While shooting a surf editorial Tim Swallow was inspired by Tahiti’s remote pristine waters and abundant plant life. For a recent feature for Urth Magazine he pieced the journey together in a self-titled digital newspaper called Hirondelle (meaning Swallow in French).
“I think Tahiti is one of, if not the most beautiful place on earth (that I’ve visited). The ocean is thriving and the clarity of the water is awe inspiring. The locals’ respect and love for the sea is something to behold and I embraced that, sometimes shooting up to 8 hours a day in the water.
Its remote location and mostly pristine landscape gave me a sense of hope for a sustainable future, almost anything planted grows abundantly. One day I was walking along the road and a gust of wind blew a mango off a tree and onto the ground in front of me. I picked it up, split it open and proceeded to eat the best mango I had ever tasted.
Almost everyone outside of the city grows their own fruit and vegetables. Fish is mostly hand caught and very little livestock is consumed. The local community has strict guidelines on what can be built and who runs local business.
I was also very impressed with the reef restoration project run by Titouan Bernicot, founder of Coral Gardeners in Teahupo’o. He teams up with the local boardriders, tourists and the World Surf League to help combat climate change and preserve these biologically diverse ecosystems.
This one-off newspaper is my depiction of Tahiti's raw beauty. Unfortunately I had a very limited shooting window and felt like I barely scratched the surface. In saying that, Tahiti left me hungry for more and I feel like I will be back time and time again to bask in its tropical presence.”