
What happens when a professional mermaid trades the shoreline for the underwater world?
Pure magic.
For Kelli’s underwater portrait session, we created a series of images that captured exactly where she belongs—beneath the surface, surrounded by movement, water, and a little bit of mermaid enchantment.
Kelli is the owner of Paper Moon Entertainment, a DFW entertainment company known for bringing larger-than-life characters and experiences to events throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Her talents include professional mermaid entertainment, along with face painting, airbrush artistry, character acting, storytelling, and more.
You can learn more about Kelli and her mermaid entertainment through Paper Moon Entertainment.
But for this session, Kelli wasn’t entertaining a crowd.
She was the subject.

Some people look comfortable in front of a camera.
Some people look comfortable in water.
And then there are people like Kelli, who seem to have been waiting their entire lives to combine the two.
As soon as Kelli entered the water, the posing became almost effortless. Her movements flowed naturally, her body language changed with the water, and the entire session took on a completely different feeling than a traditional portrait session.
That weightless quality is one of the reasons underwater portrait photography is so captivating.
Fabric moves differently.
Hair moves differently.
Light behaves differently.
Even the way a person poses changes when gravity is no longer completely in charge.
And when your subject already has the presence of a professional mermaid?
Well… the water knew exactly what to do.

One of my favorite things about creating underwater portraits is that we aren’t simply photographing someone underwater.
We’re photographing movement.
Every breath creates a different image. Every movement of the hands, hair, costume, or body changes the shape of the photograph. Flowing fabric can become part of the composition, while the water itself becomes another element of the artwork.
Instead of asking someone to simply “hold a pose,” underwater photography allows us to create images that feel suspended in time.
For Kelli, that meant embracing the movement rather than fighting it.
And she absolutely nailed it.

If you’ve been searching for underwater photography in Dallas Fort Worth, you may already know that underwater portraits are a very different type of photography experience.
They aren’t traditional headshots.
They aren’t simply pool photos.
And they definitely aren’t something you can recreate by standing at the edge of a swimming pool with a camera.
Underwater portrait sessions require planning, communication, posing direction, an understanding of how fabric and hair behave in water, and—most importantly—a photographer who understands how to create an intentional image beneath the surface.
That’s what makes these sessions so much fun.
We can take an idea and turn it into something completely unexpected.
You don’t have to be a professional mermaid to create beautiful underwater portraits.
In fact, underwater photography can be an incredible choice for anyone who wants portraits that are artistic, dramatic, creative, or completely different from what they’ve done before.
Underwater sessions can be created for:
Your concept doesn’t have to involve a mermaid tail.
A flowing gown can create incredible movement underwater. Dramatic fabrics can transform into abstract shapes. A simple portrait can become something ethereal once gravity is taken out of the equation.
Kelli’s session was a perfect example of why I love photographing people who are willing to get creative.
There was no need to manufacture the mermaid magic.
It was already there.
The goal was simply to capture it.
Her ability to move naturally through the water allowed us to focus on the artistic side of the session—creating beautiful shapes, expressions, movement, and moments that could only happen underwater.
The result is a collection of portraits that feel less like photographs taken in a swimming pool and more like glimpses into another world.
And honestly?
That’s exactly what I want from an underwater portrait.
If you’ve been searching for a Dallas underwater photographer, Fort Worth underwater photographer, or DFW underwater photography session, I’d love to hear what you’re imagining.
Maybe you’ve always wanted to photograph yourself in a flowing gown.
Maybe you’re a professional mermaid like Kelli.
Maybe you’re a model looking for something different for your portfolio.
Or maybe you have absolutely no idea what you want yet—you just know you want photographs that don’t look like everyone else’s.
That’s where the creative process begins.
We’ll talk about your vision, wardrobe, colors, movement, and the overall feeling you want your images to have. From there, we can create an underwater portrait session designed specifically around you.
Because sometimes the best portraits happen when you stop standing on solid ground.
Underwater photography gives us the opportunity to create portraits that are impossible to make on land.
Weightless.
Dreamlike.
Bold.
Unexpected.
And completely yours.
Kelli proved just how magical that can be.
So if you’ve been thinking about trying an underwater portrait session in Dallas Fort Worth, consider this your sign to take the plunge.
You never know what kind of magic is waiting beneath the surface.
Interested in creating your own underwater portraits in the DFW area? Contact Amy Schenk Photography to start planning your session.
Copyright AMY SCHENK PHOTOGRAPHY
The Amy Schenk Photography Blog is your go-to source for stunning senior sessions, maternity, and newborn photography inspiration. Stay updated with our latest sessions, photography tips, and behind-the-scenes stories that showcase the artistry and experience behind every portrait.
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