H2Oohhh, an ambitious photography exhibition by acclaimed local artist Rodney Braun, has been described as a “ballet in liquid motion.”

The photos, now on display at the Exchange District’s Pixels 2.1 gallery, are beautifully rendered portraits of stunning Winnipeg models beneath, as well as suspended above, water.

Some portray the subtle vulnerability of humans in water while others show women that seem fanatically empowered by it.

Regardless of the model, the images command an aesthetic that is reminiscent of a rousing and powerful dance. 

Braun, a long-time portrait photographer and the co-founder of independent Eve Studios, is quick to set the record straight, however.

The process of shooting underwater, he says, is nothing like a dance.

“The reality of it is that we go down, we shoot some images, we come up, we cough, we sputter and we go back down,” said Braun, describing the process of instructing about 30 local models between frantic gulps of air.

That wasn’t his only challenge, however, as he shot in indoor pools around Manitoba, in Lake Winnipeg and around the Red River Floodway.

Braun had to protect his equipment by using an underwater housing for his camera, which he describes as a “$500 Ziploc bag,” while wrapping the rest of his gear above the surface in plastic.

“Purely from an insurance standpoint, you’re taking a lot of gear underwater and hoping it comes out dry,” he said, adding he managed to convince the local Don’s Photo store to donate a Canon Rebel camera to the project.

“ There’s no guarantees when you’re dealing with water.

Rodney Braun, photographer

The Canon Rebel was a lifesaver because he was able to minimize insurance problems by using it for nearly every single photo, he said.

Additionally, to deal with the constant issue of floating back up to the surface during shoots, Braun had to fashion a system using caste iron weights and climbing rope.

He was also forced to experiment with light, which he describes as the “biggest challenge” of underwater photography, and to adjust skin tone in post-production. 

“Skin tones from one foot underwater to three feet underwater are drastically different,” he said, adding that he made skin tone adjustments with Photoshop.

“There’s no guarantees when you’re dealing with water.”

Although Braun’s primary objective for the project was simple – he wanted to create “something beautiful” – it quickly transformed into a more philanthropic effort.

“After about my second session, I was sitting there going ‘Boy, this the cleanest, clearest pool I’ve ever photographed in. Most people don’t have a pool this nice to photograph in,’” he said of an indoor pool at Manitoba’s Sandhill Pines park and campground.

“A minute later I realized how stupid that statement was because, really, most people in the world don’t have water this clean to drink.”

H2Oohhh is on display at Pixels 2.1 gallery at 217 McDermot Ave. until Saturday, April 9.

The camera donated by Don’s Photo will be auctioned off at the end of March, with proceeds going toward organizations that support clean drinking water in Third World countries.

Twenty per cent of the money generated from the exhibition will go toward Samaritan’s Purse Canada and WaterCan, two non-profit organizations supporting clean water in developing nations.

Published in Volume 65, Number 22 of The Uniter (March 10, 2011)