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Terry Ma is a pilot and photographer who explores the wilderness from the air.

For many years, he has flown across the American West, photographing deserts, mountains, and remote landscapes from small aircraft. Working primarily with medium-format film, Terry is drawn to the unique patterns, textures, and geological formations that reveal themselves from above. For him, flying and photography are inseparable—the journey into the sky is as much a part of the creative process as the photograph itself.

Terry embraces the slow and deliberate nature of film photography. Each image begins long before the shutter is released, with careful consideration of weather, light, terrain, flight routes, and aircraft performance. After returning from a flight, he develops the film by hand and completes the process in the darkroom, making traditional silver gelatin prints. Every step requires time, patience, and an intimate understanding of both flying and photography.

He is particularly drawn to the deserts of the American West. From the ground, these landscapes may appear barren and silent, but from the air, light, geology, and time continuously reshape the land. Flying in such environments has also deepened his respect for the forces of nature, where subtle changes in weather, wind, and visibility can alter both a flight and a photographic plan.

Terry finds lasting inspiration in the writings of French aviator and author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, whose reflections on flight and the desert reveal how places that first appear empty can hold a profound and quiet beauty for those willing to spend time exploring them.

Through flying and photography, Terry seeks to preserve the landscapes and moments that can only be encountered from the sky.

 

我是一名飛行員，也是一名攝影師，喜歡從空中探索荒野與大地的樣貌。

多年來，我持續飛行於美國西部，從沙漠、山脈到遼闊而人煙稀少的荒野，以中片幅底片記錄從空中所看見的地景與地質變化。對我而言，飛行與攝影並不是兩件分開的事情——進入天空的旅程，本身就是攝影創作的一部分。

我始終喜歡底片攝影緩慢而真實的過程。從飛行前對天氣、光線、地形與航線的判斷，到空中尋找適合的視角與拍攝時機；飛行結束之後，再親手沖洗底片，回到暗房完成最後的銀鹽照片。每一個步驟，都需要時間、耐心，以及對飛行與攝影技術的理解。

我尤其著迷於美國西部的沙漠。從地面看來，它也許荒蕪而寂靜；但從天空俯瞰，光線、地貌與時間卻不斷改變著大地的樣子。飛行在這樣的環境裡，也讓我更加理解自然的力量——天氣、風、能見度，甚至很微小的變化，都可能改變一次飛行與一次攝影計畫。

法國飛行家與作家 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 對飛行與沙漠的書寫，一直帶給我很深的啟發。沙漠表面看似空無，然而當我們願意花時間走進它、理解它，便會發現其中隱藏著另一種深刻而安靜的美。

我希望透過飛行與攝影，把這些只有在天空中才能遇見的風景，慢慢留下來。

 

Terry Ma 馬聰斌/ FAA飛行員/ Pilot View 飛行員視野/ Flyterry Picture