7-Tenths

"The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever"

Jacques Cousteau

Seventy percent of the world’s surface is water and most of what lies beneath its surface remains largely undiscovered, unmapped, unknown and, all too often, sadly taken for granted. The water’s surface is the line that divides our everyday existence, experience and knowledge from the wonders of what exists beneath.

Diving below the surface is an immersive experience, both physically and mentally, in which your eyes meet a world of wonder in the diversity of species, form, function, habitat...... and colour. So why do I choose to make monochrome photographs? Colour images, whilst beautiful, captivating and amazing, and clearly offering an accurate record of the subject, can at the same time distract from its essential beauty. Advances in techniques and equipment enabling underwater photography have led to an explosion in images taken by professionals and amateurs alike, the vast majority in colour, documenting and cataloguing as well as capturing behaviour and emotion, and increasingly also appearing as works of art.

In adopting monochrome, my intention is to offer a different perspective, where minimalist representation presents the essence of the subject to the viewer in its simplest form, allowing them to interpret it for themselves. Many will disagree with this approach and the images, as is the case with any photograph, will not be to everyone's liking, but I hope that some of the images will succeed in highlighting the beauty, peace and serenity of life underwater.