18 minute read
Walking on the Moon
NEWS / UPFRONT © NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / ASU © NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / ASU © NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / ASU NEWS UPFRONT
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ISSUE 159 PROFESSIONAL PHOTO 013 FOR DECADES THERE have been loud claims that the entire moon landing adventure that began with Neil Armstrong half a century ago was some kind of giant hoax and that the entire thing took place in a film lot somewhere out in the Nevada desert. Now this would, of course, have required pretty much everyone at NASA being in on the secret and no-one ever spilling the beans and it also, of course, questioned the integrity of everyone who was at the sharp end of it all, whether they be an astronaut sitting in a capsule or the head of Mission Control running the show back on Earth.
Naturally the whole argument could have been put to bed had NASA ever visited the moon again, but somewhat surprisingly they’ve not returned since December 1972. However pictures from a mission launched a full decade ago have now emerged that appear to finally offer conclusive proof that everything was genuine. The images come from an orbiter flying on behalf of the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP), whose mission was to orbit the moon to capture high-resolution images of the surface, including sites explored by Apollo missions, to achieve very precise mapping.
As a by-product these images of incredible precision also aimed to convince the sceptics about the veracity of the Apollo missions. In fact, to get even more detailed images of the areas where the lunar landings took place NASA even decided to reduce the altitude of the orbit from an initial 50km to just 21km to improve the accuracy of the images of these sites.
Results are impressive and, although there could still be some who might question whether these latest images are themselves genuine, if you take it as read that they are then the evidence appears conclusive. At the higher altitude it’s possible to guess the position of the LM (Lunar Module) thanks to its elongated shadow, while such things as footprints or the lunar rover can’t be made out.
When the altitude was reduced to 21km, however, suddenly everything starts to stand out. This time, on images captured from the sites of Apollo 12 and 17, you can clearly see many traces left by these missions. It’s possible to make out the LM named Challenger, the tracks of the lunar rover driven by the crew of Apollo 17 and even the footprints of astronauts.
Curiously, although these images have been around for a while, they’ve not been widely circulated, and they have just been highlighted by Panhobby, the photographer behind PhotoPlanet360 - http://photoplanet360.fr/ - a French website dedicated to panoramic and 360-degree photos.
“By visually showing the astronauts’ paths around the LM, this makes these missions more concrete,” Panhobby comments, “and allows them to gain some height for, as NASA hoped, to increase the belief of the general public in the true existence of the Apollo Moon missions." WALKING ON THE MOON Analysis of images from NASA appear to show that, despite conspiracy theories that have raged for years, man did indeed walk on the moon all those years ago and left behind plenty of evidence to prove the fact. ISSUE 159 PROFESSIONAL PHOTO 013 FOR DECADES THERE have been loud claims that the entire moon landing adventure that began with Neil Armstrong half a century ago was some kind of giant hoax and that the entire thing took place in a film lot somewhere out in the Nevada desert. Now this would, of course, have required pretty much everyone at NASA being in on the secret and no-one ever spilling the beans and it also, of course, questioned the integrity of everyone who was at the sharp end of it all, whether they be an astronaut sitting in a capsule or the head of Mission Control running the show back on Earth.
Naturally the whole argument could have been put to bed had NASA ever visited the moon again, but somewhat surprisingly they’ve not returned since December 1972. However pictures from a mission launched a full decade ago have now emerged that appear to finally offer conclusive proof that everything was genuine. The images come from an orbiter flying on behalf of the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP), whose mission was to orbit the moon to capture high-resolution images of the surface, including sites explored by Apollo missions, to achieve very precise mapping.
As a by-product these images of incredible precision also aimed to convince the sceptics about the veracity of the Apollo missions. In fact, to get even more detailed images of the areas where the lunar landings took place NASA even decided to reduce the altitude of the orbit from an initial 50km to just 21km to improve the accuracy of the images of these sites.
Results are impressive and, although there could still be some who might question whether these latest images are themselves genuine, if you take it as read that they are then the evidence appears conclusive. At the higher altitude it’s possible to guess the position of the LM (Lunar Module) thanks to its elongated shadow, while such things as footprints or the lunar rover can’t be made out.
