I can also inspire them as well.

My photography, for me personally, is an opportunity to escape. We've got so many stresses in this world. To me, it's getting on the water in my kayak and in my camera and I'm locked in. And so I don't I don't think about the rest of the world. I'm just thinking about what I see through my lens. And it allows me that opportunity to take a deep breath. It's not exactly what I would call stressful, though. I get stressed out a lot of times on the water. I'm always afraid about missing that photo. So there's a challenge in there as well that just continues to propel me forward and continue to make me want to be a better photographer. But then I also think about those kind of responses in the challenges and how I can be a better person to like. So there's ways to find relief and relaxation in anything we do if we enjoy it. And, you know, there's ways to find relaxation and relief in anything we do if we put our mind to it. For me, that's getting out on the kayak with a camera in my hand and just enjoying a morning or an evening on the water.

The kind of photography that inspires me are images that I'm jealous when I see them. It’s those images that I was like man, I wish I had been out there that morning or I wish I lived in that location to be able to capture that. As a landscape photographer we have the whole world as our palette and when I see an image captured especially locally that I miss out on that I chose to sleep in that morning those are the ones that really really inspire me to get out there the next day and capture those images. The kind of images that inspire me are those images that someone else captured. It's the ones where I wish I had slept in and, you know, instead got out there early in the morning and got on the lake here, like at Lake Martin or the Atchafalaya, somewhere here in Acadiana. I was the one who was able to capture that image. However, I'm really always proud of those people who choose to make that decision to get up or stay out late to capture those images because they're inspiring someone else as well. Those are the ones that are always the toughest. But I love seeing local people take a chance at capturing this image and challenging themselves. For me personally, other artists that have inspired me, photographers in the area are the two kind of what I would say, the grandfathers of swamp photography here in the state. CC Lockwood being one who really opened up this environment back in the seventies, and then Greg Gerard from St. Martin Parish, who was a great Atchafalaya photographer, both of those men really inspired a whole plethora of photographers to get out here and capture their own swamp landscapes. 

My typical photography process starts more than just the day of the shoot. It's actually a week or maybe even two weeks prior. I start to think about what are the type of goals I want to set for myself, what images are my looking to create, how can I expand my portfolio? And the number one thing for me prior to ever getting on the water is looking at the weather and not just whether it's going to rain or not, not whether it's going to be cloudy or not, but looking at wind being on the on the water. Wind is probably my number one factor. I want to make sure that I have opportunities to paddle a nice glassy water if I can. That's my, you know, my desire, because that way I can get some really beautiful reflections. So I'm looking at what locations are going to be best suitable for the weather conditions that are coming up. When I actually approach that day, it's about getting on the water really early, so I got to set that alarm as early as I possibly can to the point where I should be groggy when I'm getting in the truck because I want to be on the water as early as I can. My goal is always be on the water about 45 minutes in advance. And that way I can get myself into position for that best possible light. Hopefully, you know, crossing those fingers that there's going to be some mist on the water. And if I get those conditions, those are about absolutely perfect. And it's almost impossible not to make a beautiful image when you've got misty conditions and glassy water out in the swamp.

Being the executive director for Swamp Base has been an incredible blessing. As a swamp photographer, of course, I can combine my love of photography with my desire to grow other people's love for the swamp environments that we have here in South Louisiana. We get young people from all over the country to come out and spend time fully immersed in this environment and hopefully when they're done, they've broken all the misconceptions and myths that they thought about before they got in this environment and see it for what it truly is. An important ecosystem that ties directly with our culture here in Acadiana. And it's one that's also important for the rest of the country. 

You know, when I'm on the water, I see alligators all the time. And actually it's kind of one of those things that if I'm not seeing them, I'm kind of missing the fact that they're that they're not there. A lot of photographers, even just the general public, are afraid of these creatures. And they are really beautiful creatures that are part of this habitat. I always get frustrated when I hear people say that a waterway or these swamps are infested with alligators. I mean, this is their ecosystem. We're actually the intruders. I've taken photographers from all over the world out into this environment and when we start off, usually as we're leaving the boat ramp, they're always concerned about the alligators trying to jump into the canoe or into the kayak. That's when they start at the end. By the end of that trip, we're chasing the alligators ourselves in those boats. They're wanting to get closer to them. They don't realize how shy they actually are. And to capture a beautiful image of an alligator is really difficult. So it's always kind of funny to see people arrive with a certain opinion and maybe a fear of this environment and then leave with a newfound respect and understanding of it.

Yeah, if you're not from here, this environment is often very foreign for a lot of people. And it's interesting to see a floating forest, you know, right there in front of you. And people aren't are familiar with it and oftentimes there's fear about it. But when they get here and they get a chance to see that beautiful moss draped cypress trees, the way the light interacts with the water and this environment, they're inspired by it and they find it to be one of the most beautiful environments in the world. I'll always love hearing about other photographers who travel from all over the world to come here to South central Louisiana and see this beautiful environment for themselves. They want to capture these images and share them with the rest of the world themselves because they find beauty here that is kind of often misportrayed.  

I think people would want to experience this environment because it's so different than what you can find in the rest of the country. We're not talking about just your typical lakes. We're not talking about, you know, canyons or mountains. This is a floating forest. And just that alone is a really cool kind of thing. The way that the light shines through the moss draped cypress trees, the endless wildlife. We have notes from the birds that fill the skies, to our favorite reptile, the alligator that swims through the water, I mean, this is an environment in a landscape that is just so full of opportunities and beauty. And I love when people from all over the world come to this place and see it firsthand. And maybe they thought about this place to be one of those scary environments. But when they get here and they get a chance to be immersed in it, they're inspired by it as well. And they see the true beauty and value of these swamps.