U vodenom svetu Anuara Patjanea, ljudi su samo mali delovi u fantastičnom morskom pejzažu gde se razmera okreće na glavu. Ronioci su samo mrlje koje lebde oko ogromnih kitova; džinovski zraci i veličanstvena jata riba ispunjavaju okvire u kojima su ljudi jedva primetni.
Njegov upad u vodu dogodio se slučajno. Dok je studirao antropologiju na koledžu, Patjane se prijavio za ekspediciju na ostrva Galapagos, da bi kasnije shvatio da će to biti podvodna ekspedicija. Osvežio je svoje ronilačke veštine, nabavio kućište za kameru i zaronio, da tako kažem. „Nisam baš znao u šta se upuštam“, kaže on, „ali nisam želeo da izgubim priliku da dobijem neke dobre fotografije pod vodom.“

Patjane je od tada fotografisao u vodama širom sveta, uključujući Arktik i Antarktik. Mnoge fotografije u ovoj seriji potiču sa meksičke obale Pacifika i Kortezovog mora, koji su bliže kući. Uprkos njihovim različitim lokacijama, svi dele isti onostrani prizor. Odabirom za crno-belo, nedostatak tipičnih morskih nijansi čini slike još dramatičnijim. Svetlost ulazi sa nerazumnom lepotom, a oblaci mehurića isprekidaju vodu.

In Patjane’s aquatic world, humans are but tiny parts in a fantastical seascape where scale is turned on its head. Divers are mere specks floating around enormous cetaceans; giant rays and magnificent schools of fish fill frames in which humans are barely noticeable.
His foray into the water came about serendipitously. While studying anthropology in college, Patjane signed on for an expedition to the Galapagos Islands, only to later realize that it would be an underwater expedition. He brushed up on his diving skills, got a housing for his camera, and dove in, so to speak. “I didn’t really know what I was getting into,” he says, “but I did not want to waste the opportunity to get some good photographs underwater.”
Patjane has since photographed in waters around the world, including the Arctic and Antarctic. Many of the photos in this series come from the Mexican Pacific coast and the Sea of Cortez, which are closer to home. Despite their disparate locales, all share the same otherworldly tableau. Choosing to work in black-and-white, the lack of typical marine hues makes the images all the more dramatic. Light streams in with unreasonable beauty, and swaths of bubbles punctuate the water.