Extreme weather seems to be everywhere these days. It is sometimes related to climate change. Yet it can be hard to see the effect on people's lives. I began documenting that effect in 2007, when I pictured two floods that occurred within weeks of each other, one in the U.K. and the other in India. I was deeply shocked by the different effects of these floods and the damage that their victims seemed to share.
Since then I have visited flood zones around the world. I travelled to many countries, like Australia, Thailand and Nigeria. In flooded places, life is suddenly turned upside down, and normal life is temporarily gone.
Photos are the most important in my research. I often follow people as they return home through deep waters, and work with them to take a close look at their flooded homes. Though their poses may be conventional, their environment is changed. The change makes them upset. Often they're about their circumstances or the improper response from the government. Many want their sufferings to be seen and want the world to know what has happened to them.
I shoot on film with old Rolleiflex cameras. Digital would be easier, but thetextureof film has a particular quality for me. The use of an old camera makes the situation more formal and serious.
In many cultures, the flood is described as a destructive force in old stories. It makes humans feel powerless. As weather becomes more extreme, the story in the Bible(圣经) is becoming literal.
