Apnoea

The apnoea series reflects my love for the sea; and the freedom we gain when immersed there. Every swim in the sea exposes us to a world markedly different from that which we daily inhabit, such that being there is akin to entering an ethereal otherworld.

The series evolved organically as I sporadically returned to the sea. Originally born from a desire to faithfully record my family engaged in the rituals of swimming and snorkelling, I soon realised, as I reviewed each photo shoot, that it was the images between the technically accurate, straight swimming photos that held more meaning for me. I began to embrace the “flaws” that underwater photography experts warn against, like backscatter and lens flare, as markers of ethereality. Likewise, I sought those moments when my subjects gently swam or floated aimless and free, rather than ones in which confident swimmers conquered the water. Apnoea emerged in this context, revealing itself as a more accurate rendition of my relationship with the sea.

I’m not a documentarian of marine life or underwater formations, much as I’m entranced by those things. Rather, I’m interested in the relationship of humans to the expanse of the underwater world. I’m drawn to the way humans appear so vulnerable and alone the further they venture into the sea, the deeper they submerge themselves. I’m interested in how we, as a land creature, interact with, enjoy and embrace the sea, and how it enriches us emotionally and spiritually. My aim is to capture the ethereal, dream-like state that swimming and diving evokes, somewhere between the real world and an imaginary, dream-like state of being.

Humans are only ever brief visitors to the sea otherworld. Even the most able and ardent of swimmers cannot last long in the sea before they must retreat to the land. Apnoea is about those brief moments we are in this world, freed from the strictures of the land.

Visit my online store to purchase prints from this series, or the zine.