Today we feature the work of Allyson Ely.

Please tell us about yourself.

Originally from New Jersey, I am a fine art photographer living in San Francisco. I photograph industrial landscapes, with an interest in industrial decline and urban redevelopment in the Bay Area. During the past three years I have been working inside 135’ high silos, in a working cement storage and distribution facility in Northern California.

I retired from Charles Schwab as Vice President of Retail Marketing, after a varied and
interesting career. My early work included city government and non-profit management; after receiving an M.B.A. from U.C. Berkeley, I transitioned to the private sector.
I began photographing seriously 5 years ago and find that it has happily become all-consuming. Interests outside of photography include chamber music, opera, theater, and travel.

Who has had an influence on your creative process?

A few years ago, I was introduced to Mark Citret and was immediately impressed by the quiet beauty and strength of his work. I refer to his books often and continue to be inspired by the elegance and refinement of his industrial images. Rodrigo Valenzuela, with whom I am working currently, has introduced me to the wonderful worlds of Luke Swank, Eugene Smith, and Charles Sheeler. I find Rodrigo’s work extraordinarily inventive, provocative, and haunting in its beauty. I especially admire his, “New Works for A Post-Workers World”.
Those most responsible for contributing to my education as a photographer have been Sarah Christianson, Victoria Heilweil, and Ford Lowcock. Ann Jastrab has been unstinting with her time, advice, and support.

Please tell us about an image (not your own) that has stayed with you over time. 

Hiroshi Hamaya’s New Year’s, “Visit with Jizo, Niigata Prefecture, 1940“, is a deeply affecting
image of three young children walking in knee-deep snow. Their faces are calm, their gaze
resolute, their composure remarkable. Black figures against a pure white background, their heads and hands exposed to the weather, engaged in a centuries old tradition of visiting Jizo, the Japanese Bodhisattva who is the protector of children and travelers.
An ethnographer with a camera, Hamaya documented New Year’s rituals in Japan’s snow
country, and the last vestiges of rural, village life in northeastern Japan during the 1940s.

What image of yours would you say taught you an important lesson?

I tend to get too close to my subject. Earlier this year I took several portraits in Paris: a rarity for me. My favorite image was ruined by framing that was too constricted and left out important context. I’ll never capture that moment again and the loss has stayed with me: a reminder to be more deliberate when composing.

What part of image-making do you find the most rewarding?

Those rare moments when you see an unexpectedly fine image appear on the screen: that frisson of excitement about the accomplishment.

How do you work through times when nothing seems to work?

The death knell for productive working is the burden of feeling you always must surpass your best work. I try to allow myself the freedom to shoot without expectation, and to remember that special images are often the result of serendipity: found unexpectedly, and in the least likely places.

What tools have you found essential in the making of your work?

Until last year, I worked with a Nikon D850 and a 24-120mm f4 lens. I loved the camera and the character of the images it produced, and the flexibility of working with a telephoto. Working inside dark, cement silos strained the capability of the camera, and using a tripod wasn’t an option. I switched to a Leica SL3, with a 28-90mm f2.8 lens, and feel liberated.

Is there something in photography that you would like to try in the future?

I’m taken by the ghostly, ethereal effect of long exposures in Alexy Titarenko’s work, beautifully conveyed in, ‘White Dresses, St. Petersburgh, 1990″. His, “City of Shadows” series also has wonderful examples of this delicate blurring effect. This is next on my long list of things to learn.

How does your art affect the way you see the world?

I am always composing; this is a recent phenomenon. When I’m without a camera, I increasingly experience my surroundings as potential photographs to be taken.

I am beginning a new project about Girls Inc. of Alameda County, a not-for-profit that literally transforms the lives of underserved girls. The project’s objective is to bring greater awareness of this remarkable organization’s accomplishments to the broader public and encourage support of their programs.

What’s on the horizon?

Through visual storytelling, I want to highlight the strength, resilience and talent of the girls, and their commitment to learn, excel, and shape a bright future for themselves.
Photographs often tell a story and convey emotion more powerfully than words. My hope is that compelling images and moving stories together can influence people to open their hearts and invest in this organization, and the community’s young people.

Thank you Allyson

To learn more about the work ofAllyson Ely please click on her name.

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