Ilse Moore: Ethereal Underwater Fine Art Photography

Ilse Moore grew up in Deneysville in the Free State, South Africa, on a yacht club by the Vaal Dam, fostering her love for water. She earned a degree in Visual Arts from the University of South Africa in 2009 and transitioned from teaching art to focusing on photography, starting underwater work around 2010. Based in Johannesburg, she runs Ilse Moore Underwater Photography with her husband, Sean Moore, blending commercial shoots with conceptual projects. Key milestones include features in Lens Magazine in 2015, a podcast interview on The Underwater Podcast in 2020, and ongoing exhibitions in South African art fairs. Her images feature dark, dramatic tones with vibrant colours and soft lighting that create a sense of weightlessness and emotional depth.

• Primary Genres: Portrait, Fine Art.
• Primary Photography Styles: Surrealism (dreamlike compositions with fluid, otherworldly elements for a sense of fantasy); Expressionism (dark contrasts and emotive poses to convey inner moods and transformation).
• Key Message: Moore uses underwater photography to blend surreal fantasies with realism, treating water as a symbolic space for renewal and exploration of the subconscious. Her work captures personal stories and emotions, encouraging viewers to see hidden truths in dreamlike scenarios.

Moore’s common subjects are people in underwater settings, including portraits, maternity sessions, and fashion models, often posed in pools or studios to highlight themes of transformation and freedom. Her aesthetic emphasises dark, dramatic contrasts with vibrant blues, greens, and shadows, where textures like flowing fabrics or hair add to the sense of motion and mystery. Techniques involve digital cameras in waterproof housings, wide-angle lenses for expansive views, and directing models for hours to achieve natural poses without bubbles, using pool depth around 2 metres for control. She relies on natural sunlight filtered through water or diffused strobes for soft, even lighting that enhances mood without harsh highlights. Editing in Photoshop focuses on boosting contrast, cooling colours, and adding subtle haze for cohesion, keeping adjustments minimal to retain the scene’s authenticity. Presentations include online galleries for prints up to A2 size, commercial commissions, and exhibitions in South African art spaces.

For intermediate photographers, Moore’s style uses digital tools for flexibility in underwater environments, unlike film’s limitations in low light and wet conditions, allowing quick reviews and adjustments on-site. Digital enables precise control over exposure in variable water clarity, similar to the zone system but with software for mapping tones across shadows and highlights. Learners can practise her approach by using housings for submersion, experimenting with long holds for fluid compositions, and applying selective editing to emphasise emotional narratives. Moore’s process highlights collaboration with models and embracing unpredictability, such as weather or light changes, to foster creative growth beyond planned visions.

Lessons from this Photographer:

Moore’s unique embrace of underwater unpredictability teaches allowing serendipitous elements like fabric movement to shape outcomes, rather than rigid control. Photographers can apply this by directing models in water for natural poses, using diffused lighting to create mood, and shifting mindsets to view challenges as opportunities for new meanings. Her minimal editing encourages focusing on in-camera authenticity, inspiring experimentation with symbolic themes in post-processing to deepen storytelling and craft appreciation.

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