When the altitude was reduced to 21km, however, suddenly everything starts to stand out. This time, on images captured from the sites of Apollo 12 and 17, you can clearly see many traces left by these missions. It’s possible to make out the LM named Challenger, the tracks of the lunar rover driven by the crew of Apollo 17 and even the footprints of astronauts.
Curiously, although these images have been around for a while, they’ve not been widely circulated, and they have just been highlighted by Panhobby, the photographer behind PhotoPlanet360 - http://photoplanet360.fr/ - a French website dedicated to panoramic and 360-degree photos.
“By visually showing the astronauts’ paths around the LM, this makes these missions more concrete,” Panhobby comments, “and allows them to gain some height for, as NASA hoped, to increase the belief of the general public in the true existence of the Apollo Moon missions." WALKING ON THE MOON Analysis of images from NASA appear to show that, despite conspiracy theories that have raged for years, man did indeed walk on the moon all those years ago and left behind plenty of evidence to prove the fact. PP159_007-015 (UP FRONT).indd 13 10/05/2019 09:43 NEWS / UPFRONT ISSUE 159 PROFESSIONAL PHOTO 013 FOR DECADES THERE have been loud claims that the entire moon landing adventure that began with Neil Armstrong half a century ago was some kind of giant hoax and that the entire thing took place in a film lot somewhere out in the Nevada desert. Now this would, of course, have required pretty much everyone at NASA being in on the secret and no-one ever spilling the beans and it also, of course, questioned the integrity of everyone who was at the sharp end of it all, whether they be an astronaut sitting in a capsule or the head of Mission Control running the show back on Earth.
Naturally the whole argument could have been put to bed had NASA ever visited the moon again, but somewhat surprisingly they’ve not returned since December 1972. However pictures from a mission launched a full decade ago have now emerged that appear to finally offer conclusive proof that everything was genuine. The images come from an orbiter flying on behalf of the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP), whose mission was to orbit the moon to capture high-resolution images of the surface, including sites explored by Apollo missions, to achieve very precise mapping.
As a by-product these images of incredible precision also aimed to convince the sceptics about the veracity of the Apollo missions. In fact, to get even more detailed images of the areas where the lunar landings took place NASA even decided to reduce the altitude of the orbit from an initial 50km to just 21km to improve the accuracy of the images of these sites.
Results are impressive and, although there could still be some who might question whether these latest images are themselves genuine, if you take it as read that they are then the evidence appears conclusive. At the higher altitude it’s possible to guess the position of the LM (Lunar Module) thanks to its elongated shadow, while such things as footprints or the lunar rover can’t be made out.
When the altitude was reduced to 21km, however, suddenly everything starts to stand out. This time, on images captured from the sites of Apollo 12 and 17, you can clearly see many traces left by these missions. It’s possible to make out the LM named Challenger, the tracks of the lunar rover driven by the crew of Apollo 17 and even the footprints of astronauts.
Curiously, although these images have been around for a while, they’ve not been widely circulated, and they have just been highlighted by Panhobby, the photographer behind PhotoPlanet360 - http://photoplanet360.fr/ - a French website dedicated to panoramic and 360-degree photos.
“By visually showing the astronauts’ paths around the LM, this makes these missions more concrete,” Panhobby comments, “and allows them to gain some height for, as NASA hoped, to increase the belief of the general public in the true existence of the Apollo Moon missions." WALKING ON THE MOON Analysis of images from NASA appear to show that, despite conspiracy theories that have raged for years, man did indeed walk on the moon all those years ago and left behind plenty of evidence to prove the fact. PP159_007-015 (UP FRONT).indd 13 10/05/2019 09:43 NEWS / UPFRONT © NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / ASU JOIN OUR ONLINE COMMUNITY/SUBSCRIBE AT PROFESSIONALPHOTO.ONLINE FREE ANNIVERSARY EDITION PROFESSIONAL PHOTO \ 9
Deep and Meaningful Deep and Meaningful
IN THE WORLD OF FINE ART you might think that it’s such an overcrowded genre that pretty much everything must have been done by now.
And then you come across work such as that showcased here and you realise that, provided a left field way of thinking is fully engaged, there are still ways to approach this subject in a way that’s strikingly different and truly innovative. Welcome to Lexi Laine’s unique underwater studio, a place where anything can happen and nothing is quite what it seems.
