The Power of Total Immersion | Erena Shimoda | Talks at Google
53Tokyo-born photographer Erena Shimoda discusses her groundbreaking underwater photography of breast cancer and domestic abuse survivors, people with disabilities, and those living with post-traumatic stress disorder -- and the powerful effects that these submerged portrait sessions have had on the individuals she’s captured.
Erena began taking portraits of survivors underwater after a car accident, in which she lost her father and was severely injured herself. As a part of her own healing process, she volunteered at the “Look Good, Feel Better” program (then-sponsored by the American Cancer Society), which helps build confidence and provide reassurance for cancer patients who underwent transformative surgeries as part of their treatment, and helps them find beauty and comfort in their new bodies.
Witnessing the transformative effect of the portraits she took in this program prompted Erena to do a more expansive series for a larger group of survivors -- not just to demonstrate the beauty of all bodies, but to also reflect that beauty back to the portrait subjects themselves, with the hopes of further building their confidence, self-image, and recovery.
Now, Erena serves as an Ikelite ambassador, underwater portrait photographer and certified PADI® Divemaster. (Learn more at: https://www.ikelite.com/blogs/ambassadors/erena-shimoda)
Erena is joined by Laurie Ratliff, one of her portrait subjects, who discusses her experience being photographed underwater by Erena.
Learn more about Erena's work: http://underwaterhealer.com/