Underwater photography helps Leah McLean cope with grief
Mackay's Leah McLean turned to underwater photography for grief counselling after the loss of her husband to brain cancer.
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For Mackay photographer Leah McLean, it began as a way of coping with intense grief.
Six years ago, she lost her best friend and husband Paul to brain cancer.
She began spending more time on the beach to help process her loss.
Then, three years ago, she dipped her toes into underwater photography; a move which proved therapeutic.
Now she is running guided tours of her Big Calm exhibition, a fine art abstract photographic exhibition of the sunlit shallow depths of the region’s beaches.
The exhibition is supported by the Mackay Regional Council and also touches on marine conservation.
“This has been a means to coping,” Ms McLean said of her work.
“It helped me and my family; the kids love it.
“It’s been a tool for grief recovery and for connecting with the kids.”
Ms McLean has a son and a daughter, who help out when they can.
She said the exhibition reflected that with its emphasis on love, grief and finding the light – literally and underwater.
She taken photos for 11 years but it was the need to address her grief that led her to the water – and a way to ease that pain in her heart.
“It’s a place I feel free, in the water, where I can focus on the beauty, not the pain,” Ms McLean explained.
“I’m drawn to light in the water. It’s just so beautiful; natural light is just so beautiful.”
Her exhibition features photos, and edited images, all taken to capture the sunlight “at play” in the water.
“I take the photos 100 per cent naturally,” she said.
“I take photos from April to October then work on the images,” Ms McLean said. This enables her to avoid stinger season.
She remains wary of the water, ever mindful that it is the ocean and there is a certain threat level.
“It’s not a pool; it’s their backyard,” she said.
To date, she has had no encounter with the more fearsome denizens in the water and hopes never to. For her, it’s about chasing the light.
Her exhibition runs until December 11 on the upper level of the T and G Building at 116 Victoria Street, Mackay.
Her works are for sale and even come with her own poetry.
Tickets available here: Big Calm tickets
Website: leahmcleanphotography.com.au
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