Meet Ella Sophie | Photographer & Art Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ella Sophie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ella, what do you attribute your success to?
I’ve been building my photography career for several years. And while my business has gone through different phases my core values have remained consistent. For some reason I decided early on that this is what I wanted to do and failure was not an option. So even when times were tough I kept pushing forward. I am always creating new images. When things are slow, I take time to create personal projects. Always being open to learning is crucial to my success. Staying humble and listening. Being willing to take critique. And always putting my best effort into each project. I’ve learned to see success not as how much money a job brings, or what the status of the project is. Instead I define the success of a project by if I did everything to make the best images, and to provide my client with the best experience that I can. I have a magnet on my fridge that says ‘success is hard work residue.’ However, hard work won’t get you anywhere without community. We cannot exist in a vacuum. So always being open to help others when possible, and to learn from others is another key to success. Ask questions, watch, listen and learn from every experience. I cannot stress the importance of community enough. And if you find yourself without community then start messaging and emailing other creatives to connect. Meeting up for coffee with other creatives in your industry will inevitably lead to friendship and community – even if you strike out a few times. Don’t give up.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a commercial photographer and art director. My background is in fine art. I studied photography and commercial art in college. And have spent my entire life deeply immersed in the arts. I bring my experience as an artist, an immigrant and a queer human to my work. Having a wide range of life experience and empathy allows me to see things from various perspectives. My work includes architectural images, product photography and portrait based projects. Including fitness/wellness, clean beauty, and other advertising projects that feature confident and diverse women. It is super exciting that I’m building a reputation as someone who truly masters lighting. Being able to create dynamic and diverse lighting for different projects is really fun. I love that I can bring that skill to both product and portrait work. Using light to bring out confidence, beauty and strength. And being the photographer that people call on when they need to create badass portraits of diverse women.
One of my specialities is working with fine jewelry. Those skills also lend themselves well to other fashion accessories, cosmetics, and glass/reflective objects. Often I will work with a client to create the art direction. And provide both the product images and the lifestyle/model shots. Being involved in this way allows me to really bring all of my skills to the project. I love being able to work with a client to create a big picture campaign for their brand.
Another aspect of my photography is architectural images. I love the technical aspects of this work and the precision required. Over the years I’ve really enjoyed being able to bring those skills into lifestyle and advertising shoots. I’ve been able to take advantage of the diverse subject matter that I specialize in and bring all of those skills into a project. A really fun recent project was creating architectural images of the Tiffany & Co. windows for pride month. And of course the travel that often comes with architectural work is definitely exciting.
One area of photography that I’ve recently started working in more is food photography. I’ve always had beverage clients due to my technical knowledge working with glass bottles. But I’m expanding into more actual foods. I’m finding that approaching food the way I approach jewelry or other products is a really fun way to capture the depth and richness of the ingredients. So I’m manifesting photographing a cookbook. One with lots of delicious fresh produce that feeds the belly and soul.
Over the past few years the advertising world has started to be more inclusive and positive which I love. I’m super excited to see how the industry as a whole will evolve from here. I’m pumped to be a part of the inclusive advertising revolution. And I’m excited to see how the industry will change to help sustain our planet and the environment.
Most of my projects take place in California. And, I also travel for assignments around the US and internationally. I work with a wonderful agency based in SF and LA, Brandi Moore Agency. The best part of working with an agency is knowing that I have a team that will bring additional experience and expertise to my clients. I work on projects both big and small. I’m a firm believer in supporting other creators and small business owners. So I love working with creative businesses such as jewelry designers, or interior designers and architects. And I will always hold space for portrait work. There is something so special about creating space for someone to show up truly as themselves. Being able to create portraits that feel authentic and honest. And, best of all, showing someone that they DO look good in photos. I love the variety of work that I create and the people I get to interact with along the way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When it comes to leisure time I’m not really a planning person, I like to see where the wind blows me. I love going on drives or walks just to explore random areas and neighborhoods. I usually avoid the known and touristy spots. I’d probably spend a couple days driving up the coast – doing that without an itinerary always leads to interesting experiences. Trying new restaurants and staying in little hotels that have same day availability (it’s a gamble, you need to do that with a positive attitude). I would also take my visiting friend to the Getty museum and the arboretum and botanical garden. In my spare time I’m a bit of a plant nerd. There are so many inspiring gardens – from the official ones to people’s front yards.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many amazing books, mentors, classes and people who have helped me along the way. But I’m going to dedicate this shoutout to one particular friend of mine because it’s her birthday month. My dear friend Jess, who put up with all my shenanigans when I first got into this. She was always there to be my model and to cheer me on. We shot one of my very first commercial jobs together. She modeled for me in the snow, underwater and in all sorts of random places. I will always appreciate her and the other friends who helped me in my early days.

Website: https://ellasophiephoto.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellasophiephoto/

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/ellasophie/

Other: Agent https://brandimooreagency.com/ella-sophie

Image Credits
All images copyright Ella Sophie, www.ellasophie.com