

An underwater photograph taken close, an arm's length from her, deep down where the light has almost gone. There is nothing but open water behind her for many meters, so the background falls away to complete black. One narrow shaft of daylight comes down from far above and lands on her shoulders and her hands alone. She is off to the left and low in the frame, hanging just above dark rock with her body curled forward over her own hands. She has opened a black shell and is holding it in both palms down at her hip, well below her chin and off to her own side, and her face is turned down and into her own shoulder so that her eyes are on the inside of the shell. Her hair lifts away from her scalp toward the surface in slow heavy strands. Her skin holds only grey-green, the red already gone out of it. A short strip of thin grey cloth, no longer than her hand, is knotted at her hips and stands clear of her skin with water showing behind it, its weighted end hanging straight down. Only her two hands are in the picture, both holding the shell. Two tones: the black water and the lit line of her shoulders and hands. Sharp on the shell and on her lowered eyes. Fine 35mm film grain. In the lower right corner, a small pencil signature: Ziggy