Poolside in Florida

It’s another hot day in July, and there’s one photograph that has captured our imaginations (and scooped the Loves vote) this week – Joel Meyerowitz’s Florida Pool, chosen by Giulia Mutti, regular AnOthermag.com writer, and editorial assistant at Dazed Group. Meyerowitz’s pink-hued vision of retro Americana has us dreaming of poolside pina coladas, the smell of Tropicana and a tanned cabana boy to put lotion on our backs.

As overheated Londoners, we’ve become pool connoisseurs – everyone has their favourite place for a dip, from the London Fields Lido to the swimming ponds at Hampstead Heath, with this year’s new addition, the Kings Cross lido, making a welcome change of pace. For those of you less tempted by the murky communal waters of the local family pool, there’s wild swimming – check out AnOther’s top picks for amazing places to swim outdoors, from the crystalline aquamarine waters of South Tyrol to the an 8000 year old crater in Oregon.

If the weather’s not cooperating, you can always dream – no one does California pools like David Hockney, while Ryan McGinley’s photographs capture the sensation of swimming underwater. On the cinema side of things, Frank Perry’s 1968 classic, The Swimmer, is the quintessential backyard pool classic, while François Ozon’s Swimming Pool, 2003, captures the uneasy tension set around a swimming pool at a French countryside villa.

For those of you in search of pure Americana, Joel Meyerowitz doesn’t disappoint. His Florida Pool photo is one of several dedicated to pools in the southern state. Inspired by the legendary American photographer, Robert Frank, Meyerowitz left his job as a New York art director in 1962 to capture a nation. In his photos, from football stadiums and sleepy towns, to New England beaches and bustling New York city streets, Meyerowitz searches out a sublime quality in the everyday.

To find out more about what makes a great summer escape, we’ve asked Mutti, AnOther’s Lover of the week, to tell us why she loves Joel Meyerowitz’s work, where to get the best burger in America, and why a graceful swan dive into the pool is always a good way to make entrance.

Why did you love this Florida Pool photo? 
I love the light in this photo. I’m also a fan of pastel shades, film photography and I have a bit of an obsession with tropical plants, so it instantly caught my eye.

What would you do with this photo if it was yours? 
I’d blow it up to poster size, frame it and hang it in my living room, I think the pink light would look good near my grey velvet couch.

Beyond the pool, there’s a beach in the distance, which would you prefer? 
The beach, without a doubt, especially because I’ve never swum on that side of the Atlantic. 

What do you love about Joel Meyerowitz’s work? 
He’s so well-rounded. His remarkable work spans street photography, landscape, reportage and he’s also shot some very beautiful portraits – his Redheads series is great – but most of all I love the soft, natural way he sees and captures colour.

Best way to enter a pool – swan dive or belly flop? 
Keep it classy with a swan dive. Although a cannon ball is always fun.

What’s your favourite place to go swimming on a hot summer day?
We have beautiful alpine lakes near where I grew up and I’ve always loved to swim in the mountain water surrounded by such peaceful and natural landscapes. 

Best summer vacation ever? 
A month-long road trip we took across the West Coast of the United States a couple of years back. We rented a car and spent hours in it singing to Bob Dylan, driving across the incredible national parks and camping in the desert. That was also when I had the best burger of my life – we ate it sat on hay bales in some ranch in Arizona – and stumbled into a wild baby grizzly bear, that alone was pretty magical.

Where are you going on holiday this summer? 
I wish I could go on holiday this summer! I’ve always thought of travelling to Tahiti, in my mind it looks like a Gauguin painting.

What was the last thing you bought? 
An iridescent pineapple-shaped tea light lantern from the local charity shop, and a pair of tiny hoop earrings, which I'd been hunting for for months.

What are you looking forward to about July?
BBQs, lots of bike rides, my friend moving to London from Australia and figuring out a way to set up the TV on my roof and watch movies in the starlight.