DROWNING IN PLASTIC

A VISUAL WARNING

“By 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish” Ellen MacArthur Foundation Report, 2016

After reading this terrifying fact about the global plastic pollution problem, I felt inspired to do something that might make a difference.

Drowning In Plastic was my attempt as a fashion & beauty photographer to do ‘a beautiful take on a dirty subject’. Each image focuses on a model swimming through water – either surrounded by, or entangled in these single use plastic items. In some of the images the pollutant’s appearance changes, to almost become the representation of the wildlife it might replace. The aim was to make the viewer do a double take.

The plastic cutlery floating in my ‘Sardines’ shot looks almost exactly like the fish themselves.

This problem is very, very real. If we do not change the way we use this non-disposable substance in a disposable way, the above prediction will become a fact. Plastic is killing our seas.

Partnering with the Marine Conservation Society we executed an extremely successful awareness campaign to encourage volunteers to take part in the MCS’s yearly Great British Beach Clean. Coverage included most of the UK’s broadsheets including The Times, The Daily Mail, and The Mirror.