Book Review: Morning Dip
© Peggy Anderson
By Ana Osorno
The images of Peggy Anderson's book, The Morning Dip, transport us with ease to the coast of the Swedish town, Torekov. Picturesque waves, earthly greens and browns, spotted grey rocks, and a dock come together to frame the subjects and set the background for this stunning portrayal of intimacy with strangers. An intimacy that allows the viewer, a guest in the community, an outsider, to be connected to someone thousands of miles away.
Anderson grew up in the United States but often spent her summers visiting family in Sweden. As she continued to visit throughout the years, she searched for a way to connect with the community around her and deepen her understanding of her roots. She quickly found herself participating in the daily ritual of the morning dip. A solitary yet social event. A time where the community came together in the summer mornings to bathe in the Swedish coast.
© Peggy Anderson
From the moment you set eyes on the book, the cover stares back at you with a portrait of two women in matching blue and pink robes, curiously and delicately making eye contact with the photographer. Immediately, you sense the tension. The short yet present distance between the two subjects, their evident composure as they face the camera, and their reserved expressions captivate the viewer as they stand out against their earthly environment.
As one continues through The Morning Dip, the book reveals itself as a collection of portraits. Portraits of a community, of participants in a summer ritual, of individuals.
Although the portraits are of the community members, what caught Anderson's eye and what the viewers may initially observe are the bathrobes chosen by the subjects. Although it may have beena subconscious decision, made in the early morning in preparation for the chill, this simple decision speaks directly to the viewer. It becomes a statement made by the wearer. A claim of who they are and how they would like to be seen. The robe is ultimately an expression of individuality during a ritual of community collectivism.
© Peggy Anderson
Using a 4x5 medium format camera, this book was made with patience, care, and curiosity. This camera allowed her to connect with the subjects in a way that a digital camera may not have. In The Morning Dip, Lyle Rexer discusses how a digital camera may have caused distrust in Anderson’s subjects. Oftentimes, digital cameras are seen as invasive. With a quick press of a button, Anderson would have just been an outsider to the community documenting complete strangers. Instead, the medium format is larger, bulkier, slower, and, most of all, more formal. The 4x5 camera gave Anderson the ability to connect with her subjects and for them to develop trust in her and pride in having their portrait taken.
In the book, these images show each subject on a stand-alone page, balanced by a blank white page on their left. It draws the viewer in as we recognize "their expressions of engagement with the photographer—amused, reticent, skeptical, or enthusiastic. Their lives remain unknowable from the photographs, and yet these surfaces suggest the depths. The outside is the inside, and for everyone who views them, they are occasions for an imagined intimacy."(Lyle Rexer, postface in The Morning Dip). This imagined intimacy is what makes this book so unique. Every page adorned with a different face and a different robe. Despite the individuality on each page, they are all connected through this intimacy of a community and its longstanding ritual. These pages of unique individuals, each with their own sense of self, allow the subjects to portray who they are within their community.
Courtesy of Kehrer and Peggy Anderson
