Photographer turns waves into mesmerizing water mountains
Ray Collins' awe-inspiring images have the power to bring the earth's primal force to a standstill. Here, the 32-year-old Australian captures a split second in the sea to reveal the wave's twisted topography, and the momentary splashes of light across the surface.
Courtesy Ray Collins
Collins is a coalminer who turned to photography in 2007 after a knee injury sustained in the mine left him confined to a bed.
Courtesy Ray Collins
The work is tough, Collins explains: "I understand that nothing good comes easy, so I'm prepared to work hard to get to where I want to be..."
Courtesy Ray Collins
"I'm not sure I chose waves, rather they chose me..." he says. "The ocean is all I have ever known, from my first memories as a child, to sustained lifelong lessons in courage, respect and patience."
Courtesy Ray Collins
"So many times I have seen the most incredible watery sculptures and dynamic formations stand up, appear, and explode in front of me, but been too dumbstruck to physically lift the camera up to my face and push the shutter button."
Courtesy Ray Collins
"The image of the wave is almost the last link in a chain of events. The preparation that goes into making an image is where it all begins, and this can take weeks and even months before I press the shutter."
Courtesy Ray Collins
"You have to learn to read weather maps and process data online in regards to swell, tide, wind, and light placement... Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination."
Courtesy Ray Collins
Collins lives in a seaside village named Thirroul, an hour south of Sydney. Like one in every 12 men, Collins has been colorblind since birth, but has not allowed the condition to stand in his way. Instead, he ponders if it has actually provided an advantage.
Courtesy Ray Collins
"It's hard to say whether or not being colorblind is an asset, because it's all I've ever known. I think it's made me draw on shapes and tones, textures and light more... That may be advantageous in the fact that it separates my creative vision from people who rely on color as their main focus."
Courtesy Ray Collins
Collins' work has been praised for its remarkable command of light and the almost landscape-like views he captures. Above all, the photographs show an ability to capture a vanishing moment and hold it in time: "The fact that the moment in time I am witnessing through the viewfinder will never be repeated: that keeps it fresh," he says.
Courtesy Ray Collins
"The light is always changing, the fluidity of the ocean is the same. The only constant is change."
Courtesy Ray Collins
Capturing these images amid the thundering waves regularly puts Collins in situations of grave danger.
Courtesy Ray Collins
He paints a fearsome picture of conditions in the ocean: "Imagine swimming with a bag of concrete, in turbulent seas, constantly being pulled towards and pushed away from barely submerged rocks while waves threaten to detonate on and around you from several angles..."
Courtesy Ray Collins
"Now pick up that heavy weight, bring it to your face -- get your shutter speed, aperture, ISO, composition, focus all perfect -- without any water droplets and you can see how testing it can be at times."
Courtesy Ray Collins
Through all these challenges, Collins says he has gained something close to a sixth sense when he's in the water "Sometimes I see the image before it happens. I envision it and it becomes a real tangible thing."
Courtesy Ray Collins
"By the time I see it unfolding in real time it's almost like deja vu, like I'm meant to be at this exact place at this exact time... It may sound strange, but that's what happens. Other times it's totally unexpected and a good dash of luck. They are the happy accidents and unplanned moments."
Courtesy Ray Collins
Collins says the best moment he's had behind the camera is "Just sitting in awe, being surrounded by the beauty of what I get to live and experience."
Courtesy Ray Collins
"It seems ridiculous and it might be, but those are the moments floating at sea that I have felt the most alive. And it's what will keep me doing this until I'm an old man."
Courtesy Ray Collins
Collins says he has favorite images "but only for brief periods of time." A perfectionist, he says: "I can't really enjoy my own imagery because I can only see the faults."
Courtesy Ray Collins
Collins still works in a mine at Appin West, a 30 minute drive inland from his coastal home. From Friday to Sunday, he lives his "black life" in the mine, and the rest of the week he can return to his "blue life" at sea.
Courtesy Ray Collins
"It is almost a mile down in the ground and about 20 miles in. It is a crazy thought if you dwell on it too much, how much earth there is above you.
Courtesy Ray Collins
While photography is his passion, he says he would miss "the camaraderie" he feels in the mine, if he ever went full-time with his art. "I would miss the blokes underground... You have to have each other's backs. Exteriors can be misleading sometimes -- they all look mean and tough but they are just genuine good human beings."
Courtesy Ray Collins
He has no plans to leave his black life behind yet, and signs off with just a few simple aims for the future: "My goals are to be a better person than I was yesterday. As for making images, just to continue pushing my own boundaries."