Naturally Lexi is based on the coast – just outside the creative hub that is Brighton as it happens – and, equally unsurprisingly, it turns out that she’s long had a bit of thing about water. “I’ve always loved the sea,” she explains. “As a child I loved to snorkel - and still do - so as an adult I learned to scuba dive in order to explore deeper into this fascinating world.”
It wasn’t long before the incredible scenes she was encountering beneath the waves inspired Lexi to consider taking a camera with her and she went on to undertake a fine art degree, specialising mainly in photography. As her love of the medium and art in general started to merge with her fascination with the sea it was a logical progression to take underwater photography in general more seriously, but at this point Lexi made a career defining decision that has Lexi Laine specialises in extraordinary underwater fine art portraits that are vibrantly different and adds to the challenge by eschewing sub-aqua gear and relying on her freediving expertise. come to set her apart from others that might be venturing into this area. She made the call to spurn the scuba gear that so many others rely on and looked instead at developing her freediving skills.
“This happened quite informally to begin with,” she recalls, “and at first it was simply a case of holding my breath and diving deep underwater in order to take photos. Since then I’ve joined a local freediving club called NoTanx, which has allowed me to progress further and ultimately to extend the amount of time I can enjoy underwater.
“I’ve never really thought of it as being more difficult and I think both freediving and scuba diving have got their own particular challenges. I still enjoy a scuba dive every now and then, but for the purposes of my photography it’s never really been a method I’ve considered. The main reason is that I feel a lot freer without a tank and I can move around a lot more easily and communicate my ideas and directions to the model(s) I’m working with.
“I believe that it’s vital I experience the same feelings as whoever I am photographing underwater - if we are both holding our breath as we're working then it becomes a shared experience. Freediving gives me a feeling that’s hard to describe in words, but it’s a pretty amazing sensation.” WORDSTERRY HOPE / IMAGESLEXI LAINE ABOVE:Lexi Laine is as comfortable beneath the water as she is above it and can concentrate solely on getting the shots she's after. MAIN IMAGE:Lexi shoots her images in a fine art style and has developed a highly individual and distinctive look that collectors love. /> This article first appeared in issue 167. For back issues please visit professionalphoto.online
RIGHT:Lexi at work with her camera in a housing. By choosing to freedive rather than wear scuba gear she experiences a lot more freedom and feels at one with her subjects. Picture: Oliver Putnam.
OPPOSITE PAGE:By working in the open ocean rather than a swimming pool or a tank Lexi surrounds her subjects with the natural environment, which adds to the authenticity of the scene.
BELOW:On occasions Lexi works with multiple subjects and then the complexity of the shoot increases but the resuts can be extraordinary.
Staying Down The first and most obvious question Lexi is always asked is how long she can manage to stay underwater for, and she answers with the resigned smile of someone who’s had to come up with an answer more times than she cares to remember.
“It’s funny, because the ethos of our freediving club is to try not to fixate on numbers too much,” she says. “We’ve found that diving within our relaxation limits makes us better divers and progression comes through enjoyment. I think the world record right now for a static breath hold is around twelve minutes, which is much more impressive than the three and a half minutes I can currently manage!
“Of course that time is reduced when I’m exerting myself by swimming quickly into position and concentrating on angles, composition and camera settings. But basically it’s long enough to achieve what I want to do with each dive. Training twice a week with the club here in Brighton has definitely improved my ability to stay underwater longer and, in turn, I’m sure it’s helped my photography to develop.”
The reason that people, as opposed to sea life, appears in front of Lexi’s lens is because she’s always preferred portraiture to wildlife and nature, but it did require her to come up with subjects who were as comfortable as she was underwater and likewise capable of holding their breath for ridiculously long
periods of time while still looking graceful.
“Putting a human figure into a scene makes me feel more connected with the image,” says Lexi, “but finding the right models to work with is by far the biggest challenge. To look completely at ease underwater is a big skill and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do with the average person. People that I’ve found to be good at underwater modelling tend to always come from a background of diving or swimming in some kind of form.
