We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ellen Zimmerman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ellen below.

Alright, Ellen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

In my early years of taking pictures, I focused on representational images – photos that look like what’s in front of the camera. But then I discovered a passion for visual storytelling, where I spin everyday moments into magic.

Like an alchemist, I find tiny jewels in nature, then alter them to create new realities infused with hints of spirituality and dreams. They always have a twist, tickling the edges of the imagination.

There is no end to the learning. My journey into this kind of image-making began with online studies during Covid with such well-known artists as Eddie Soloway, Valda Bailey, and Doug Chinnery. A few years ago, I joined FYV.art, an international organization nurturing photographic experimentation. And I took more in-person and virtual classes with Maine Media Workshops, Santa Fe Workshops. Southeast Center for Photography, and Los Angeles Center for Photography.

I continue to study, honing my skills in such techniques as intentional camera movement and multiple exposure. In every session at the computer, I’m also trying to uncover more of the seemingly endless potential of software editing packages like Lightroom Classic and Photoshop.

What I find most exciting is meeting photographers from around the world who are also pushing the photographic envelope. A key line in our mindset is “what would happen if . . .” So we play and play, trying to learn from our misses and celebrate our successes.

There’s a great quote by Joseph Chilton Pearce about embracing our mistakes: “To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.”

After looking at some of my images, a student from a recent class summed up the art evolution this way: “Over the past decade, I have noticed a merging of fine art painting and photography that creates a delicate balance of ideas – something not achievable through either singular method. Your photographs achieve this beautifully.”

Ellen, 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?

My life has been an odyssey of happy landings as I moved around the country with my husband. With a BA in French and an MA in English, I happened into advertising, then community college teaching, then freelance writing. From each, I learned skills that translated into what came next.

I founded and ran a small marketing/consulting business – The Zimmerman Group – where I oversaw a team of 15 amazingly talented writers, designers, production people, and account executives. Those 30 years served as a great training ground for evaluating how concepts come to life in both words and images. And I saw how powerful visuals can educate, persuade, and – most important to me – invite emotion.

So when I gave myself the gift of pursuing photography, I wanted to find ways to elicit feeling and deep connection. I sometimes think of myself as an adult version of the four-year-old in the classic children’s book, “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” Like Harold, I create a scene, then – emotionally and spiritually – I walk into it. It becomes real to me. And I want my viewers to feel it, too.

Susan Burnstine, prominent photographer/journalist/educator said about my work: “We don’t see the world like this; you show us the world like this.”

My images are available on canvas, metal, and various papers – from metallics to wonderful fine art papers with different kinds of texture. I am also about to embark on printing on silk, especially with some of my golden-hued images. And I have a second book in the works that I hope to finalize later this year.

Finally, our ArtFramed Photos are one-of-a-kind pieces that are a marriage of my images with custom-designed frames created by my woodturner husband, Mark Zimmerman. He uses a lathe to produce distinctive frames from a variety of wood types, then embellishes them to enhance my prints.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Photography sets me free to experiment every day. I love to explore color – and the vastly different ways that hues and saturations can affect and even improve our mood. I try to create images that evoke strong feelings – whether they are joy, sadness, or even fear.

And I love the inspiration and aha moments of sharing art with other creatives around the world in small groups with whom I meet monthly. I am also a member of a brand-new art cooperative in our town which has introduced me to local photographers, painters, and artisans of all kinds.

I like knowing that my photographs are out in the world. My work has been displayed in galleries in the United States, Canada, England, and Europe. Two of my images are on permanent display – one at a museum in Italy, another at a health organization in Maryland.

Supporting health awareness and recovery is important to me. So I was delighted to discover recently that two of my images – chosen a few years ago for a health awareness exhibit — are now being displayed at a major hospital in Boston! I hope to pursue other ways for my art to provide comfort and healing.

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

I recently published a book called “Vessels of Light” with Cantor Karen Webber. A conversation between my photographs and Karen’s poetry, this volume probes the mystery of beauty and blessing, inviting readers into the light, especially in times of darkness.

In the Foreword, Rabbi Scott Sperling says, “Vessels of Light comes to us at the intersection of creativity and spirituality and takes us to a realm of imagination that is both dreamlike and deeply rooted in the physical world.”

The book is available on Amazon at https://shorturl.at/AzDjK

Because so many people are experiencing stress during these turbulent times, we are delighted by the kinds of responses the book is getting:

“I got a feeling of comfort & protection from reading it.”

“…a lovely book which merges words and images to bestow peace.”

“Spiritually uplifting for everyone regardless of religion.”

One Goodreads member wrote: “…just the thing to thumb through before sleep to spark colorful, creative dreams.”

I want my images to uplift viewers, whatever they are experiencing – whether they need a new way to frame a past experience, find motivation to move forward, or cope with a difficult moment.

This recent note from a friend is the perfect summary of why I am passionate about the work I do:

“Your artwork is awesome. We were sitting in the hospital with our best friend who was on life support. We had already been told that there was nothing they could do. Your two pictures – Golden Silence and Hazy Memory – spoke volumes for what friends, family, and coworkers were going through. Both pieces are very beautiful and touching.”

Whether people see my images in a book, a magazine, a gallery, or simply on social media, I hope that they are soothed in some way and that the images help them access their inner landscapes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ellenzphoto.com
• Instagram: @ellenzphoto
• Facebook: ellenzphoto
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenzimmerman