Sit-Down Hydrofoil Fun
This is my good friend Pascal Combes-Knoke trying to do his first ever back flip on a sit-down hydrofoil at Lake Ming located in Bakersfield, California. This is one of my favorite action sports shots because it makes me laugh every time I look it. Aside from it’s humor, it is actually a well-framed photograph that really exhibits the intensity of the sport. Personally, I refused to try the hydrofoil and just stuck with the classic wake-board. Follow my blog to see some more action shots that I will post in the near future. Please like, comment, and share if you enjoyed this picture!
Ben
Colorful Cannes
This is certainly one of my favorite shots I’ve taken since I’ve lived in Cannes. It really shows the energy and the dynamism of this condensed city on the French Riviera. The church on top of the hill is called the Notre-Dame de l’Espérance. It was completed back in 1648 and sits upon the Suquet hill in old Cannes. With a short trek up the hill, anyone can enjoy a breathtaking view of one of the most famous cities on the French Riviera. I have already been up there several times just to escape the busy lifestyle deep in the city. Click on the picture to see it in all of it’s glory. Please like, share, and comment if you enjoyed this post!
Ben
Rue d’Antibes: The World Famous Shopping Street in Cannes
Rue d’Antibes is the name of one of the most recognized shopping streets on the French Riviera. It houses some of the most luxurious brands in the world, but also has the very French, authentic shops to satisfy all sorts of different people that come visit. Located in the heart of Cannes, it is certainly one of the ‘must see’ things for tourists. It is walking distance to major landmarks such as the Palais des Festival, the Carlton Hotel, and ‘La Croisette’ which is a gorgeous boulevard that runs parallel to the Mediterranean Sea. I purposely took these pictures late at night because I wanted to highlight the beauty of the architecture. In fact, it is extremely rare to see the Rue d’Antibes this empty because it is usually bustling with hundreds of people during the day. Please like, share, and comment if you enjoyed this post! I will respond to every comment 🙂
Ben
Streets of the South
I have been passionate about photography since I was about 14 years old when I had the option to take classes at my Alma Mater, Agoura High School. It was a fantastic experience because the first year of Photography class were required to shoot in film. As much as I love digital, film photography is still one of the most fascinating processes and I recommend anyone to try it if you haven’t already. So as much as I enjoy capturing some of life’s most beautiful moments in a single, still photo, I have also developed a passion for producing short clips of fun adventures I do with my friends and family. There is no better feeling than getting people excited about something you created after spending hours on it. Aside from the excitement, these videos will also serve as wonderful memories when we will all be older.
This is my newest project that I shot 100% on my GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition. I have been working on it over the last month and I believe it was one of my better clips as an amateur filmmaker, especially considering the lack of equipment I own. I hope you will enjoy this just as much as my photography! Please like, share, and comment if you enjoyed the video! I will respond to you as soon as I can. (*Please watch in HD 1080p, video also available on Vimeo)
Ben
The Milky Way from an Ancient French Monastery
These photos were taken during July of 2012 without any sort of professional equipment, simply a Nikon D90 and a 10.2 mm lens. Of course, with a little bit of PhotoShop, the pictures came to life. As an amateur photographer, I was beyond excited with the results.
This location where the photos were taken, as we call it ‘Crouzet’, is located in the outskirts of a small village called Aubenas, France. The larger geographical area it is located in is called Ardèche. We roughly own 50 acres of the land around the building. Although it is hard to pinpoint exactly when it was built, it is believed to be around as far as the 14th century. During it’s long history, it first served as a monastery and then was later bought out and turned into a silk mill. The owner of the silk mill had two daughters and they happened to marry two Ricard brothers back in the early 1900s, which is how it fell into my family. Our tradition is to hand Crouzet to the first born son, and believe it or not, the first born child has been a boy in the Ricard family tree for as far as we know, and as the second born son, I am a little bit bitter about this tradition.
Today, we use this place as a vacation home during the Summer where we usually invite friends and family to stay with us for a week, or longer. Without TV or Internet, it truly is a therapeutic escape from life. I have retained some of my best childhood memories from Crouzet, and I hope to do the same for my children and grandchildren.
Please like and share if you enjoyed the blog post and the pictures. Comment if you would like to see more images from this magical place.
Ben
Life of a Pipeline Surfer
These two photos were taken during December at the world famous Pipeline which is located at the North Shore of O’ahu, Hawaii. I sat there for hours mesmerized at how powerful these waves actually were. The top image describes perfectly the outcome of these violent waves. What’s even more incredible is that this day was considered to be a ‘medium’ day according to some of the locals. If you want to know more please comment and I will respond as soon as possible. Please like and share with your friends if you enjoyed these images.
Ben
The Malibu Bandit
I took this photo in Malibu, California at Leo Carrillo State Beach. I put this photo under my ‘lucky’ category because it is one of those moments where you don’t have any time to react, you just have to press the shutter release button. I am sure most photographers can relate to moments like these in life. If only the wave was breaking in the background! I hope you enjoy this photo. Keep an eye out for more of my work. Don’t forget to like and share!
Ben
Cannes Intercontinental Hotel
The Cannes Intercontinental Hotel is recognized as the most famous hotel in Cannes and was built in 1911. It is the hotel of choice for movie stars during the Cannes Film Festival and also has made appearances in an Elton John music video (I’m Still Standing) and an Alfred Hitchcock film (To Catch a Thief). This picture was taken during a light rain on a chilly December night. I hope you enjoy this photo and feel free to comment and share with friends!
Ben
Sunset in Cannes
These photos were taken on January 31st, 2013.
It was a rare 75 degree day in the middle of winter but I took full advantage of the warm weather by hanging out on the rocks overlooking the water with my shirt off. Believe it or not, my skin was a light pink color the next day. Who would of thought it’s possible to get a minor sunburn in January in the south of France? Anyways, I hope you enjoy these images and please share with your friends and family!
Ben
The 68th Annual Celebration of the Liberation of Cannes
It was just another night coming home from practice. While bumping my head to ‘Discotheque’ music on FUN radio about to turn into the street to head towards my parking structure, I then noticed an extraordinary amount of people. Picture the 4th of July in Newport Beach, but then add 2,000 more Italians. Yes, it was nuts. After 25 minutes of sitting in traffic within the city, I finally got to my parking structure. I ran to my room to shower and to grab my camera because something was going down. I was very fortunate to experience this because it was honestly breathtaking. Check out some of the pictures below!
The Liberation of Cannes is simply the day that French, American, and British forces, but mostly American forces (joke) took over control from the Germans during World War II. This celebration is not to be mistaken with Bastille Day which occurs on July 14 to celebrate the storming of Bastille which was used as a symbol of the uprising of France back in 1789.
I hope you enjoyed the post and I will gladly send you the original versions of the images if you wish.
Ben Ricard
Ben Ricard Photography & Film 
