The Life Aquatic: The Magic of Elena Kalis’ Underwater Photography
Posted: August 20th, 2010Today’s post written by Leah
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A good photograph can draw deep emotive responses. Comfort can be discovered in times of loneliness by the mere sight of a loved one on a small image in a wallet, and delight can be found through the simple reminiscing of fun times whilst browsing an album. We often document our lives through the images that we take, building family stories around these visuals.
Photography can also be an art form, with photographers spending countless hours designing the frames they will take during a shoot. Much like a stage performance, props are sought and procured; costumes created and choreography developed. These often all come together in a single poignant image. These are the images that draw awe.
Russian-born Elena Kalis’ Underwater Photography masterpieces are such wonders. Residing in the Bahamas for the last 10 years, Elena painstakingly designs and then photographs her real life models *under water*! Having only been taking pictures professionally for the last few years, she brings a whimsical, hypnotic quality to each photograph, and transports you into another truly magical world.
Elena is inspired by the water which surrounds her island home and is strongly influenced by Brothers Grimm tales she read as a child. For her Alice in Waterland collection she used her 10 year old daughter Sacha as her model, bringing a quality to Alice that captures the essence I believe Carroll had in mind when he articulated his Wonderland fantasy. Gaze below at Elena’s wonders and visit her site for more.
Wow this is truly fantastic photography. Love how Elena has captured the magical underwater wonderland essence in these shots. My favourite is the one of the girls eating ice creams with what looks like giant Smarties floating in the water! Love the lighting and colours in the first image also. Actually they are all great!
Thanks for sharing!
August 20th, 2010 at 11:56 am