Design in Everyday Surroundings

When looking for things that capture beauty, one should first take the time to look at their surroundings. Sometimes we find the most striking details in our very own backyard.

Take Elena Kalis for example. Being a photographer, she has learned to utilize her very own environment to capture moments of beauty through her Canon camera. However, her environment is not the kind we would typically find ourselves in. This is because she does her work in the seas of the Bahamas. Elena Kalis is what we would call an underwater photographer.

I stumbled upon Kalis back in 2008 when I discovered her photos on the popular art community website, deviantART (a website that I have frequently mentioned in earlier blogs). All of her photos contain subjects (usually of her friends or children) swimming in water. However, rather than depict typical swimming activities, such as scuba diving or snorkeling, Kalis has her subjects portray stories, messages and images that we would not expect to find under the surface of the water.

Through the mysterious veil of water as well as natural lighting from the sun, Kalis succeeds in creating an atmosphere that most photographers would kill for. In one of her most notable works from her gallery of Alice In Waterland, Kalis puts a fresh, new spin on Lewis Carroll’s tale of dreams and maturity. Through pieces such as Through the Looking Glass, Kalis adds fantasy and wonder to one of the most familiar substances in our everyday lives.

Through the Looking Glass by Elena Kalis

Kalis also uses items from our daily lives to add depth to her work. As seen in Alice Cards, a simple deck of cards comes to life while a picture frame in the photo above creates a portal to another world.

Alice Cards by Elena Kalis

By utilizing one’s setting and possessions, Kalis proves that anything can become a photo, just like anything can become design. One just simply has to put themselves in the right mindset to “see” these opportunities.

Since then, Kalis has gone on to be a well-known photographer in the art community, going on to start her own online portfolio so that her work may be viewed worldwide.

So whether you live in the city of LA or on the beaches of the Bahamas, one can always find beauty in his or her surroundings.  Elena Kalis proves this through her work of underwater photography. Through her photography, a breathtaking setting and everyday objects come together to create something that viewers from all over can watch come to life. All we have to do is just add water.