As an actor struggling to navigate personal creativity and control, in July 2017, I bought a Canon AE-1. I'd always loved taking photos, but had set aside my digital camera. In my anxiety to capture the perfect moment, I'd take a rapid succession of digital images, all with slight variations and adjustments. I didn't ever feel present and I felt like my photos revealed my insecurities.
Then I tried film. All of a sudden, I had no choice but to commit to the moment. Film photography is like drawing with a permanent marker. There is no digital screen providing instantaneous feedback. I was free to focus on my relationship with my subject, truly getting to experience the gift of their presence and openness.
Shooting on film changed me as an artist. I now see every captured moment for what it is—an intimate collaboration between photographer and subject, with only light as our quiet witness.
I’m hoping for this website to be a small mosaic of the artist I am – an actor, a photographer, a filmmaker.
I live in Brooklyn with my husband.
Things I sell can be found at ellapstudio.com (coming soon)
