Elena & Sacha Kalis

Elena Kalis is of Russian ancestry and now living on a small island in the Bahamas, although longing for snow from time to time. Her daughter, Sacha Kalis, is the main model and 'mermaid' of her underwater work. She was born and grew up in the Bahamas, learning to swim before she could walk, enabling her to look graceful and relaxed underwater. This, together with being artistic herself, she understands everything that her mother wants to capture in the image, making her the perfect underwater model. Elena says that she likes "how different things and people look underwater, movements are graceful and free and it has a dreamlike quality that is difficult to achieve on land", "Digital cameras and software offer huge opportunities for new images previously impossible to produce.” and “The dreamless, weightless atmosphere allows for all kinds of setups that are impossible outside the water.”  A good marriage of two former impossibilities." Most of their shots are in the clear ocean waters around where they live, but selections are in a swimming pool. Elena says it is a lot harder to shoot in the ocean but would prefer it anytime over a swimming pool. She uses a swimming pool when the shoot is not possible in the ocean, for example, when weather conditions are not cooperating or she needs props to be fixed in the image.

Elena Kalis

Sacha Ekalis

Image Analysis

This image is part of Elena's 'Sailor Mars' collection. It was taken underwater on the steps leading into a swimming pool. The camera is under the surface of the water so Kalis would need extra equipment such as waterproof casing or an underwater casing to allow that. The shoot would have taken place around midday to create the patterns and intense colours on the clothes of the model. The white of the shirt, socks and black of the shoes further intensifies the red of the skirt neck wear because there is a larger contrast between the red and nuetral colours. The position of the model and light source creates an abstract pattern on the surface of the water made up of the three colours. This links to my project because it shows how calm and innocent water can be, calm enough for little children to swim in it unharmed. People often rely of the sound of water as an aid for relaxation, whether it is the tranquil sound of a running stream, the pattering rain or the vast crash of the sea.