Courtesy of © Sophie Rouillon Photography, Hong Kong.
Open water swimming is raw.
Open water swimming is simple.
Open water swimming is pure.
The sport pits an athlete and the open water in a venue that can range from tranquil to turbulent. There are safety boats and safety personnel, but equipment is limited to a swimsuit, swim cap and goggles.
That rawness, that simplicity and that pureness is sometimes best captured by black and white photography.
Sophie Rouillon took aesthetic pre-race, in-race and post-race photos of the recent Clean Half Extreme Marathon Swim in Hong Kong.
Her artistic black and white photos show the essence of the worry and focus on the athletes before the start – and their frenetic energy at the run-in onshore beach start of the 15 km marathon swim.
Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association