Photographer

Alicia Chow

Finalist in

Lower Primary Category

Written Statement

Emotions can be turbulent. They can be overwhelming like waves crashing over you. They can be uncertain, exciting, frightening like swimming underwater. They can be calming and peaceful and we can find stillness in a sea of noise. We have fun, can be scared, feel relief, joy and tiredness. It is just another day at the beach. I borrowed my mum’s phone to take these photos because it had a waterproof case and I was really excited to try taking underwater photos. On this visit to the beach, the conditions would change from rough to calm waves. I would go from being excited about swimming to being unsure whether it was safe to swim. I see turbulence in ocean waves and I had the idea to link them with emotions.

It was fun taking the photo of the wave coming towards me without having to worry about ruining the phone. This was the first time my little sister swam and snorkelled in the ocean and I really liked how the underwater photo came out with all the bubbles. It gave me a sense of the mix of excitement and nervousness she was feeling.