Pearls

Tears of the Sea. A Photobook by Barbara Luisi
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-3-205-78741-9
Verlag: Böhlau

Buch, Englisch, 119 Seiten, Format (B × H): 243 mm x 301 mm, Gewicht: 960 g

Technically speaking, Pearl diving proved a demanding photography project for me. I have been an amateur diver for many years, so I knew I would be entering an alien world and would have to adapt my way of working accordingly. But during these dives Susanna, the professional diver accompanying me, frequently had to get me to the surface earlier than usual, since my consumption of compressed air increased considerably when taking photos and I, carried away by my work, became less careful in monitoring myself. We spent many days down in the coral deeps: our air consumption was higher owing to the depth, and thus, for technical reasons, we were not able to dive for so long. Our dives generally lasted between 40 and 70 minutes. For the most part we worked with natural light, rarely resorting to using the spotlights we had brought with us. Using only available light, the increased density of the water presented a seemingly insurmountable problem at times, with bits of plankton floating around to make things even more difficult. When photographing in such situations you have no firm foundation and have to take shots floating. This only works if you are in perfect assetto, when your own body floats on the spot, precisely balancing the up and down movement of the water. To achieve this you have to either pump air into the dry suit and its outer pockets, or release air, as appropriate. And of course, steady breathing is a must when diving. Of course I didn’t want any air bubbles to get into my shots… and I needed an extremely steady hand to operate the camera on a wide aperture in the watery twilight. But how do you manage all that while floating and breathing? I am still haunted by one particular dive during which a squid, who didn’t like the proximity of one of our pearls, disappeared in a cloud of ink – taking the pearl with it!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Luisi, Barbara

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Fotografie Einzelne Fotografen

Über Autor(innen)

Luisi, Barbara
1964 in München geboren, lebt und arbeitet sie heute in New York und Camogli, Italien. Seit ihrem 17. Geburtstag widmet sie sich der Fotografie. Ihre erste Kamera war eine Leica M6. Sie arbeitete von Anfang an ausschließlich in ihrer eigenen Dunkelkammer. Musikstudium in München. Zehn Jahre als professionelle Geigerin in mehreren bedeutenden Orchestern Europas haben ihr Leben geprägt und ihr Gefühl und ihren Blick für den unwiederbringlichen Moment geschärft. Sie hat sich im Laufe der Jahre auf Portraits (im Theater- und Musikmilieu), Akt und Nachtfotografie spezialisiert,. Ihre Arbeiten wurden vielfach ausgestellt (Musikverein Wien, Victoria Hall Genf, Semperoper Dresden etc, Gallerien in Europa, USA und Japan). Zusammenarbeit mit Eikoh Hosoe, Art Streiber, Michael Grecco, Andreas Bitesnich, Jock Sturges Sie wird in Wien vertreten von der Galerie Elisabeth Michitsch, Opernring. 2007 ihr1. Fotoband 'Nude Nature', Böhlau-Verlag 2008 ihr 2. Fotoband 'Glühende Nacht', Böhlau-Verlag www.barbaraluisi.com

Barbara Luisi, born in Munich in 1964, now lives and works in New York and in Camogli, Italy. Music degree in Munich. Ten years she spent working as a professional violinist in several leading European orchestras. Over the years she has specialised in portrait (in the theatre and music scene), nude, and night photography. There have been many exhibitions of her work (in the Musikverein in Vienna, Geneva's Victoria Hall, the Semperoper in Dresden etc, as well as galleries in Europe, USA and Japan). She has collaborated with Eikoh Hosoe, Art Streiber, Michael Grecco, Andreas Bitesnich, Jock Sturges.