Features
Featured New Artist: Elyse Butler
Elyse Butler never has a shortage of on-going projects. The series of images in the slideshow here is from an on-going project documenting behind the scenes of debutante events. “These wealthy young girls are part of a group called the National Charity League. The event, called a Senior Presentation, is a day to celebrate each girl’s journey to becoming a woman and their new found independence as they graduate from high-school. It is a day where all of the high-class families from Carmel Valley/ La Jolla, California emerge to show off their daughter’s societal success. The girls wear wedding dresses, symbolic of new beginnings, and walk alone down a runway in a grand ballroom for all of the community to dote upon her. It is such an interesting lifestyle to me because it is so different to the life I know. The amount of money that goes into these events is exorbitant and it sets the tone for these girls a life of high-class.”
Based in San Diego, California, Elyse graduated in 2006 from Brooks Institute of Photography, where she studied Visual Journalism.
Elyse is motivated by her love for being both a storyteller and an artist. “I love completely immersing myself into a different lifestyle and being able to share that experience with others. I love how photography pushes me to see in different ways, I love the way it makes me think and how observant it has made me.” Why photography and not writing, or some other storytelling medium? She explains, “It is such an interesting medium because it captures moments, moments that will never happen again and no one will see them the same way that you do, and through a photograph you are able to share your vision, and that is an incredible gift. By being able to share your personal vision, you have the power to make a difference and to inspire!”
Documentary would be my best guess for her style, but she goes on to describe the way she sees her work. “My photography, the way I see, does not fall into a particular genre. It just is. It is me. Photography is my lifestyle, I document the moments that happen around me, intimate relationships, social/cultural issues, natural beauty, raw emotion, vivid life. I want to bring the viewer into the moment completely, so they can stare at my image and delve into the emotions of my subject.”
Her subjects are often women, or issues related to women, these images definitely fall within that realm. Elyse explains why “I really enjoy photographing women because females are so emotional in nature, and I can relate to how women feel, whether it be through beauty, relationships, abuse, happiness, ego, and image. I also love to document behind the scenes of different events to show people what really happens behind the grand façade.”
Web: www.elysebutler.com
Elyse Butler is this week’s Featured New Artist from our friends at Aurora Photos. Aurora’s staff regularly seeks out new, up and coming photographers to highlight on abouttheimage.com. We hope our readers will enjoy learning about these young pro-photographers and seeing examples of their outstanding work. Photographers who would like to be considered for publication as a Featured New Artist can submit their resume and portfolio by email to fna [at] abouttheimage.com.
Posted in: Featured New Artists, Features, Photographers
