Photographer Deanna Templeton spent eight years photographing various people skinny dipping in her backyard swimming pool. The result was a NSFW book that showcases the joy and peace of floating in water.
The project started when Templeton’s husband Ed decided to skinny dip on a whim one day and she decided to grab her camera. “When I got the proof-sheets back from the lab I just really liked what I saw and wanted to explore this subject more,” she told us.
Templeton shoots exclusively on film, using a Leica M6 TTL with a Summilux-M 50 ASPH lens and the FujiFilm GF670. For the M6 her film of choice is Kodak Tri-X, and for the GF670 she primarily uses Kodak Portra film—often switching between 6X6 and 6X7.
To get the shots for her project Templeton began asking her friends, and eventually friends of friends if they would swim for her. The project took eight years from beginning to end, primarily because Templeton only snapped the pictures in the summer. She explained that she couldn’t work out how to turn the pool heaters on and didn’t want her subjects to be uncomfortable. The long spans between shooting also allowed her time to figure out exactly what she wanted to accomplish with the project.
The resulting book The Swimming Pool is her most successful work to date. “I’m thinking that might be because I really didn’t rush it, it took 8 years of shooting to make. I learned over the course of 8 years what I liked and what I didn’t like in an image,” she said.
There were plenty of obstacles throughout the process. Templeton explained, “The biggest challenges were, making sure the patio overhang shadow didn’t creep into the shot and to find swimmers with little to no tattoos.”
Her advice for creative photographers is “take your time, live with your images for a while. Don’t rush it.” This project is testament to that process. To find out more about Templeton’s book click here, and you can also follow her on Instagram.
DigitalRev 