Despite their talent continuously being pushed to the sidelines, the world of fashion revolves around those who photograph it. Ellen Stokes is a Colorado-based fashion photographer who has fought her way to the top.
Through years of experience photographing diverse levels of fashion, Stokes has become a legend in the Colorado fashion industry and she possesses a story to be told. From discussing the origin of her love to where she is today, Stokes took her time to share her story with us.
Stokes was born and raised in Colorado Springs before moving to Idaho when she was 18 years old. Over the next few years, she moved around the country — from Idaho to Iowa, from Iowa to Ohio —working in real estate, but as time went on she grew restless.
She felt the need to move back to Colorado and reunite with the mountains she left years ago. It was then, she decided to find a solution to her restlessness and start creating art. In 2018, she officially pursued her passion for photography.
Stokes gained an interest in photography when she was a young kid.
“My mom shot on film and my dad had a Polaroid,” She said. “I always liked it — I liked anything that used light,”
Even though she was too young to fully understand the complexity of lighting composition, she spent her free time messing with anything in her reach that interestingly refracted light. From magnifying glasses to disco balls, Stokes became fascinated with the manipulation of light.
At this time of adolescence, Stokes also fell in love with the world of fashion.
“I grew up in a really strict religion which had certain parameters for what you could and could not wear,” She reflected. However, as time passed, the photographer grew grateful as she had to think outside of the box to discover her style.
“It was challenging, but now that I’ve evolved in my personal belief system, I wear what I want,” Stokes said. “It’s one of my greatest joys—finally being free in that capacity.”
As Stokes grew into her career as a photographer and transitioned to shoot exclusively fashion related content. She felt the need to shoot art with no creative boundaries instead of being restricted by the unspoken guidelines of wedding and family photography. “I want to shoot gorgeous things. I want to shoot what I want to shoot,” She said.
During this time, Stokes also gained an interest in shooting self portraits. She believed it was a tool to help her work on self love and self acceptance. It also allowed to create what she wanted without the fear of failure. The photos were just for herself — there was no pressure to deliver a perfect product.
Stokes effortlessly thrived shooting fashion. She was happier with her work, and as a result, the product was even better. The photographer was able to create her favorite types of photoshoots more often — her favorites being those she found visually and emotionally exciting.
“I wanted my eye to linger on the image,” Stokes said.
Although Stokes was thriving and her work was growing, she was not immune to the creative slump that occurs in most art-related careers, “I used to feel a sense of failure a lot when I was younger. I would be very self-critical,” She said.
However, Stokes found a way to beat these slumps.
Whenever she struggles to create, she goes within. She sits down and meditates, letting her mind flow with no boundaries. She also dances around the living room with her children.
“Usually when I hit a slump, it’s because I’m ignoring my inner child,” She said. “Once I feel ‘at one’ with myself, the well is overflowing.”
The vibrant-romantic photographer takes inspiration from every form of art, like the way the stars look at night or work from her favorite photographer, Annie Lebovitz.
Stokes has followed Lebovitz’s work since she was 15 years old, falling in love with how the artist uses romanticism and spacing. “I admire her because she plans her shoots to perfection beforehand, so when her subjects arrive, the shoot is quick and energetic. It’s something I want to incorporate into my work,” Stokes stated.
In addition to creative slumps, Stokes said she commonly finds herself drowning in the amount of messages she receives and struggles with inconsistent posting.
“Sometimes I go through week-long stretches of not posting on my photography [Instagram] page because I know if I go on there, people will be mad at me for not responding to all the messages,” She said.
Although the photographer responds as often as she can, she has learned to be picky with the requests she accepts. She tries to choose projects that excite her and fit within her schedule so that she can provide the best product possible.
With this, she wants to ensure that people never fear reaching out to her, “It’s more about keeping my cup full so I can give my best when I shoot.” She constantly looks for other creatives whose visions are more than a few photos on a Pinterest board.
Stokes encourages people to go within themselves and discover ideas that feed into their self identity.
“One of my secrets is that I truly think everyone should be good at capturing the essence of their soul,” She said.
All photos by Ellen Stokes.
To reach Ellen Stokes, send her a message on Instagram.