Babybecken BB. For his latest project 'Pools,' German photographer Stephan Zirwes has dedicated himself to capturing aerial images of swimming pools across Southern Germany to examine the role they play in society today. (Stephan Zirwes)

For his latest project “Pools,” German photographer Stephan Zirwes, 50, has dedicated himself to capturing aerial images of swimming pools across Southern Germany. Pictured as bright squares of blue against the surrounding gray tiles, Zirwes’s images offer a different view on these swimming spots.

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He embarked on this project to examine the role that these private pools play in society. “Public pools are a part of my childhood,” he told weather.com. “As a child, it was the best place to go on hot summer days. [It was] where you met friends and neighbors [and] it was always a place of relaxation.”

Growing up, he added, every town had its own pool and admission costs were low, making it the ideal place for the whole family to spend the day – unlike the big waterparks of today where day passes can be extremely expensive.

To Zirwes, his project shows how public pools can still be a symbol for the important that water should be free and accessible to everyone. To focus the image on the pools, he did remove distractions by copying the original pool tiles and enlarging the tile area around the pools.

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Zirwes photographs pools mostly from a helicopter, although for the last five years he has also started to use drones to capture some images. The weather plays a large role in dictating when he can take his images as well. “A sunny day is perfect,” he explained, “[but] not too much wind is also important. A few clouds can also create a nice smooth light for the photos.”

To see more of Zirwes work, visit his website. He is also having an exhibition of his photography in Cannes beginning on May 12, 2016.

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