AS the entire world ground to a halt in autumn 2020, Lake Munmorah photographer Aaron Brown was at the Newcastle Baths one afternoon, camera in hand.
What caught his eye was a swimmer at the end of the lap pool lit up like "a magnificent candle" by the receding western sun.
"Something powerful struck me about the candid portrait that I took; her passion for swimming and the attainment of personal satisfaction was apparent in the image," Brown remembers.
"Through this image, I realised I had tapped into something special - that there was a unique culture in Newcastle of swimming and bathing taking place at the ocean baths.
"Consequently, I began to take more candid portraits of the lap swimmers, both at Newcastle and Merewether. Spending time at these venues widened my focus, and I began to document the many and varied activities that recreational visitors enjoy."
These images from the Newcastle and Merewether Baths appear in Brown's self-published photo book Starting Blocks, released to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Newcastle Baths in November.
Brown visited the baths at least 250 times during the two-year project with saw him shoot more than 200 rolls of film. The book features 104 images.
Besides the swimmers and sunbakers, Brown's book also documents the architectural and coastal landscape of the venues, particularly Newcastle Baths.
"The art deco facade, dilapidated pool promenades, and patina of age apparent in every concrete crevice enhanced the beauty of the venue," he says. "It was apparent that this was not going to stay this way - a very unique opportunity to capture images in a raw environment."
Ironically, Brown says he's no swimmer.
"The closest I got to swimming was sitting on the eastern starting blocks at Merewether facing the ocean," he says. "I had the back of my Mamiya 7 [camera] open and I was loading a roll of film.
"I look up and a freak wave is coming at me. I close the back of the camera and wham - soaking wet. My camera was not very happy."
Starting Blocks is available at Amazon Books or direct from Brown at grain_photography@yahoo.com.
