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Mexican photographer Christian Vizl has made a name for himself as an underwater shooter with an unusual specialization: black and white. Inspired by mentor and friend, the late Ernie Brooks—regarded as underwater photography’s original “monochrome master”—Christian has constantly been pushing the limits of his personal photographic style.

After putting together his first book, Silent Kingdom: A World Beneath the Waves, which was seven years in the making, Christian has been mysteriously silent over the last couple of years. But it turns out that he’s been using his free time during the pandemic rather productively, working on a new photo series called “I Am Water”—which is unveiled today.

“My passion goes beyond just the artistic side of photography,” says Christian. “I am more interested in using it to bring hope and benefit the ocean, the planet and all its living beings by creating awareness about the dire problems of today’s world through beauty, a universal language.”

He says he does his best to be conscious of his own consumption, acknowledging that traveling and diving have a substantial impact on the environment, and if not done respectfully, can stress the animals, too. “I created this new series with 99% of recycled images [from previous trips] and just one that I took while freediving from shore. This approach gave me the opportunity to dive deeper into the ever-changing nature of our perceptions, and through a new vision, explore the meaning of the reality of the interconnectedness and interdependence we all share.”

Commenting on Vizl’s “dreamy, breathtaking images,” Mexican cinematographer and artist Gabriela Reyes Fuchs, says: “In this series, Christian wonders what would the voice of water be? How would it sound? What would it like to say? Exploring this idea in this new series entitled ‘I Am Water,’ he beautifully invites us to blur the perception of self, only to play with the idea of being part of everything and everyone, just like the very nature of water.”

To see more images in the series, check out the narrated video presentation below. The photo series can also be viewed on Vizl’s website.