Elle Leontiev, Into the Light (PEOPLE 2025)

"Into the Light" is an experimental underwater series that merges digital photography, ink, lake water, and darkroom techniques to create a striking final image. At its heart is a model, suspended gracefully in water, bathed in ethereal light that accentuates both her form and surroundings. To enhance the digital image, the photographer employed an innovative layering photogram technique. Ilford photosensitive paper was submerged in the same lake water where the model had posed. Using two paintbrushes—one dipped in detergent, the other in carbon ink—the photographer created concentric marbled rings on the water’s surface, visually echoing the fluid environment. An enlarger then projected light onto the photo paper, capturing these delicate, shifting patterns as they floated and dispersed. Once scanned and layered over the original digital photograph, these organic formations—resembling radiant beams of light—introduced a captivating interplay of texture and form. The result is an image that feels both mysterious and otherworldly, reflecting the dreamlike, introspective state of the model beneath the water.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.