I dream of water, a lot, so I loved this work by photographer Barbara Cole who I came across via Crust Station. If you like these you should definitely have a look at her website, it's full of them, and the story of how she accidentally fell into this line of work is good too, especially for those of us who've not settled into our ideal jobs - yet.
Now, as you may remember, I've always been a mermaid wannabe so I am very attracted to underwater photography, something I have always wanted to try but have never got beyond the camera in a glass bowl on the surface - though you can get nice results in the right light. So the second I saw one of these photo's I was hooked. They are stunning.
This is what the world looks like in so many of my dreams. I have really vivid dreams about huge powerful bodies of water, floods, tidal waves, waking up (in the dreams) to find everything in my house is floating past my face and there are whales swimming in the garden. I love those dreams, I feel exhilarated and incredible peaceful at the same time. I feel at home in them. I really am a fish out of water in my 'real' life.
The dreams have none of the devastation and horror of a real Tsunami. It's a little scary because the water is so overwhelming, but we can breath in it after an initial moment of inner panic (ever seen The Abyss when she has to breath the liquid air stuff? It's like that). For me there the only place where I feel right is in water, especially since my health went kapoot, water feels so supportive to my achy muscles. Suddenly I don't feal like lead.
When I had the Turkish boyfriend (sigh, miss that kind of big love) we used to go to a little secluded spot I'd found on holiday where you could just float, undisturbed, for hours. Before leaving we'd sit in the water watching the sun set over the mercurial gold/aqua sea. Then we'd drive home on his motorbike with the warm breeze and the heat of the land drying us off. I've never been so happy as I was then, it was wonderful and I feel so lucky to have it as a memory.
5 comments:
I am so glad that the photographs from Barbara Cole inspired you to write this post, it's so lovely to read more about your life and dreams :) I love fishes, and definitely attracted to the idea of flying fishes or whales swimming in the garden.
Underwater photography is amazing, I don't think it's a simple process of using a waterproof camera. From what I read about Barbara she works off ideas (since she wasn't a graduate of art, she knows no boundaries).
Crust Station
Lovely having you here again. I'd love to see a film about Barbara making her work. It's clear underwater stuff is complex otherwise everyone would be doing it a lot more.
I'm so amazed how she gets some of the shots with the bubbles all around people, yet it's all perfectly lit, perfectly focused and no blur from water movement of the person having jumped in.
I bet it's bloody hard work, a lot of shots used to get the good ones.
I love these photos - funnily enough I've had them on my 'list of things to blog about' too.
Paola
I bet your list is even longer than mine, you've been so busy, so internationally busy! I have the most enormous backlogue of people to blog about, I think I have to admit I'll never keep up with it, too much wondrous stuff out there.
Mine was Cypriot - same sea and the journey home on a motorbike - aaah sweet memories !!
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