We can’t live without water and yet it can easily kill us; it’s both essential for survival, but with too much, it has the potential to be deadly. Whatever your thoughts on water, you cannot help but be taken aback by this series of underwater photos by James Cooper who plays on this very ideal.
Underwater is a mysterious realm into which we cannot venture unaided. Add spitting out mouthfuls of fake blood and toys, and you have some AMAZING photography. Viscous and prismatic, we are visually enthralled by its sights and sounds and within its heights and depths we can have an experience as close to flight as anything an unaided human will ever know. Though never far from our minds we know that this buoyancy can shift to prison without warning. Water is false freedom, and we are inevitably ether moored within it forever or expelled out.
Underwater is a mysterious realm into which we cannot venture unaided. Add spitting out mouthfuls of fake blood and toys, and you have some AMAZING photography. Viscous and prismatic, we are visually enthralled by its sights and sounds and within its heights and depths we can have an experience as close to flight as anything an unaided human will ever know. Though never far from our minds we know that this buoyancy can shift to prison without warning. Water is false freedom, and we are inevitably ether moored within it forever or expelled out.
Water as nature has beautiful qualities, movement and interest yet this photographer has plainly disregarded its potential and resorted to a disgusting perspective in my opinion. The opportunity to use the human form could have been adequately achieved through responsible photography. Appreciation can be given to the beautiful lighting and movement but this photographer's subject matter is appalling. Surprising, thought-provoking and creative yet disturbing and irresponsible at the same time. Would you display these images on your wall....I think not!
KylieB
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KylieB
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Hello, nice post.
ReplyDeleteThis photographer is very interesting in the way he has chose to focus on death in drowning, even including blood. Maybe he has a strange fetish...?
Anyway, thought I would say that I found the first picture strange, as it's the most gruesome (including a child and bleeding) and the fact that I see the child showing a happy emotion as if the kid was laughing before hand of having fun spitting out the fake blood. Does anyone else see that?
Also, I went on the link and found two pictures that were very different from the rest, both concentrated on horses. I really don't get it and all i can think of is that the photographer likes horses and is showing that they can drown too. Hmm very strange but fascinating.
Nicole
Hello again, I forgot to mention that you should check out this photographer on deviantart. http://sugarock99.deviantart.com/
ReplyDeleteVery famous for underwater photography on the site, but the photographer focuses on life rather than death.
Nicole
wow, what a find.
ReplyDeleteI agree I found the the child with the fake blood disturbing until I saw the slight smirk on his face. You are probably right Nicole about him having fun before spitting it out.
I actually don't mind some of the other images because for me being under water is such a peaceful place and it takes you to another whole world.
I agree with Nicole and Mel. I totally saw the cute little smirk on the boys face, which made the image less disturbing for me.
ReplyDeleteI checked out the other images and found them really interesting. I found the ones involving the toys really beautiful. The light and colours involved really captivated me.
Jess. E
I dont mind landscape photos that include lots of rock. But i don't think it appropriate to insert a mangled child at the bottom of a cliff just because it has a cute grin.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I don't really see this smirk...I believe I just find them disturbing.
ReplyDeleteBut I will say that they definitely have the "wow" (eww) factor.
Very attention grabbing, no doubt what the photographer wanted.
I like it, not so much the first image but the cleanness of the image and the clear water. An interesting series.
ReplyDelete