"Lady in the Water" by Toni Frissell was taken in 1947 in the crystal clear waters of Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida. I chose this image because it immediately evoked a strange and unsettling mixture of release and anxiety in me. Water is my own personal safe space. I've taken many plunges into the depths of pools, oceans, and lakes in times of stress and emotional crisis. The sound of the crack and thunder of breaking the surface, followed by complete submersion and the fizzy dissipation of the bubbles surrounding me is very calming and liberating. However, in this photo the woman is not fully submerged, and her head appears to be struggling to stay above the surface even though her body beneath appears calm and languid. The close proximity of the murky silt bottom also makes me feel uncomfortable and claustrophobic. All of these aspects add up to an image that makes me feel unable to breathe in a setting that is usually, as paradoxical as it sounds, the only place where I feel like I can breathe.
