Pebbly Beach 5 Ed. 1 of 100

This is an 8in x 10in silver gelatin print. It was printed by hand in the darkroom from a film negative. The image was shot out in the ocean about 30m offshore. I like to swim out deep to shoot underwater to give the sense of a figure floating in space. I shoot underwater on a famous old school film camera called a Nikonos V. It was known for design input from Jaques Cousteau and for its use on the Vietnam War because of its waterproof quality in the monsoons.

The camera is completely manual which means that it doesn't automatically focus. I use knobs to manually set my focal range all while bobbing around with the swell in the ocean. Often by the time I've set the focal range the subject has drifted out of range in the waves.

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Hi, welcome to my Bluethumb page. My name is Sophia Elizabeth. I am a multidisciplinary artist with a practice in photography, writing and occasionally ceramics. I have produced creative written work and poetry since I was around 8yrs old and I have been working with photography and film as a medium since 2019 when I collaborated on an artistic project with artist Ali Nasseri. Since then I began exploring underwater photography on 35mm film as well as digital images. I enjoy the handmade and manual process of shooting on film and printing in the darkroom. Creating an artefact via an artisanal process. I also enjoy the ways in which photography can bridge documentary and concept in ways that painting doesn't. There is a raw, realness to a photographic image and, I think, a rebellion in it. In 2020/2021 I expanded my practice to include ceramics. In 2023 I was lucky enough to begin working with and producing porcelain pieces under the guidance of Juz Kitson. My ceramics works are occasional, usually offered by commission only. I am from regional NSW, however I grew up travelling the world from the age of 3 and I have lived in several places around Australia as well as the UK and South America. I currently live between Sydney and Canberra.