UPY 2025

UPY  Compact - Third
'Water ballet'
James Rokop

As a photographer who has been specializing in artistic swimming for a number of years, I was inspired by the original concept of "water ballet," an outdated term for the current sport. I took this simple concept of an outdated term and made it quite literal in this series where I photographed local ballet dancers under water in a residential pool. The images really have no direct resemblance to the sport but nevertheless highlighted the dancers' athleticism, beauty, and motion in a similar manner for some unique imagery. This image features talented Sofia and was taken with a compact camera in a basic water housing at a friend's pool. I chose this pool in particular for it's canvas-like appearance under water and I relied on natural lighting.

Judge's comment: I love this classic, minimalistic and flat piece of art very much. Sometimes it doesn't take much to create a fantastic image, but the vision of the photographer is much more important. Very well done and executed.
Tobias Friedrich