We were lucky to catch up with Elena Palmi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Elena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I’ve loved capturing moments with photos and videos for about 30 years (when my kids were little and I just wanted to keep every moment with them). I’ve never had any ‘formal’ training, but I’ve learned a ton through trial and error and ask lots of questions to those whose work I admire. If I could go back to my younger days, I would have sought out more specific training and focused my education in the visual arts. But I really don’t wish to change the way I got here, I know it’s part of what makes me passionate about my art and enhances my creativity. Life has a way of teaching you in a way that no other teacher can.

Elena, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I spent the majority of my life working for other people. I was born and raised in Northern California where I met my husband and raised my two boys. I worked for the State of California so I could have the freedom to be available for all the little moments of my boys’ lives. On the sideline of one of their soccer games, the coach handed me his little camera and asked me to take a few pictures. I found myself taking hundreds and wanting to do it at every game. I bought myself a camera, then a video camera, then software to edit and make videos. I loved the whole process of capturing moments and telling a story either with a single picture or a group and videos.

As my kids got older and I worked more, I noticed I was finding ways to bring photos and videos into my work life I pitched ideas to use visuals for trainings, marketing, promos, etc. I was eventually promoted to a management position where I was able to build an audio/visual team that created visual art for the department and 58 counties the state over saw. It was a wonderful experience where I was among some very talented and creative people.

As kids grew older, my husband retired and family started to move away. My husband and I had the opportunity to move to Texas so I retired myself and decided I wanted to take my creative nature to another level. I bought myself a new camera, some lenses and started shooting an array of different subjects. I created an Instagram account to showcase my work and began getting followers. The more photos I took the more I noticed I liked editing and making them have an artistic twist. I started seeing them as art for others to maybe put on their walls…and just like that, I decided I wanted to be a Fine Art Photographer!!

My work is now available through a production website at https://elena-palmi.pixels.com/ where followers and fans can purchase my work as wall art, home decor such as pillows or blankets, lifestyle items such as towels, tote bags or even yoga mats!

As a woman whose real comfort zone is behind the camera capturing moments for others, I’m proud that I’ve found myself at a level and time in my life where I’m ok sharing my work with the world. Art is so subjective and not everyone may have the same idea of what looks appealing to them, but I figure if I can put out what I find artistic and creative maybe I can inspire someone else to buy some wall art and design a room in their house; or maybe get a towel and be the one who stands out on the beach; or maybe someone sees my work on instagram and just wants to follow so they can see pretty pictures in their social media feed.

Whatever the reason, I’m happy I have the opportunity to capture so many beautiful things in this world and share them with others.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is the idea that there are no limitations. I don’t feel like I have any particular person I have to please. When working for others, you have to understand what they want from you, ask what their needs are and try to make your work fit their ideas. Being a creative person and creating art with photography I feel free to go in any direction I feel called to go. If something doesn’t flow or feel right, I can just stop and try something else. The entire world is open, and I can be the one to decide which way I want to go.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I realize my fine art photography business is on a very small scale right now, so my goal is to grow my business. To me that means I need to stay creative and fresh and get inspired by new things I see. I need to keep adding collections to my website, keep my social media presence current and relevant and keep learning how to improve on everything I do. I always want to be excited by this work and inspire others to see what I’m up to.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elena-palmi.pixels.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epalmiphotos/

Image Credits
All photos are by me, Elena Palmi, E Palmi Photos LLC