Above The Water is an extended collection centered on the photographer’s relationship with Harriet McKnight. In addition to being his soulmate, fiancée, and muse, Harriet was herself an accomplished artist and published author. Walton-Healey describes this project, which the couple conceived and pursued together, as ‘an intended celebration of the union of our creative passions – the relentless and shared endeavour to transcend ‘the everyday,’ as per the Surrealist notion l’amour fou.’

The title, assigned to the collection after Harriet’s passing in 2018, conveys this sense of transcendence, while simultaneously establishing water as a recurrent motif. Intended as a reference to Harriet’s connection with The Sapphire Coast, the title also befits a collection generating a composite form of environmental portraiture. A selection of the photographs was shortlisted for the 2021 Stories Award by the Australian Photo Collective.