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My name is Ellen. I favour self-portraits and still life photography, exploring subjects I find important and impactful; such as the self & identity, feminism, and nature. At their core, my projects are about perception and self-expression.
I also present a narrative within my work, whether that’s a young girl's journey through girlhood, the lifespan of nature, or a stream of consciousness as I come to terms with past events and accepting emotional states.
My own emotions and experiences play a large role in the photographs I take, and in doing so, they relate to and impact on an audience with their strength.
Death of a Girlhood explores the phenomenon that is Girlhood - the mix of brutality, beauty, loss, and joy found in maturity.
In a series of self-portraits, a girl is pictured in different situations. She’s young and vulnerable, childlike; but bloody as she witnesses her own confusing transformation.
Then we see her dressed in costumes, playing characters, as she tries to please a critical audience. She wears an uncomfortable dress, eats a comically large cake, dresses as Anne Boleyn and wears a ruff.
Finally, in an attempt to display herself truly, she paints ugly, distressing and distortive make-up on her face. She sits stoically in front of the camera and interrogative lighting, rather than being docile and conforming - she sits on her own, bold, after completing her transformation.
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