We recently connected with Elle Domann and have shared our conversation below.

Elle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I have always deeply believed that a photo is the most valuable thing you could ever own. When my mom was in high school, she lost everything she owned in a house fire, and the biggest thing she talked about losing was not the clothes or jewelry, but the irreplaceable things she could never recreate- the photos of her childhood and loved ones. As I began my journey into photography I realized that I could give something to people that is true evidence of their life, their love, and all the small moments they don’t see, all through someone else’s eyes.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a lifestyle and wedding photographer, and owner Studio L., a rentable studio for photographers, entrepreneurs, and creative businesses.

I picked up a camera about six or seven years ago and now I travel around documenting real stories of people in authentic ways through weddings, portraits, couples, and studio photography.

When I was younger, I was pretty introverted and the camera was a way for me to connect with people. My dad was actually the one who had a camera, but I picked it up and it just took on a life of its own. So, I like to think it’s been a gift from him. I’ve spent the last few years in school for business and finance, moving around, and working other miscellaneous jobs, but photography has been the one constant for me in all of that. Taking photos of people is something that has always come really organically to me, because I’ve always been fascinated by people and their unique stories. Having a tangible piece of that story is something that is truly invaluable. It has been a long process to realize it was more than just a passion; it’s what I’m meant to do.

The heart of my work is capturing people as they are. I want people to have photos that feel like them. I am always looking for the in-between moments when I’m photographing people because those are the moments where they aren’t trying to be anything for me or the camera, they’re just themselves. There is a lot of vulnerability in letting someone capture raw and natural moments of you, of letting someone into your story. Over the years, I’ve learned the importance of connecting with my clients and getting to know them on a human level. I always say that you come as clients, leave as friends. I center everything in my business around that.

The past few years, I’ve focused a lot of my business on studio photography. What I love the most about the studio is the blank canvas. You get to start with four walls and create everything in it, eliminating all the distractions and focusing completely on the person. Having that opportunity radically changed my work and was something that I wanted to give to other creators.

When I opened Studio L in October of 2022, the mission was to create a quiet, uninterrupted space for creativity in my hometown, that I wish I had access to growing up there. My goal is for every creator to come into the space and make it their own, to feel like they too own a part of the studio. All creative businesses should have resources to help them enhance their craft, regardless of where they’re at in their journey or business. Giving that resource to the community at an affordable cost was a pivotal point for opening Studio L., which is why we were the first studio to offer monthly memberships to creators, so they could create without the time limit and costs that come with normal studios. The last few years, styled shoots have been trending to offer photographers setups to market to clients. When designing the studio, I wanted a way for photographers to be able to offer those setups directly to clients. In addition to classic backdrop setups, the studio has rotating installations that offer creatives unique setups for their clients and portfolio work.

Opening the studio has radically changed the way I view and connect with the creative community. Growing that business has been the most rewarding thing for me, and I’m really excited to see all the magic that continues to be created in it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, it’s the people I get to meet and work with. It’s a remarkable job to get to celebrate moments in people’s lives and hear their stories throughout all the different walks of life. Getting to photograph the couple that just bought their first house, a 30th birthday, graduation, a wedding day- each one of those holds an importance in that person’s life. Not only do I get to celebrate it with them, but I get to give them a piece of that forever.

The most rewarding part of owning the studio is that now I get to give other photographers a building block for their business so they can create that value for other people too. I get so much joy from being a creative, and seeing that same joy in other creators and watching them grow has been so incredible.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

That you have to work a 9-5 job to be successful. My job is very nontraditional and that’s reflected in my life in a lot of ways, because having a nontraditional job means having standards and timelines that look different from other people. I really had to learn that my accomplishments and my path are going to look very different from other people in my life or in my family. Owning businesses and working for yourself contains a completely different set of rules, a lot of which you have to figure out yourself. I’ve learned to love that part of it because it means I get to build both my business and my life from the ground up.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.elledomann.com and www.studiolspace.com
• Instagram: @elledomann and @studiolspace
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/elledomannphoto/ and www.facebook.com/studiolspace

Image Credits
Portrait of Elle Domann taken by Kaley from Kansas. All other images taken by Elle Domann.