Says Lilli Waters of this work: “This photograph was taken in the Tidal River on Yiruk Wamoon, the land of the Boonwurrung, Bunurong and Gunaikurnai people. The river runs into the bay, swells with the tide, and has a fascinating range of colours, purple-yellow and emerald. On this day the rising tide created a singularly enchanting sandy whirlpool I’d never seen here before. The water glistened in the morning sun, sparkling on the women’s skins, creating warmth and aliveness as the women slipped under the water. “It was so beautiful observing the fearless brave energy of these women as they dived into the water with so much joy and freedom, even when they had such little control in the strong undercurrent. Unable to hold a pose, I would yell out, ‘Just let go!’ and watch them helplessly being sucked into the eye of the whirlpool, their luminous limbs gracefully moving about. I watched in awe of their playful bodies and interaction in this wild water in which I had placed them, dramatic and otherworldly. “These are the moments when photography makes me feel so alive. I see my process as a special collaboration with women and with nature - whatever happens on the other side of the lens is somewhat out of my control, and there can be wildness to it. The magic, mystery, joy, and wonder lie in what happens within that space, and bearing witness to it, regardless of the months of preparation leading up to a photo series. It often feels like a journey of intensive planning and then a forced ‘letting go’ of control in the moment, where photographs often emerge with their own integrity.”