MARK MAWSON
Mark Mawson is a London based photographer that has dedicated 25 years to capturing fashion and beauty photographs beneath the surface of the water. He is best known for his sequence titled "Aqueous" of which a video was projected onto Buckingham Palace to form the background of Sir Paul McCartney's performance at the Queen's diamond Jubilee celebration.
Underwater
To create this fairy-tale style photograph, Mawson has used a waterproof camera case to capture the moment beneath the surface of a swimming pool. This means that after obtaining the raw image, Mawson used photo manipulation software to remove traces of the floor and walls of the pool to give the impression of a never ending infinity of water. This adds to the magical atmosphere of the photo. Alternatively, he has produced the effect of a misplaced model due to the lack of air bubbles, it is as if she is floating in air. This idea is furthered by the use of balloons which are traditionally floated in the sky. Similarly, the balloons provide a child-like innocence to the model, this is furthered by the white, flowing dress and lack of shoes worn by the lady in the image. The model is positioned with open body language, wide-spread arms and chin upwards to give the image a welcoming feel. Contrastingly, the juxtaposition of the deep blue background and her light, elegant attire creates the illusion that she is small and vulnerable in her dark environment, perhaps the photographer was linking his photograph to the fact that the water is not a human's natural habitat. As a result, viewers are presented with a surreal representation of a realistic fairy-tale. |
Underwater Man
Similarly, this portrait photograph was taken underwater however, in this instance, Mawson has not removed the walls or floor for a more enclosed or trapped effect. this image depicts a worn, muscular man 'running' towards the camera with one arm outstretched. The model's clothes are simple and crumpled to provide him with an ordinary appearance. However, The way that the model has kept direct eye contact with the camera and is reaching towards it gives viewers a sense of involvement in the scene as if the model is communicating with his audience. The concerned expession and body language of the man implies a sense of desperation perhaps to escape or to reach his audience. |
Aqueous Fluoreau #2
This is part of Mark Mawson's Aqueous selection, created by dripping paint into water solutions to create colourful cloud-like formations. They have been described as "clouds of vivid colour hang in a black void" and compared to "the latest images from a satellite deep in outer space" by their surreal curvature. In this image, Mawson has used pink, yellow and blue, opposites on the colour wheel therefor they complement one another. This photograph would have been taken with the paint dripping downwards however he has used photo manipulation software to flip the image horizontally to give the 'clouds' suspension as if they are rising upwards. I am inspired by the work of Mark Mawson to investigate the patterns of ripples on faces and the curved shapes that colours within liquids take. |