Today we’d like to introduce you to Elvet Mobley.
Elvet, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve been taking photos for as long as I can remember. Back in HS, I used to carry around a little point and shoot and take pictures of everything, whether that be family, friends, nature, etc.
I ended up going to college down in Valdosta, GA where it was the same thing. I pretty much documented me and my fraternities college experience via my little point and shoot. Doing crazy “frat-jacking” videos… random #shoutout to APtv & VJtv!! (only the real ones know bout that :-D)… when we had club events or whatever, I had the shooter with me! Lol.
So yeah, I was doing all that, graduated, then ended up moving to Atlanta trying to start a new life for myself… I remember having a conversation with one of my friends and I was telling him I didn’t think I was using my full potential, something was missing in my life… all I was doing at this point was going to work and coming home. There was for sure a void I needed to fill, and I knew exactly what it was.
In comes photography!!
I decided that day that I was gonna go buy a camera and see what I could do with this photography shit. I remember when I went and bought my first camera, it was a Nikon D7000 and it was like $650 or something, which at the time was basically my whole check. So, I was like fuck it, I’ll eat this chicken ramen for a few weeks or whatever. What’s crazy is I bought that camera in December, like super close to NYE.
So, me and my roommate at the time threw a NYE party, and at this party is where I met my very first muse. So, at this party, everyone is drinking at whatnot, having a good time, and I see this girl and I asked her if she ever modeled, and her reply was “NO! but I really want to!!” So, we get to talking and I tell her, I JUST bought my new camera and I need to see what all it can do, so I asked if she’d be down to come shoot with me and let me use her as my guinea pig, she said “hell yeah, when do you wanna shoot? How bout tomorrow?!?” I’m like oh shit! You’re for real!? So, we made plans to shoot the next day… this girl came over literally with her whole closet in this huge hockey bag! Clothes, shoes, underwear, everything. I didn’t have any lighting at the time so I was purely using the flash on the camera (which sucks, lol) to take photos. We probably shot for like 10 hours that day, from sun up to sun down, lowkey!
I fell in love man… learning basic stuff like camera settings, how to compose a shot, colors, lighting set up, all that good stuff, I fully immersed myself in it. As my knowledge grew, my confidence grew, and I was able to get a proper lighting setup, some different backdrops, a lens, and I knew how to make it all work together. Of course, when I started, I just took pictures of my friends and family for practice, and I saw the results… I was like “oh, I’m actually pretty fuckin good at this shit.”
So, I’m just going along, shooting, figuring out what I like to do, as far as genres I guess. Portraiture, events, street photography, weddings, all that stuff right. Well, I settle on portraits because I love photographing people. People are the best to shoot because you can see different emotions feelings. You can make your portraits really artsy or you can make them really plain. There’s just so much you can do with it.
Now, to AlaskaNAtlanta!!
So, my boy Dre (@happybelateddre) had been bugging me for a while about having an art show highlighting some of our work… I was a little apprehensive cause I take photos, I don’t paint, which allows you to create certain things you can’t create out of photographs (which is why I was worried, I didn’t think I’d have enough content to showcase).
So, how do I fit into this?! Well, we ended up ironing everything out and throwing our first ever art show called AlaskaNAtlanta… it was about 10-12 pieces from the both of us, plus 3 big pieces we collaborated on. THAT SHIT WAS BANANAS !! *word to Gwen Stefani.*
There was a turnout of like 450 people… it was humbling, gratifying, joyous, all the fancy stuff you can think of. We’d worked for probably a year getting everything together, so it was really good to see everything come together perfectly.
It’s funny when people ask us how we came up with the name AlaskaNAtlanta… well, I’m from Alaska, he’s from Atlanta, and we’re clever as fuck, so yeah, we ran that one up, lol. #shoutout OJ Da Juiceman!!
Has it been a smooth road?
Umm… not smooth, but also not like, insurmountably difficult.
What happened when I initially started taking photography more seriously, I wanted someone who I could sit down with and they could actually SHOW me what I should be looking for when it came to certain shots and how I should set up my lights and all that good stuff. Photographers for the most part in Atlanta, in my experience, are not very helpful when it comes to learning. I remember hitting up certain photographers I followed on IG, and asking how I should do this or that, and I would never get any responses or feedback. BUT what that did was just make me learn everything on my own, which I enjoyed because I was having my eyes opened to the world of photography.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of. What sets you apart from others?
Well, I’m a photographer… I specialize in portraiture & street photography, so If you want some really good portraits, holler at me! 🙂
The thing I’m most proud of is my first 2 art shows were a complete success!
What I do that sets me apart is when you look at my photos, I want you to feel something. Whether it’s a bad feeling or a good feeling. That’s what I shoot for.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Well, I’m from Anchorage, AK but I live in Atlanta now… so Anchorage, AK, or as I like to say “the REAL A!” is my home… and what I like the most about the city is its sense of community. Everyone (all the black folks anyway) knows each other and looks out for each other. It’s great to feel like a part of something, even if it’s something as simple as your neighborhood.
What I like the least is growing up, we were always WAY behind on music and pop culture… in Anchorage, there was no hip hop radio station until I was in like 8th grade.
As far as Atlanta, I like the vibe and mood of the city as a whole… there are so many pockets in the city that allow you to do different things. If you like to do the club thing and get VIP bottles, you can do that. If you like to hit bars, you can do that. Oh, you wanna hit an art show? Cool, that’s up the street. Oh, you were looking for a music festival? PLENTY!! Lol… Atlanta is great, I consider myself a real-life ATLien at this point, after living here for six years.
What I like least is the traffic… Atlanta didn’t set out to be a city of growth initiatives, and the daily traffic on the interstates and highways are proof of that.
Pricing:
- Full photoshoot (includes 2 looks & 25 edited shots & no time limit) is $200
- Headshots (1 look) are $125
Contact Info:
- Email: elvetography@gmail.com
- Instagram: @elvetography
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
