Mick Santman – Blue Mind, Seascape #72

When Mick Santman (1999) feels the need for rest and reflection, he heads to the coast. In this work, he used his camera to experiment with taking pictures by the sea against the light at sunset.

Mick Santman – Blue Mind, Seascape -72

Serene

With this photograph, he wants to convey the tranquility that he experiences by the sea. The result is a serene image, showing only the sea and the sky. 'When landmarks fall away, your own experience becomes more important.' With this image, he invites viewers to take a moment to dream away and forget about everyday chaos.

Santman finds the interplay between light and nature interesting. 'You can see this dynamic and be part of it, but with a camera, you look at it from a distance and relate to it differently.' He used a long shutter speed to photograph. 'As a result, the image contains multiple movements. You see the waves flowing together.'

Restorative power

Santman believes in the restorative power of the sea. There’s a term to describe the positive effects of the sea on our mental health: 'blue mind', the perfect name for his series of minimalist seascapes, which this image is part of. He hopes his work helps viewers reflect on their relationship with stress and rest.

Mick Santman discovered his love for the camera while studying at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. From an interest in abstract painting, he began searching for his own visual language within photography. As a photography talent, Santman was nominated several times for awards and his work has been shown at various Dutch galleries.