Lilly Pads and Dead Bodies: Jessica K Photography

“Lilly pads and Dead Bodies”

Model: Dale Waite 

This editorial came about after meeting Dale for the first time, we were shooting some fine art images with a grey sheet I had borrowed from my partner’s house and I had nothing particular in mind, I warned him that I may throw him in the water but nothing specific.

I learned that he had a similar fear of water to myself, and that sparked inspiration that I had stored for quite some time on an editorial about my fear of water and anxiety as a whole. Whenever I see murky water my mind automatically goes to decaying, bloated faces with whited out eyes. Sometimes it is even at a point where if I can’t see a few metres away from myself in a swimming pool it is a bit too much, I have a very overactive imagination - for the purpose of creating it comes in handy but when it comes to walking in a dark hallway, going to bed with my cupboard open, looking out windows at night and of course water- it’s not so productive.

I really feel like this editorial has a certain calm to the surface of it, which represents how we hide our anxiety to act normal around other people in leading up to an anxiety attack, it is a thin layer that hides what is lurking underneath, like these Lilly pads, beautifully distracting.

Thank-you so much Dale for putting yourself out there and modelling in that water for me, I really appreciate it.

This image was accepted into Photo Vogue today...!