Artwrite

By Sophie Todd

Narelle Autio has always loved the beach. When she was a little girl she lived in Adelaide nearby the beach.

When she grew up Narelle Autio took photographs of her favourite things at the beach with a camera.

She photographed the surfers as they paddled through the water.

Autio liked the way the surfers sat on their surfboards and bobbed up and down on the surface of the water. The surfers sat on their boards and waited for hours for the perfect wave. She liked to watch the waves crash and rumble around them.

Snap, snap, snap went her camera.

She photographed children diving, splashing, laughing and playing marco polo at the beach.

Click, click, click went her camera.

She photographed people swimming under the water, using a special underwater camera. Autio liked the way they resembled dancers floating across the stage.

Leaping, twirling, spiralling and gliding.

Snap, snap, snap went her camera.

Using her underwater camera Autio took photos of people jumping and diving into the water.

Narelle Autio liked the way the bubbles ran through the swimmer’s fingers and toes, through their hair and even up their nose.

Click, click, click went her camera.

Autio also photographed objects that she collected at the beach.

She collected objects that washed up onto the shore. She found shells and shoes, a blue bottle and a glove, a snorkel and a toy plane, a few dead fish and a pair of blue jeans.

She took the objects back to her house and photographed them on a light box. A light box is a clear plastic or glass box that contains a light inside it.

When placed on top of a light box the object appeared richer and was displayed in much clearer detail.

Click, click, click went her camera.

These were Narelle Autio’s favourite things at the beach.

What are yours?