Paal Anand brings a cinematic edge to still imagery, transforming myth and memory into finely staged visual narratives. Drawing on pioneering work in digital imaging for major films, music videos, and broadcast, he channels his technical mastery into fine art that feels both timeless and immediate. His latest works, Circe Individiosa Poisons the Sea and The Owl of Athena, Gold-winning entries in the Graphis Photography Awards, reimagine classical mythology through precise lighting, practical effects, and digital craft—resulting in a sculptural, surreal atmosphere that reveals the depth of his vision.
Written by Paal Anand
At the age of thirteen, I had the opportunity to visit Rome. As a young Canadian growing up in Los Angeles, it was an awe-inspiring experience. One sculpture left an indelible impression: Antonio Canova’s “Heracles and Lichas.” The masterful carving of draped cloth, the powerful expressions captured in marble, and the seemingly impossible balance of the composition left me wondering, “How could this even be made to stand this way?”
Years later, after establishing my career in film, I returned to this piece as inspiration for a study in my fine art photography practice. That study became one of the first works I submitted to Graphis in 2019, where it received Gold recognition. It ignited an entire series of neoclassical surrealist photographs exploring Greek mythology—”Heracles Hurls Lichas,” and more recently “Circe Invidiosa Poisons the Sea” and “The Owl of Athena.” The original mythologies are tragedies and cautionary tales, and I was determined to honor those narratives through a contemporary lens.
Drawing from my background in film and understanding how light works psychologically, I used lighting to direct the viewer’s eye and guide them through each story. The mythologies often involved creatures and superhuman feats—presenting technical challenges like depicting a person being hurled through the air, a woman with snakes for hair, or capturing an owl in the perfect pose. I figured the only way to achieve these visions was through cinematic techniques.
To capture Lichas mid-flight, we suspended the model upside down in a harness. “Portrait of Medusa” required creating her snake hair in Autodesk Maya CGI. For “The Owl of Athena,” the owl was photographed separately in a comfortable environment using low lighting, then composited into the final image. The high-resolution cameras and tools available are making anything you can imagine a possibility with a little strategic thinking.
To elevate the presentation further, the pieces are printed using carbon inks in a piezography process, yielding a higher dynamic range in the blacks and whites than conventional printing methods. The series has garnered significant recognition, including many Graphis Gold Photography awards, and has been exhibited internationally—from West Hollywood to London to Italy, and currently at EKA-Tianwu in Pudong, Shanghai until December 15th.
This project pushed the boundaries of what I believed possible in photographic storytelling, and I am excited to keep pushing those boundaries.
About Paal Anand
Paal Anand is a visual storyteller who is inspired by the fantastical and the surreal.
For over 20 years, Paal Anand had worked on making digital images in the commercial world for blockbuster motion pictures, broadcast, music videos, and brands. He has been involved in pioneering technical developments for computer generated imaging and digital compositing. He was on the initial R&D team for Maya. His credits include work such as Hellboy, Pirates of the Caribbean, and even the music video for Eminem’s “Without Me.” His love for photography started while interning as a student at RKS Design and using the large format film cameras to capture product stills.
Paal is based in Culver City, CA.
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