Sound People is my environmental portrait series documenting the local open-water swimmers and scuba divers who call the freezing winter waters of the Puget Sound home. Shot solo at sunrise in February 2026 across Elliott Bay and Lake Washington, the project treats the harsh 44-degree marine environment as a vital narrative element rather than a simple backdrop. Inspired by Pacific Northwest photographer Rick Dahms, I battled high winds, active waves, and corrosive saltwater spray completely unassisted, operating my camera controls with one hand while managing a monopod-mounted, remotely triggered diffused flash with the other to capture exactly where these dedicated individuals belong.
