Collection: Lisa Beskin

"I started taking underwater photographs during the strange pandemic summer of 2020. Mostly unemployed, I was spending a lot of time face-down in a neighborhood lake, breathing through a snorkel and looking through a dive mask. On a whim I bought a waterproof case for my smartphone and began recording what I was seeing: outrageous colors and delicate tableaux, otherworldly scapes, ranges of light and clarity, murk and gloom. Underwater light is astounding, varying from spot to spot, moment to moment. I use no flash; the natural light will work for me or it won’t. One day the sun may hit the plants just right, and another the water might be too turbid, the particulate matter occluding the light. I must live with whatever’s happening right that second, which is not bad practice during these difficult times.