Elena Kalis

Elena Kalis

Elena Kalis is an underwater photographer based in the Bahamas'. She lives on a small tropical island and spends a lot of time in the water, which for felt that it would be the best place to experiment with her work.

Kalis originally trained as an artist but decided to take up photography as a new way to express herself. she shoots in both pools and the ocean but prefers the ocean even though it is more difficult due to currents and it is difficult to control your movement therefore it takes many shots to get it right, however the ocean has a beautiful natural stage of fish, corals and it provides spectacular lighting.
Kalis says: "The underwater environment is dreamlike and lucid and just a different world overall. I feel fusion of respect, awe, sensuality, and mystery when shooting underwater and in the ocean in particular". Elena uses a Canon 5D and 5D mark II and selection of canon prime lenses and underwater lighting if there is not enough illumination. With this equipment she creates photo essays and photographic series the she describes as "emotional fairytale". The fairytale-like part is very vivid in her own version of "Alice in wonderland".  It struck Kalis that being underwater was like the place Alice found herself in when she fell down the rabbit hole-this instance being a different perception of reality. From here on out Kalis pushed her imagination, which cam to interesting oppurtunities for Alices adventures in a parallel universe.
These series of images took two long years to create Kalis says: "I can't say that the series is finished even now, I still have a lot of ideas I want to try". Just like majority of her creations "Alice in Wonderland" is a "work in progress".
Kalis has said that she is very proud of the fact that her work has encouraged and inspired hoers to follow this particular style of photography and experiment with their cameras. She says she is also incredibly proud of her daughter Sacha who is a recurring model in her images specifically the "Alice in Wonderland" series Elena says: "she is my muse and my little mermaid".
Kalis has advice for anyone who wishes follow down this path she says: "Don't let the equipment stop you from experimenting and trying new ideas, even the iPhone has a housing these days and you can get a simple protective bag for your to try it out. Even with fairly basic equipment, there are still many effects to be explored and all it takes is a few days on a holiday near clear and warm water".

http://www.elenakalisphoto.com

http://issuu.com/elenakalis/docs/ragmag

http://issuu.com/elenakalis/docs/digital_photo_uk

Post by Jackie

Annie Leibovitz's Disney Portraits

Annie Leibovitz is a renowned photographer and has inspired many over the years. I began to appreciate Leibovitz’s work during art in senior school, when I came across her Disney series. Leibovitz creates and photographs beautiful and magical representations of Disney films, which are both contemporary and artistic, with hours of hard work, research and effort devoted to each shoot. I am inspired by the beautiful colours, quality of the images, and overall concept of the modern take of Disney films.

Image from Business Insider

A few examples of the Disney movies Leibovitz has photographed include Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Tangled and Brave. The children’s Cinderella Disney movie was released back in 1950; 50 years on, Leibovitz has been able to take a historical and well-known movie and create a fresh and contemporary interpretation of the modern Cinderella. The Cinderella photograph was the first image that captured my attention in the Disney series, and inspired me to search for more in the collection!

Those posing in the Disney scenes are famous people and actors, including Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella, Roger Federer as King Arthur, Whoopi Goldberg as Genie, Michael Phelps as Merman and Taylor Swift as Rapunzel. Using famous people and placing them into a fairy tale environment, helps viewers appreciate the well-known films with well-known people. Leibovitz’s trend or style evidenced in the Disney collection, is photographing famous people within the Disney environment, where she is able to craft a modern representation of the original Disney characters, with a special twist, to create enchanting and magical images.

Some famous people, such as Taylor Swift, can personally relate to the Disney images and scenes. In a behind the scenes movie clip, Taylor says that ‘when Disney came to me and said we want you to play Rapunzel, I think it was really like a childhood fantasy come to reality for me. It’s one of those things that seem like a once in a lifetime opportunity.’ She also goes on to say, ‘I have so many amazing memories that come from Disney because I started singing Disney songs.’ See the following link for some behind the scenes action! (http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disney-dream-portraits/)

Image from Business Insider

When watching Disney’s behind the scenes movie clips, you appreciate the amount of time, effort and resources required for each shoot. There is a team that appears to be made up of stylists, makeup artists, costume designers and many assistants. The gear and equipment consists of cameras, tripods, triggers, studio lights, umbrellas, fans, tents, backdrops, reflectors, ladders, props, laptops and computer monitors with hoods. These movie clips also reveal that Leibovitz prefers and enjoys to shoot on-location and use movie stills from the Disney movies, as inspiration for creating and framing images. It is also evident in the final images that many hours of post-production are needed to complete the final beautiful and magical photographs.

The following link shows some more photographs from the Disney Collection:

(http://www.businessinsider.com.au/annie-leibovitz-disney-dream-ads-2014-2#beyonc-lyle-lovett-and-oliver-platt-ride-a-teacup-as-alice-the-march-hare-and-the-mad-hatter-from-alice-in-wonderland-1)

Posted by Chelsea