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Ilse Moore’s underwater photographic expressions began about three years ago. After spending a lot of time working with concepts of flight, she decided to take her photography below the surface. To Ilse, water is symbolic of so many things including life, transformation, and change.

Video still of Ilse at work

Living and working in Johannesburg, South Africa, her main focus is commercial photography, although it is her conceptual work that is really her passion. Moore’s work speaks of a subconscious denial of reality, and she believes that photography, as a medium, lends a kind of realism to these “fantasies,” allowing it to exist in closer relationship to the viewer.

Embracing a lesser element of control found underwater, she relishes in the existence of unpredictability. This level of unknowing produces often very serendipitous situations, which she finds both challenging and extremely exciting.

“I can manipulate any particular set to achieve what I initially envisioned, but the unplanned visuals that happen under the surface often determine the direction I take the shoot, as it constantly changes and forms new meanings,” says Moore. “I wouldn’t like to remove this aspect of my shooting, the surprise of the change appeals to me too much.”

www.ilsemoore.com

http://www.behance.net/ilsemoore (Behance Portfolio)