Room to think....

Photography for me is a passion, I started my affair with this medium  more years ago than I care to remember. It's only now, well the past few years, that I turn my attention to the still imaging aspect of the Ocean. My 'past life' was military based. I grew up on the south coast of the United Kingdom and as a natural progression from the child services facilities in which I spent my formative years I progressed into the British Infantry as a boy soldier at just sixteen years of age. The next twelve years were spent in a mixture of situations and departments of the military. One such posting to the horn of Africa, Djibouti, allowed me to get my first real taste of the tropical seas that would figure so greatly in the years to come.

On leaving the 'green gear' behind I decided that the Ocean life was for me. I decided to get my SCUBA Instructors ticket and go traveling the World. The perfect utopian existence, as the training agency PADI, Professional Association of Diving Instructors, would have you believe. Unfortunately the diving industry is full of young people with little, if any, life experience who are willing to work for free. This action in exchange for somewhere to crash and a pittance for food, a way to fill that sabbatical with some great adventure, basically ensures that there are little wages available even to the highest qualified instructor. The sad fact of the industry is that there are all too many dive shop owners aware of this and who are more than happy exploit this almost free worker market. I didn't want to be a part of that.

I started out filming underwater back in 1995. A mate had asked if I had ever shot underwater video as he had a small business to provide tourist divers on the island of Tenerife with souvenir video's. Being slightly economical with the truth I informed him that I was the next Jacques Cousteau, such were my skills with an underwater camera....I had that night to familiarize myself with the camera, the housing and filming techniques! Well I guess I done something right, as here I am some 16 years later and still in the Ocean imaging game, and still loving each day.

Having moved somewhat towards surf sport photography the swimming aspect is also something that keeps me in shape. Depending on the seas though depends on the experience. The image above was taken at the Padma Beach location on the island of Bali. On some days the waves are mushy, they just form and fold in on themselves. On other days they form nice little barrels, or big barrels depending on the swell size. In any barrel, when you find yourself in there, there is a split second, a time where you and the wave seem to gel. The colors etch themselves firmly onto the canvas of your mind, indelible hues of a unique moment archived in your library of worldly experiences.

For the future? Who knows? I have just started the liquidmocean aesthetic, I don't think it fair to suggest it is any one specific item. There are just so many possibilities to do with the Ocean that I want to try and concentrate on a few of them with the imaging, clothing and social interaction. It would, I feel, be too inhibiting to have this amazing affinity with the Ocean and not be able to share that in more than one way with those who care to listen and follow. I hope you too will be along for the ride.

The above image was taken with a Canon 500D using a Canon 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 EF S wide angle lens at 10mm. The whole rig was housed in a Liquid Eye water housing, made here in Bali.

Cheers, until tomorrow's Ocean Photo Of the Day.
Mark
liquidmocean