It is a practice that requires the participation and alignment of mind, body and soul. The freediver has to be well-trained, fit and must apply high levels of concentration and relaxation in order to dive. The diver uses apnea - preforms breath-hold - a practice that is absolutely natural and instinctive and once mastered and developed can lead to amazing relaxation and self-awareness in an enviro
nment that has remained relatively untouched by people. Creating art in this state of relaxation, immersed in a journey of self-awareness and concentration, is a surreal experience. Your senses are already augmented and changed from their normal function at the surface. The photographer-freediver is liberated; unfettered by definition, free to experience his surroundings completely, and without any objects between him and his subject. How deep one will go, the duration of one’s dive, both depend on the natural, physical and mental abilities and not a tank of oxygen or other equipment. Photography is an art form that involves the composition of many elements, such as light, movement and the subject. When you enter into the underwater element with nothing but your own body - freediving - you find yourself immersed in a liquid substance, with variable gravity (negative or positive) and the ability to move 360 degrees, in every direction. It is an experience that any professional photographer would cherish. In addition to this, the state of concentration and relaxation achieved is similar to yoga (many freedivers actually practice yoga during dives) and that is one of the reasons the experience is often likened to that of a journey of self-discovery and awareness. So, what better moment for anyone to express their artistic creativity and find inspiration than while during such an intimate and inimitable connection with nature. Photographs taken freediving are seldom calculated and planned or pre-arranged. They are real and contain a unique element of dynamism and life.
