The Launch of My Underwater Modeling Career

We all have a deep connection to water

People always ask me how I began my career in underwater modeling and honestly I can say that my mom was a MAJOR factor (the fact that I live a stone throw's away from the beach also has a lot to do with it)

My mother tells everyone who asks that I knew how to swim before I knew how to walk.

When my mother first migrated to the Bahamas she was enraptured by it's natural beauty, already being an artist (she loves to paint) she could not help but want to capture the beauty around her, she was most specifically interested in the beautiful waters.

My mother began experimenting with taking photos underneath the water and when she saw how magical they were she became obsessed with underwater photography.

I remember a hot summer day, I went down to the beach with my mother......as I often did......I was happily splashing away in the warm clear sea water and my mother told me to dive....then she snapped a shot of me.

(The picture that started it all)

I remember when my mother had edited the final version...she was amazed and so was I! She couldn't stop bragging to anyone who would listen about how graceful I was in the water.

My mother quickly began snapping more random photos of me underneath the water....and being the water lover that I am....I happily and eagerly obliged!

My First Photo Shoot : Alice In Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland was my mother's first underwater photo shoot with me, I remember the preparations my mother underwent to make this photo shoot a success! I was ten years old at the time and the prospect of portraying a character from one of my most favorite stories was really exciting!

My mother ordered costumes and bought various props, all in all it took nearly three months to prepare for the first photo shoot in this series.

It's safe to say that it was a smashing success! In fact my mother's photography for this series won many photography awards and has been featured many times in photography articles all over the world!

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the shoot:

Photographer: Elena Kalis
Location: Chub Cay, Berry Islands, Bahamas
Camera: Canon 5D Mark II, 24,28,50mm

(My favorite single shot from the series)

I will always remember how much fun it was shooting this series with my mom! Ever since she and I have continued shooting and modeling together!