Aaron Wong

About the photographer

With knowledge and control of light, one can »paint« whatever he or she wants. Everything from the loyal reproduction of nature in all her splendor, to the surreal artistic interpretation of an art photographer. Everything is possible. This is what I call the "Art of Light".

The underwater world, with its rich variety and tones, offers an amazing backdrop that I could only have dreamt of in my early days in the studio. As a marine photographer, travelling the world on assignments, it truly was an adventure in its own right. For once I couldn’t predict what was going to happen. It was a far cry from the strict attention to detail, common in the field of commercial photography.

The randomness in the underwater realm is something I grew to love. It offered a balance in my craft as a photographer. These two passions reached a new high after I started the »Water Colors« project. The idea of shooting fashion pictures underwater opened a whole new window of creativity for me. A magical world limited only by your imagination, where I created some of the most stunning images in my career. Years of experience in the studio and out at sea paid off in every »Water Colors« image I produced.

I have dedicated this series of images to Ai Futaki, the Guinness World Record free-diver from Japan. I had chanced upon Ai after my publisher invited me to produce a series of pictures to be used at the Asian Dive Expo. I had wanted to work with a free-diver and Ai soon became a natural choice for me. The grace of a world-class free-diver was magical to watch and surely is a dream subject for any underwater photographer. This first collaboration was the start of a fantastic partnership which saw me working with Ai again in the cenotes of Mexico many months later. The partnership not only propelled the »Water Colors« project, but also my marine photography to another level.