All the images you’ll find here were captured on one breath; no scuba tanks, no technology - just one breath, one camera, one moment. Freedive fine art photography is a special form of artistry because it requires both myself as the artist and my models to be deeply in touch with our bodies, our breath, our state of mind and our environment. Each photograph is more than a glimpse into the world beneath the water - it is a meditation, a moment where nothing else existed except exactly what was in front of us and inside of us. Each image tells a story of a unique moment in time, never to exist in the same way again. They tell stories of what it means to connect with the true nature within each of us , beneath the masks of ego and time.
A Touch of What Was
30 meters deep in a secret cenote hidden in the jungle of the Yucatan sits a tree that has long since fallen into the depths from its former sunny home above. The tree rests on a small mound surrounded by a mysterious and eerie sulfur cloud. It was very dark and difficult to see what we were shooting - anytime a cloud passed over the sun it would grow completely dark down there and we would have to try again. Each dive down to the tree felt like we were exploring deeply rooted, subconscious memories of the past - offering us a glimpse of our present by connecting us with what is alive and true beneath.
A Prayer
Shibari is a modern form of rope bondage often used as a form of meditation, vulnerability and trust building. In collaboration with Austin based shibari artist Rina Trevi, we spent a week in the cenotes of Mexico exploring ideas of surrender. To be tied up and put underwater required a tremendous amount of trust from our models - watching them journey through feelings of self doubt, fear of vulnerability, and old egoic ideas of the self in order to eventually let go and surrender control to the experience was like witnessing a prayer that has the power to set us free.
Ocean Bound
The water is beautiful, magical, mystical, relaxing and healing - and ultimately, the water is in charge. Humanity has taken a wrong turn, allowing ourselves to believe that we can control nature when in reality nature always wins. It saddens me that we have turned our relationship with nature into one of struggle, when it could just as easily be one of mutual respect, abundance and care. What I love about this image is the balance between struggle and surrender - as we wake up to the ways in which we have fallen out of step with nature, it will take time to remember how to live in harmony. The deeper we surrender, then less we all will struggle.
Cenote Sonata
One of my favorite things about shooting in the cenotes is how other-worldly the light can be; this light makes the cenotes a true playground for photographers. Oftentimes I describe the underwater world as feeling like another planet - to me this image represents the alien energy of being underwater, while also giving this sense of coming home. The underwater world may be little explored by humans so far, but it is also where we come from and the source of all life. The foreignness of the underwater world is what ultimately guides us home to ourselves.
The Wonder of a Leap
This photograph was one of those moments where the stars align exactly perfectly, and better than I could have hoped for. Before getting this shot, my model and I took many takes of him diving off the dock into the water - each time something wasn’t quite right. This image was not the one I had initially set out to capture, but when it happened it surpassed the original image I had in my head by a mile. Oftentimes the plans the universe has for us are far greater than the plans we can make for ourselves - all we can do is take the leap and marvel at where we land.
With a Burst
One of my favorite things about this cenote was the view we had of the sky and the trees above from within it. I camped next to this cenote for 4 days, and spent most of each day in the water, watching how the light changed with the hours. At the peak of the afternoon, the light felt to me like a beautiful explosion of energy - it reminded me of the ways life can sometimes be so big, so unexpected, so exciting; my aim with this photo was to capture this energy. So of my favorite moments of life so far have been the ones where I’m blown away and swept off my feet by a change in circumstance - these experiences remind me what I am here for, and how richly beautiful this journey of life can be.
About the Photographer
My name is Dara Israel and I am a photographer, filmmaker and freediver currently based in Costa Rica. Since picking up my first camera at the age of 7 and diving beneath the waves for the first time at the age of 17, I have been capturing stories of the natural world and all those who inhabit it. My intention with my art is to show our inextricable link as humans to the water, and to help people to see that magic exists in the depths of our experiences.
Besides my work as a photographer, I am also a co-founder of One Breath Deep Productions: a documentary production company dedicated to telling transformational stories about freediving and the power it has to change people’s lives - mind, body and spirit.
Check out my print shop to see more of my work and order prints in custom sizes and materials.