I’ve recently moved to a spot by the beach where I’ve been exploring what the world looks like under water.
The first few experiments happened in the early hours of the morning before work, before the sun is completely out of bed and when the tides were just high enough.
My first few goes were pretty hit and miss. Using a Dicapac with limited control, essentially shooting from the hip, meant that about one, maybe two shots from a swim adventure felt successful. In saying that, there is beauty in some of the abstract forms that manifest when light above and below the surface meet. The surface becomes a mirror that ripples or a body can cut through. The images could be semi abstract and beautiful in that respect.
Wanting to refine the shots a little I practised with the tools I had, or borrowed (thanks to my wonderful friend Kate!). Few weeks later and I got chatting to a client who was interested in a very ambitious underwater fashion-type shoot. From there I experimented shooting submerged in a swimming pool, with a model, a snorkel, lighting kit.
After this I find myself taking the underwater studio back to the sea. We are in the Poor Knight Islands marine reserve learning how to Scuba, swimming twelve metres deep with the fish, using a proper Aquatech underwater housing and I can’t imagine a better office for the day.
It’s very exciting to see what was an explorative project move into more refined client projects too. I’m just intrigued by the way light moves through a magnified lens and what it’s like to capture a world down there where everything comes alive.
The final images made their way into various print outputs – like below for Dish Magazine, you can see more online at the Crown Range Cellar website here.
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