Reframing the Lens: How Ella Found Her Way Back to Photography

At the start of this year, Ella nearly stopped. "There was a point when I considered giving up on photography and experienced a major creative block," she says. The feeling arrived after a run of school projects that had left her burnt out and bored of the camera. The solution, she found, was to step away from it entirely.

"I think the way that I was able to get past it was by taking a break from photography, and regaining creative inspiration through film and art," she says. The bigger shift was quieter: reframing what photography was for. "A big part that allowed me to enjoy photography again was reframing my view of it from being centered around grades and critique to being for my own personal expression."

“I enjoy the feeling when my work is seen by others, despite it feeling a little vulnerable.”

That return to expression came with a new willingness to be seen. "I enjoy the feeling when my work is seen by others, despite it feeling a little vulnerable. I like the thought that the things I create provoke different reactions and opinions from each person," she says. It was, in part, why she began posting publicly at all.

Her inspirations resist easy attribution. "Most of my creative inspiration comes from cinematography in my favorite movies, and random things I see online that inspire me. I wish I could pinpoint a single photographer or artist, but I feel that most of my inspiration is an amalgamation of the creative works that I consume daily." Music runs through it too: "A big part of my work is connecting my favorite songs to the work I create, and being inspired by the ways I can draw connections between the two."