I spent my childhood in a permanently salty state – from exploring tide pools and splashing in the waves, to sailing competitively throughout college, the ocean defined me. This love for the sea led me to pursue a degree in marine biology at Brown and spend a semester abroad in the Turks and Caicos, where I first tried my hand at underwater photography.
It wasn’t until I moved to north central Florida and found myself farther from the ocean than ever before, that I began exploring Florida’s foreign fresh water springs, which now serve as my muse. Fed by water from the underlying aquifer, they are indicators of the groundwater that quenches the thirst of 92% of Florida’s growing population. Floridians literally live their lives walking on water, but because it is out of sight in the aquifer below, we remain largely disconnected from it. Photography is a way for me to share both the striking beauty and the decline of the springs and bring alive the underwater world that lies just out of sight – from sparkling spring bowls to the winding caves of the aquifer.
I hope that my photographs help people make the connection between their lives aboveground and the fragile water beneath their feet so that they will be come better stewards of this resource and perhaps be inspired to jump in themselves. I am currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Florida where I am working on a dissertation that blends science with photography and writing to effectively communicate about climate change and Florida’s threatened water resources.
