On their own, NY-based Francine Fleischer’s photographs of swimmers in a swimming hole captivate. Something about the light is not quite right, and the difference between these and other photos of swimmers is immediately noticeable. This particular swimming hole happens to be dozens of feet down below a hole in the ground in Mexico, through which light shines on the very deep, dark waters far below. I met with Fleischer at Fotofest Houston, and the magic and mystery were palpable even before she mentioned that this popular swimming spot in Mexico had been used for human sacrifice many hundreds of years before. Fleischer wishes to keep the focus of the project the actual photos, rather than the specifics of the place, and as they have a Renaissance-painting quality about them it’s easy to get lost in just the sheer beauty of bodies in water.

Fleischer will have images from Swim: The Water in Between on view from May 10-June 22 at Gallery Tanto Tempo, in Kobe, Japan. A forthcoming book will be published by Utakatado Publishing. All photographs © Francine Fleischer.