Photographer Brad Walls, known for his artistic aerial images of dancers, shines a spotlight on the world of artistic swimming with his series Aqualillies. Also known as synchronized swimming, the sport is renowned for its beautiful shapes and symmetry. Walls takes full advantage of these characteristics and gives us a better view of the swimmers' athleticism with his aerial perspective.
Inspired by the recent Paris Summer Olympics, Walls reached out to the Aqualillies, a professional artistic swimming team that has collaborated with the likes of Beyoncé and Justin Bieber. Working with their choreographer, former NCAA Collegiate Champion Mary Ramsay, Walls drew up ways to highlight the beauty and complexity of the sport.
“It was surprising how few images truly highlight the intricate shapes and patterns created by artistic swimmers,” he notes.
Ramsay was excited about the collaboration, which she hoped would show off the hours of training that the swimmers put in to achieve perfection. They worked together to ensure this would happen, with Walls sketching formations inspired by different sports and Ramsay helping select positions from routines emphasizing geometry and symmetry.
The team's 26 athletes came together in Newport Beach, California, ready to take on the challenge and show off their skills for Walls. Their athleticism and precision, coupled with Walls' eye for detail, make for a visually satisfying series of photos. The aerial perspective highlights the unity of these swimmers, who use their bodies to create incredible shapes.
By capturing the sport from this captivating angle, Walls hopes to inspire more appreciation for artistic swimming. Scroll down to see more of the stunning photos from the series and judge the results for yourself.
Inspired by the Paris Summer Olympics, aerial photographer Brad Walls created a bold series spotlighting artistic swimming.
Also known as synchronized swimming, Walls wanted to highlight the symmetry and geometry of the athletes' movements.
To do so, he collaborated with the Aqualillies, a professional artistic swimming group known for its spectacular performances.
Together, they created a series highlighting the intricate patterns and shapes of artistic swimming, which are the fruit of intense training.
