Today we’d like to introduce you to Elle Wood.
Hi Elle, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I have always been entranced by the arts. As a child my mother found endless ways to entertain me and encourage me through craft projects, face painting, and even little plays. I love to paint and draw, and discovered photography after high school. I earned my bachelor’s degree from The Art Institute of Atlanta and scored an internship with the legendary Liz Von Hoene. I specialize in fashion photography and enjoy photographing people most. Every day with my camera is an adventure.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Graduating college is such a shock to the system. Everything in your life up until that point is laid out before you clearly. When you decide to make a living with freelance, you are just thrown to figure it out. I juggled part-time jobs for a long time before I was able to do only photography full-time. It’s definitely not the smoothest road, but it’s absolutely a fun one.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a bit of a jack of all trades when it comes to art, but I truly love working with people. My specialty is working with small brands to create a visual presence for marketing and branding. It’s so fun to meet other passionate entrepreneurs working on bringing their ideas to life. I’ve had some really fun opportunities, such as photographing the entire cast and crew of The Vampire Dairies, capturing menu photography for local restaurants, seeing my work on a few billboards for advertising clients, capturing some big names giving talks at AmericasMart Atlanta, like John Lewis, Martha Stewart, Paula Dean, and Trisha Yearwood. I occasionally get to travel for my work; earlier this year I got to photograph in Mexico. I am so grateful for all the adventures photography has brought me! It’s crazy to look back and see how far I’ve come.
What makes you happy?
Connection makes me happy. Experiencing a real moment of genuine connection with another soul is what makes life worth living for me. Art brings us together in ways not a lot of things can. I love that photography is an outlet for me to show people their beauty through my eyes. I also work part-time at a non-profit called Paint Love that brings art to groups that need it. I am happiest when I am able to express or see another person express through words or art an emotion that connects us and reminds me we are not alone, we are not that different; we are all connected.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ellewood.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellewoodphoto/
- Other: www.ellewoodphoto.com
Image Credits
The first photo (of myself) was taken by Brandon Clifton. The rest of the photos were taken by me, Elle Wood
