I’ve always been a sea swimmer - the sea has been both joy and solace throughout my life. Its ever changing moods are a constant source of inspiration, and I’ve been a photographer for almost as long as I’ve swum.
During the pandemic, a time of great uncertainty when the world seemed to be closing in around us and fragmenting, to have this perspective from the sea helped me reconnect and reorient myself. I began to record my swims, using a panoramic format which gave me the freedom to visually explore this space, my place within it and connections with the land and sea.

Julia Claxton is a graduate of the London College of Printing (UAL) where she also worked as a visiting lecturer. She is a former holder of the Agfa Bursary for Experimental Photography and winner of the Royal Photographic Society Silver Medal for her IGPOTY portfolio. She is based in Brighton & Hove doing commissioned work for clients at home and abroad.