Between Worlds by Barbara Cole
These painterly, sometimes ethereal, underwater shots demonstrate how photography can be so much more than ordinary, finds Amy Davies
Barbara Cole has dedicated much of her recent working life to the process of shooting underwater, but she also experiments with other unusual and traditional techniques, such as tintypes. Whichever method she uses, the end results divert from what you might ordinarily think of as a ‘photograph’.
Indeed, they are arguably closer to paintings and look simply stunning no matter which way you look at them, especially when viewed in any quantity. Gathering them together in book form is a real treat for the eyes and it’s one that you’ll likely find yourself coming back to time and again to see something new.
A former fashion editor, Barbara came to underwater photography by chance after her love for creating abstract Polaroids came to an abrupt end when the factory closed down. It was shooting in this unusual environment that gave her the same kind of feeling she missed and she’s stuck with it ever since.
When creating her underwater work, Barbara gets into the water with the models herself, rather than shooting from outside a water tank. Being part of the same process that the subject is part of is incredibly important for her – and I think it also shows in the finished images. There’s something of a trust and collaboration, more so than you might otherwise expect.
Her photographs explore all kinds of notions. Time, place, identity. She asks questions like, ‘How do you capture the feeling of weightlessness in an image?’ But above all of that, they’re simply beautiful and unlike anything else you’re likely to already have in your book collection.
Barbara’s work has been displayed extensively, both in her home country of Canada, and abroad. In this book, we get a fantastic overview of a number of different series over the past three decades, including more recent work.
Interestingly, as well as the physical book, there is extra digital content that comes with your purchase of it – including interviews, background information and insight into the creation of the photographs. There’s even a Spotify playlist that you can listen to and see if you feel similarly inspired.
Highly recommended.