This picture was only ment to be about my wonder over time and our little place in eternity. As time goes on, we become small and transparent.
As I take this exposure and count for 60 seconds, a stranger, well grown woman comes over to the pier I'm sitting on. She first asks if she interferes with me, and I say she doesn't. She says she intends to take her own life. The exposure was finished as I digested what she said and whether she was serious. I try to talk her out of it and talk that as long as you live there is always something new and beautiful to experience. I realize that tonight's photo shoot is over and packing away the equipment while I talk to her.
Suddenly she goes out into the cold water and swims out. I think for a moment to jump out after her, but choose to call emergency number. She regrets after a while and asks me to call for help, but I had already done that a few minutes before. I had eye contact and encouraged her to swim towards me. The help came and she managed to get ashore and then got good help by ambulance.
So far, this is probably the most surreal photo experience I've had. Here, many thoughts have come in about life and the time we have, and how fast it can be over. The picture becomes as much a warning that life is fragile and the time we really have is short.
The pictures were taken with Linhof Color 4x5, Rodenstock Apo Ronar 360mm and Harman DPP.
