Whether we go to nature, religion, art, or community for answers, much of the human experience is a yearning for something greater than ourselves. This means diving into the wide ocean for Australian photographer Jem Cresswell. Since an early age, he has been fascinated by underwater photography, experiencing a sense of amazement in exploring the ocean’s infinite depths. In 2014, he started capturing an intimate underwater portrait series of a much larger subject: the humpback whale. Giants, a fine art book based on the series of beautiful black and white photographs, is now available.
Cresswell spent four years coming to the coast of Tonga, which is located in the southern Pacific Ocean, to finish Giants. With the help of a local guide and a sea captain, the photographer tracked down his migrating subjects in their natural habitat. Cresswell, who was equipped with underwater photographic equipment, took great care to respect the wishes of each humpback whale. He avoided approaching whales who appeared to be in distress. Instead, the very inquisitive critters frequently approached him, allowing for some incredibly intimate photos.
Cresswell invites viewers to encounter anthropomorphized beasts whose expressive responses call into question the individuality of our human experience through his photos of these beautiful mammals. Individuality is added to each image by barnacles gathered on a whale’s head or a flash of a white belly. The artist’s decision to photograph his animals in black and white draws the viewer’s attention to the individual whale while also evoking a classic aesthetic.
Cresswell had to choose the most breathtaking photographs from over 11,000 images captured during his underwater sessions for Giants. The new book has 220 pages of portraits, some of which have never been seen before. Fins flicker, bubbles rise, and mothers and calves dance happily over the pages. The whales are framed by the turbulent surface of the sea in several pictures, creating images that juxtapose the familiar world of the coastline with the enigmatic quiet of the depths. The book is an immersive experience in a world few people get to see, and it’s perfect for everyone who has ever desired to swim with the whales. Along with exceptional technical expertise, Cresswell’s images display extraordinary beauty, startling emotion, and subtle elegance.
Cresswell’s personalized portraiture method is only appropriate for such distinct species. Like human fingerprints, humpback whales have distinct white patterns on the undersides of their tail flukes (rear flippers). The typical lifespan of a whale is 50 years. They traverse the same routes over and over again, returning to feeding and mating grounds. They are known for their capacity to “sing” and memorize tunes. Apart from humans and large apes, these marine mammals are the only creatures having spindle cells. While the cells in humans have roles related to social organization, empathy, and intuition—all of which are fundamental components of human society—the functions of the cells in whales are unknown.
“The discovery [of the cells] raises a lot of problems regarding anthropomorphism,” Cresswell told My Modern Met, “considering how we, as humans, tend to place human sentiments on what we think the activities of these organisms signify.”
Scroll down to see some of the magnificent underwater photographs of humpback whales from Jem Cresswell’s new fine art book Giants and get a glimpse of an universe far greater than yourself. Giants is now available for purchase on the book’s website in a limited first edition run of 1,500 autographed copies. Photographers, environmentalists, and everyone in between will appreciate the work. Visit Cresswell’s website and Instagram to see more of his work.
Off the coast of Tonga, photographer Jem Cresswell shoots close underwater pictures of humpback whales.
Cresswell has just launched Giants, a fine art book based on his four years of swimming with whales and 11,000 pictures.
The book has 220 pages of amazing black-and-white photography, which helps to emphasize the uniqueness of each whale.
Cresswell began underwater photography as a youth and finds it awe-inspiring to be immersed in ocean depths several times his own.
The gentle giants he shoots are highly expressive and easy to anthropomorphize, leading the viewer to wonder about the uniqueness of human emotional experience.
Humpback whales, like humans, are one-of-a-kind creatures with distinct tail markings and spindle cells.
These cells govern empathy and social structure in humans, which viewers may notice in Cresswell’s subjects.
Scroll down to get a sample of the magnificent photos in Giants, which is now available for purchase on the book’s website.
Jem Cresswell: Website | Instagram | Vimeo | Book