VISIONMARCH 2014

by Vision Explorers

VISIONWelcome to

In this issue of VISION we’re venturing into new territory with photographer Wayne Levin. Levin captures the magnificence of the underwater world in

mesmeriing black-and-white images. !

We are also announcing a new workshop in the beautiful city of Paris in August. Our New York City workshop is now almost full, so if you would

like to join us in April, we encourage you to sign up now. !

Sincerely, !

Joel, Sharon, Armand and Daniel The Vision Explorers Team

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ParisAugust 29 - 31, 2014

Vision Explorers is coming to Paris! A city that architects have used as their laboratories for centuries and where nothing seems out of place. Roman, Renaissance to Post Modern

Contemporary - Paris has it all. !

Registration opens Saturday, 8 March at 6pm CET (12 Noon EST, 9AM PST)

www.visionexplorers.com/paris-2014

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THE AKULE

Dance Of

Featuring Wayne Levin

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The Bigeye Scad, or Akule, are a species of fish that live in the tropical waters of Hawaii, and they are the

subject of Wayne Levin’s “Akule” series. !

When looking at Wayne’s images, it’s as if he is painting with the schools of fish, creating light and

dark areas, movement, shapes and volumes. However, contrary to a painter, Levin is not in

complete control of the composition. In the following pages, he describes the experience in his own words.

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I am the observer of an incredible natural phenomena and am trying to record what I see as accurately and simply as possible. My job is in the framing of the photograph. Also being in the right

place at the right time as I move through this three dimensional environment.

!It's not a situation where I can wait for the schools to ‘come by’. The schools are pretty stationary unless

they are being heavily preyed upon. So the challenge is finding them. Most of the Akule work was done in two locations, both in south Kona on the island of

Hawaii. I photographed the schools first at Kealakekua Bay [ed. the site of the fatal attack on Captain Cook]. This bay has high cliffs on the east side, and I would first hike part way up the cliff to a point where I got a good overview of the bay. With polarizing sunglasses I was able to spot the school through the water, even if the top of the school was 30-40 feet below the surface, which was usually the

case.

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Previous page: “Akule Tornado” by Wayne Levin

“Akule Pinwheel” by Wayne Levin

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After spotting the school I knew what direction to swim to find the school. Then I would free-dive (dive holding my breath) to take my photographs. These

schools would swim with amazing uniformity, forming amazing shapes and patterns. Sometimes the

predators (larger fish) would come in and stalk the schools. It seemed that the schools were living

kinetic sculptures, and the predators were the master sculptors. I, on the other hand, was the observer.

Although, I must admit that sometimes I would also effect the shape of the school.

!One of my primary ideas in this body of work is what

constitutes the individual. When you see the coordination of these schools they almost behave as

a single organism. It begs the question, is the individual the single fish or the school, with the

individual fish behaving more like cells within a larger body? Of course these questions can be taken a

step further to humans and our society. !

Most underwater photographers are divers first, then they get into photography to capture the beautiful scenes they see underwater. I was a photographer first. My first serious underwater photography was when I finished graduate school at Pratt in 1983. I

returned to Hawaii to teach photography at University of Hawaii and decided to photograph surfers from underwater. My first attempts were in color, but the

results were very murky blue on blue. Then I switched to black and white, and everything came alive.

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“Akule Pyramid (SC-715)” by Wayne Levin

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“Column of Akule (SC-215)” by Wayne Levin

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"When I dive I feel a sense of freedom, and I can feel myself relax, and my

bodily functions slow down as I leave the anxieties of the human world behind. But the ocean has its own

dangers. … So there is a freedom in being underwater, but also a

responsibility to always be aware of your surroundings…and yourself.”

!Wayne Levin

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“Line of Akule (SC-318)” by Wayne Levin

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The black and white abstracts the ocean, so the viewer isn’t sure if the figures are suspended in water or sky. Things look different, visibility is more limited,

and the atmosphere has more weight, density. Moving through this world is like flying; you can move in three

dimensions, and be suspended above or below things. There are plants and animals, which are

different from what we are used to seeing; they move differently. This all creates a possibility to take

photographs that look different from anything I have seen before.

!To photograph underwater you have to feel a

calmness in the environment. You also need to understand the physiology of diving to a point where

it is second nature, so that you can dive safely without having to concentrate too much on it. This is

so you can concentrate on the environment, and anticipate what is going to happen so that hopefully

you can be at the right place at the right time. !

The light underwater is almost always flatter (lower contrast) then on land. Many photographers use flash

to give the images stronger contrast as well as a more complete color spectrum under water. Since I shoot exclusively black and white film underwater, I don't have to worry about the color spectrum part of

this equation. Years ago I found that pushing technical pan film gave me beautiful results in most,

but not all, underwater situations. It increased the contrast, giving underwater scenes approximately the same contrast range as most above water images, but was still very fine grain. This film also gave me a beautiful sense of depth. So I was able to use only

natural light.

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“Pattern of Akule (SC-354)” by Wayne Levin

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"To photograph underwater you have to feel a calmness in the environment.”

!Wayne Levin

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“Rainbow Runners Hunting Akule (SC-310)” by Wayne Levin

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“Circling Akule (SC-214)” by Wayne Levin

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!After a couple of years the Akule disappeared from Kealakekua Bay. Several years later I found a large

school at Keauhou Bay, about 5 miles to the north on the Kona Coast. At first this school was in the inside part of the bay in murky water, but finally they moved to the outer bay over a beautiful coral reef. Because Keauhou has a lot of boat traffic, free-diving there wasn't a safe option. It's quite disconcerting to be free-diving and have to surface for air, and to hear the sound of an approaching boat motor but not be

sure where the boat is. So at Keauhou I would scuba-dive. I would enter the water and swim along the

shoreline to the southwest point of the bay. Then I would take a compass bearing for an area where the

Akule would usually be hanging out. I would then submerge and follow my compass bearing and

usually find the school. It was, of course, different to be able to stay down with the school for about an hour at a time, as opposed to making short free-

dives. On the other hand, free-diving gave me more speed and maneuverability.

!… !

In recent years Wayne has continued to focus on depicting the underwater world in black and white. He has photographed sea life, surfers, canoe paddlers, free-divers, swimmers, shipwrecks, seascapes, and

aquariums. !

waynelevinimages.com

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“Great Barracuda Surrounded by Akule (SC-409)” by Wayne Levin

Following page: “Blue Trevally Herding Akule” by Wayne Levin

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