Afroplane

"The sunken plane wreck located at Normans Cay in Exuma, Bahamas, often associated with Pablo Escobar's plane, was a place I had previously visited but had never photographed with a model. On this particular occasion, the model, and I embarked on a 40-mile boat journey from Nassau to Exuma for the shoot, with the necessity of returning to Nassau before sunset on the same day. The challenges we faced included strong ocean currents, especially during falling tides, which made swimming underwater near the plane wreck difficult. Additionally, an outflowing tide resulted in poor visibility due to the sediment from the Bahama Bank being carried away. To ensure optimal lighting, I had a limited time frame to work with, starting the shoot after 2 p.m. when the sun was positioned favorably for both the model and the plane wreck. Our difficulties were further compounded by our later-than-planned arrival and the need to contend with the strong current once we entered the water. She had to take a deep breath, swim down to the plane's propeller, exhale most of her air to facilitate sinking, and maintain her position by gripping the plane firmly to prevent being swept away. During this time, she had to adjust her head position multiple times to ensure her hair was captured perfectly. As the photographer, I found myself working upside-down, swimming against the current, and adjusting my position both upward and downward to stay in the right spot. I used my shoulder as an anchor in the sand while peering through the camera's viewfinder to capture the photos. Due to the setting sun and increasing ocean current speed, our shooting window was limited to around 30 minutes, significantly shorter than the usual hour we allocated for creating this type of photo however we were still able to create something we were both proud of.”