Here I collected a range of black and white images all about the relationship between people and the water.

What fascinated me about this photograph by Sally Mann as well as the one below, is the portrayal of the water as a calm playground, this quiet comfort of a childhood spent outside.

While this picture struck me as interesting, as it shows a very different relationship of people and the water. The Beach is littered with plastic rubbish, the woman in the middle sits tiredly on the old coach that seemed to have just been left behind there. Yet there are still people enjoying their time by the water, kids drawing in the sand, others lying down on a towel. It’s a very multilayered capture of life by the sea.

I chose this photograph as I really liked the serenity it depicts. But I also liked the composition, the uneven horizon and the tilted boat. It gives the image a sense of movement despite the stillness of the water.

These last two pictures immediately resonated with me as they capture that serene mood of a summer day by the sea. Children playing, the sun reflecting on the surface, the man in the second photo floating in peace.