Anna Sweet On The Tides Of Underwater Photography

Anna Sweet On The Tides Of Underwater Photography

“The first thing I think that hit me as a young person was being surrounded by larger than life paintings,” Anna Sweet says in our conversation that begins in an attic in North Carolina. 

Raised in Charlotte, Sweet grew up with her nine siblings right above her mother’s art gallery. “I remember a painting that we had, that was probably 8 feet by 8 feet, and my mom swore it was a Carvaggio.” While most kids grew up with “The Mickey Mouse Club,” Sweet grew up with classical artists, lingering memories of the renaissance, and an environment that bred every ounce of her creativity. 

“My mom gave me a camera and I was obsessed immediately,” she says on how her main medium first entered her life. A renowned photographer, Sweet’s work began in her backyard in Charlotte, and moved to the coasts of Hawaii. 

 

 

Her art marries Steve Irwin and Annie Leibovitz, capturing feminine beauty suspended under unpredictable waters. She explains that the classical paintings she grew up with, taught her how timeless art can be “when it’s just fabric and a human body.” 

Choosing to capture female anatomy as divine beauty, Sweet carefully avoids clichéd pitfalls and sensual undertones that usually characterize nude art. “I want to create a balance of beauty without distraction,” she explains. In fact, being a woman is the reason why Sweet can shoot her photos in the first place. A matriarchal sensitivity guides her process as she fully understands what her models are going through. 

Creating a safe atmosphere where her crew trusts her expertise is Sweet’s priority. She shares that constant communication is key to a successful shoot, and running a tight ship is necessary for everyone’s safety. “When I’m in the ocean shooting, I’m on high alert with much respect, and I don’t mess around,” she says. 

 

 

Understanding the mechanics of breathing underwater is also imperative in her shoots. She explains that “Oxygen is your most valuable resource at that point,” while memories of close encounters come flooding back. 

“I was terrified of it,” Sweet says about her first memory of the sea, “I was so scared of how powerful this thing was.” Water is perhaps one of the most forceful yet unpredictable bodies on Earth, and Sweet’s advice for turning the tables on who’s in control, is to just dive in. “I have to come into this with the acceptance of whatever happens, happens.” Learning to lean into the ocean rather than fighting it is difficult, but Sweet walks into every project with the intent of riding out the wave. 

Her que sera, sera mentality makes her a bundle of both fun and fiercely frightening anecdotes. From swimming with sharks in the Bahamas at night, to getting painfully stung by a man o’ war in Hawaii’s ocean, Sweet has been through it all. Within the span of five minutes, she offers me advice on how to deal with both jellyfish stings and art block. A testament to her adventurously artistic life. 

 

 

“If you want something, no one’s gonna give it to you, you gotta get it yourself.” An adamant believer that anyone can start from something, Sweet describes the power all objects have in creating art, whether they’re pencils or disposable cameras. She adds that she’s turned inwards this past year and reflected on how to refine her own art. “I want to continue shooting a variety of women, whether that’s skin color, body type,” she says about the evolution of her coming works.  

In my brief encounter with Anna Sweet, I learned where the clearest waters in the Bahamas are, how to stay calm around sharks, why female nudity is so much more than just nudity, and the importance of treating a jellyfish attack like ceviche. Sweet is a human microcosm of creativity and adventure. There’s a lesson to be learned in everything that she does, but most importantly to not “be afraid to dive in.” 

Visit Anna Sweet’s website for further insight into her background and galleries.