British photographer, Emma Critchley, has created some of the most unusual and luminescent contemporary portraits– qualities, in this case, that come from shooting underwater. This kind of lighting is an achievement on dry terrain, but to create an environment for such rich underwater capture, is nothing short of amazing. It gives the model and ethereal and almost a 3-D feel.

“Emma Critchley’s underwater photography focuses on the human relationship with water and its diverse nature. The inspiration behind her work comes from a fascination with an environment within which humankind cannot exist naturally. Emma is intrigued by the way in which we as land based animals, interact with such a space.”

Images from Portraits

For her most recent underwater series, The Fear of Falling, Emma has collaborated with Sophie Lewis.
“Drawing upon studio portraiture from around the advent of photography these timesless, life-size underwater portraits invite new ways to consider the profound experience of submergence. The underwater series endeavours to invite reflection upon our own relationship with the present moment, enquiring whether the pre-industrial life of centuries ago gave us more time to reflect and meditate, than our contemporary world that is often frentic and unsettled.”

Images from the fear of falling