Surreal
swimming
Elena Paraskeva combines
art and multiple exposures
to stunning effecthe conceptual work of DC’s
Photographer of the Year 2019
winner Elena Paraskeva is both a
mixture of vivid and bold colours
for the eyes, and thought-provoking ideas for
the brain. This image, which is the finale
piece from a body of work called ‘The
Lost Swimmer’, represents a character
who is drowning in self-doubt.
“The character in the series serves as
an allegory for a self-conflicted individual,”
says Elena. “To the observer, fulfilment
in the form of swimming is easily
within reach – but to the character, it
is unattainable. Eventually, it becomes
easier to repress the longing, but
inevitably this leads to her emotionally
drowning, and a complete inability to grasp
on to the life rings that come her way. This
is what the image here represents.”
Elena has used a multiple-exposure
technique to create this impressive
result. If you want to see more of
Elena’s project, go to her website.
http://www.elenaparaskeva.com7 | GET CREATIVES
1
Planning
When you shoot a multiple-
exposure portrait scene like this,
it’s important to plan, to get the
lighting and each position of your
model lined up correctly. Use a
piece of chalk and mark on the
ground where you need to move
your model to for each frame.
(It can help to number them.)2
Colour palette
One of the most striking things
about this series of images are
the colours Elena has selected to
use. This image is only made up of
three main colours – pink, blue and
yellow – and they all work together
to create a bold statement.Ele
na
Pa
ras
ke
va