Pool envy? Picture: Pools from Above by Brad Walls

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It’s about this time of the year, every year, you’re glad you got that pool put in the backyard, or are glad you have a friend who did, or are fervently thinking about getting one.

As the height of summer, there’s much better than having than having the old H20 banked up in the backyard for your recreational pleasure.

Whether it’s an age old pebblecrete number that has more summers than the lifeguards at Bondi Rescue or whether it’s a state-of-the-art creation that’s as good to look at, as dip into, every pool has a resort-style sense of luxury about it.

Childhood memories. Picture: Pools from Above by Brad Walls.

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And that indisputable summer fact is borne out in photographer Brad Walls’ book Pools From Above, which provides a unique perspective on summer that sits right at the heart of family and party fun time during summer.

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Walls’ book contains some of the best pics of pools you will ever see, across the world and many of those are here in Australia. Of course.

Because few places in the world do pools as well as us, and probably none better.

Take for example Babylon in Vaucluse in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, a homage to the iconic kidney shaped swimming pool that many of us enjoyed during the endless summers of our childhoods.

Unmistakably Palm Springs.

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Or Momentun in Surry Hills, illustrating the health benefits swimming can bring.

There’s Melbourne’s Fall in Toorak, a somewhat neglected body of water as autumn sinks its chilly fans in and we mournfully look back on the days we could have, and should have spend more time in the pool, or at least sunbathing or playing cricket alongside it.

There’s always next year.

And it is an endless summer for Walls’ book as his camera lens follows the sun around the world to such place as, tourist meccas … and famous sun spots, such as Miami, Malibu, Palm Springs, Tulum and even Mexico City.

One Lap at a Time: Malibu.

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Garcia J Lautner: Nichols Canyon, CA.

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“ Pools From Above is the culmination of my long journey to discover the beauty in commonplace landscapes seen from unexpected vantages,” Walls said.

“Initially inspired by my travels throughout Southeast Asia and Australia, I began capturing bodies of water to document holiday memories.

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Suns Out, Buns Out: Vaucluse, Sydney.

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Escapism, The Bird Streets, California.

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Waiting Shadow, Coogee, Sydney.

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“I chose to explicitly experiment with negative space, compositional balance, leading lines and symmetry. As such, the series emphasises the pools’ less appreciated elements that I fell in love with – their curves, sharp edges, diverse blue hues and the way elongated shadows play against their surfaces. This is all lost without an alternate viewpoint.

“As much as I’m drawn to their visual features, I’ve come to learn that pools have distinct personalities – some evoking a sense of tranquillity, others a more solemn feeling

“Pools, often appreciated merely as architectural objects, retain an innate ability to trigger involuntary memories. For me, they can evoke the smell of my favourite food, or resurrect memories of my favourite holidays.

“As I look back at the 89 images, I’m reminded that the most harmonious visual elements of our world remain hidden to us — until we view them from a new perspective. Swimming pools are one of these subjects.”

* All pictures: Pools From Above by Brad Walls

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