“I’ve sought out models in many different ways in the past, but I was lucky to meet a woman called Iara around five years ago whilst travelling. She’s the person I’ve photographed more than anyone else and we’ve built up an understanding with each other that makes working together a real collaboration. It
takes time for me to work with new people and to get used to an individual’s methods and limitations. There needs to be trust there because what we do is technically an extreme sport and it's important that the right safety measures are in place.
“Ultimately my aim is to make ethereal and otherworldly seascapes that draw the viewer in and for them to feel the same calm I feel when diving or perhaps to find their own meaning in the images. Ocean conservation is something that’s very important to me and I hope to celebrate the beauty of the underwater world in my artwork.”
Working Underwater Naturally camera gear is a prime consideration for work of the kind Lexi is undertaking and essentially she needs to be sure that the freedom she enjoys so much underwater isn’t compromised by bulky kit. After initially working with a full frame DSLR on dry land and a MFT mirrorless camera in a housing once in the water she’s now working with Sony A-Series cameras that can function equally well in both environments.
“I switched to Sony almost two years ago now,” she says. “When I started to sell some of my underwater photography, either as prints or stock, I decided I wanted my underwater camera to be full frame as well. I had a choice, either to buy a housing for my full frame DSLR or to invest in a whole new system. However, when taking photos underwater, mirrorless is a much better option, mainly because it’s much easier to compose using the rear screen rather than peering through a viewfinder whilst wearing a mask! And shooting using the rear screen on my DSLR was just so much slower than it needed to be.
“So I did my research and it coincided nicely with Sony launching the A7 III back in 2018. I made the switch over the period of around six months but basically sold all of my gear from my old two systems />
and bought all new Sony gear and a housing from Nauticam. I’m really happy with the way it’s worked out: the Sony gear gives me everything I need and more and it's very compact and lightweight to work with.
“Working in this genre of photography can throw in some difficult challenges when it comes to focusing, dealing with extreme lighting conditions, moving subjects and so on. The focusing system in the Sony Alpha series is unbelievably good, both on the a7 III and the a7R III, which I bought later on, while the files are easily good enough for me to produce huge fine art prints for collectors should I want to.
“Lens wise, I’ve streamlined my gear since switching and now use the 24-70mm f/2.8 GM, 50mm f/1.4 Sony Zeiss Planar and 85mm /f1.8, while the lens I use the most for my underwater work is the 28mm f/2. It’s so easy to get carried away with gear and constantly look at the newest and most exciting new thing but, for now I’ve got everything I need.”
Looking Ahead Even though what she’s doing sets her apart from the crowd Lexi is aware that it’s commercially difficult to turn her dreamy imagery into a commercial concern. It’s why she also takes on conventional wedding and portrait photography, with her underwater work, for now, mainly a personal project. It’s also expensive to undertake this kind of work since the cloudy waters around the UK are not ideal and her favourite locations and the places she travels to most frequently are in the Mediterranean Sea and the cenotes of Mexico.
However, this is one labour of love that’s starting to pay off and over the past two years her work has begun to be noticed and it’s developed into a strand of her business that’s now generating an income equal to that produced from her other areas of work. “I’m currently signed up to a picture agency that supplies images to publishers for book covers,” she says, “and I also exhibit my work and am selling limited edition prints. I still really enjoy shooting portraits and weddings however, since I feel that variety is the key to keeping life and work interesting.”
Lexi is aware that she could have moved into an easier area of the market, but she’s loving what she does and she admits that the challenges she faces are part of the attraction. “Photography in its many forms is so accessible these days and cameras just keep getting better,” she says. “It’s meant that professional photographers have really had to up their game when it comes to learning their craft. To stand out from the crowd means having to learn good lighting and posing and having the ability to come up with creative ideas that haven’t been done before.
“It’s not easy - and sometimes it can feel like everyone in the entire world is calling themselves a photographer. For me, finding the quiet space of shooting underwater is the exact contrast to how busy and loud the world above is. And because it’s physically quite challenging and logistically hard to find the best locations and conditions, it means that there aren’t quite as many people doing it. This genre of photography still feels relatively unexplored so it makes it that bit more exciting.” PP
ABOVE:Beneath the waves the flowing clothes that Lexi's models wear take on a beautiful dreamlike quality that couldn't be replicated in any other environment.
OPPOSITE PAGE:Lexi enjoys playing with reflections, often changing the orientation of her images for greater effect.
