Aerial Pools by Stephan Zirwes

Good photography has the power to turn ordinary objects and places into something different, new and captivating. 

This is what Stephan Zirwes is able to do in the series entitled Pools, started in 2015. Sitting on a helicopter at an altitude of over 300 meters, with a Hasselblad 50 MP in his hands, the German photographer captures pools from above. 

Back with his feet on the ground, Zirwes uses Photoshop to edit and fix the images, deleting everything that can distract the observer, like uneven buildings, and his subjects stand out thanks to a frame. The movements of people are entirely secondary: in his shots, human figures can be seen, but can't be distinguished. 

"The pools have singular and interesting structures and morphologies, often very strange", said the artist in a recent interview. 

The final result is a series of pictures that distort the perspective, focusing on the shape of the pool, which becomes minimal and intriguing.

Zirwes's entire work (including the Pools series) reflects a marked sensitivity to environmental issues like the protection of the planet. This is more than just an art project, it is a study on water, a way to show how it is an indispensable resource often wasted for merely recreational or commercial uses.