Aerial view of people relaxing pool side, Bangkok, Thailand.

I never really thought much about water until I met my wife-to-be Jane. It just so happens that Jane is a trained Hydro geologist, which basically means she has a very real understanding of water; where it comes from and how precious a resource it is. A big part of her job is implementing sustainable, small-scale water solutions for small communities throughout South East Asia.

Not surprisingly, Jane’s knowledge about water started to rub off on me and one day I picked up and read a book called:

“When the Rivers Run Dry | Water – The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-First Century”, by Fred Pearce.

This book is a serious page-turner. I couldn’t put it down. The chapters on China’s proliferation of dams and the downstream affects of these, is beyond scary. The chapters on America’s use of dams and the impact this has had on the country’s rivers, makes for compelling reading.

By the time I finished the book, I realised that some of the wars to be fought within my lifetime, will be water wars. No doubt about it.

Being a photographer, I naturally started to photograph anything related to water. While I am not sure where this body of work will go, I now feel compelled to document the subject of water and how we as people interact with it.

At the same time, I started collecting articles and bookmarking links to great water related imagery on the Internet. I have listed a few of these below.

Photo Essays:

Aurora Photos Photo Essay | Water, Our Most Precious Resource

Magnum In Motion Photo Essay | World Water Day

Articles:

New York Times | China’s Reach The Trouble Downstream

Pulitzer Gateway | Water Wars

If you know of a great photo essay or article on water and water usage issues, then please feel free to post the link in the comments section. I will continue to add to this list over time.

Additions via the comments:

Steve McCurry | Water Gallery (Go to Gallery titled ‘Water’)

Steve McCurry | Monsoon Gallery (Go to Gallery titled ‘Monsoon’)

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Further additions:

Trent Parke | The Seventh Wave

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