Artworks / s43

Cannon Ball evolved out of photos I took to explore the nature of confinement, both physical and psychological. For those, I used large pieces of plexi-glass to contain my subjects under water. While this process resulted in some beautiful images of the human form, I was surprised to discover an even more powerful sense of beauty resulting from the models’ process of coming to grips with their confinement. The discomfort of early shots gave way, over the course of the shoot, to a peacefulness that was reflected in the images.

I’ve struggled with issues of personal control my whole life - and my interest quickly shifted from confinement to lack of control. The underwater environment, in which body control and conventional signifiers of beauty are virtually impossible to control, remained the ideal environment for the new study. But this time I was headed in the pool alongside the models. Just as the models lost control of their bodies, their facial expressions, their pose, I lost control of the standard items in the photographer’s toolbox.

For me, the images do have a quiet beauty that I associate with the freedom and tranquility of water. But that alone can be achieved with most underwater nudes. The real beauty of the Cannonball series comes from that fact that the models aren’t floating or at peace at all. Rather, they are hurling their bodies through the water as is seen in their skin, muscles, and faces and in the bubbles created as their bodies pierce the water.