Overall winner
FOUR years ago, our Photographer of the Year Elena found a new sense of freedom when she bought a Nikon D5300. She had just recovered from a longterm illness that had left her virtually house-bound, and was keen to spend as much time as possible outside. An interest in landscape photography was the natural result – but it’s portraiture that has seen her develop a style she describes as her “signature as an artist”.
Despite only getting into photography relatively recently, Elena has already become a professional photographer, specialising in conceptual fashion, beauty and portrait photography, with her work being seen worldwide. “As a freelance photographer, I have had the opportunity to work for various fashion magazines and fashion designers, as well as clients in the entertainment industry,” she says. “I have also been commissioned for international work in the past, including two covers and feature stories for the financial magazine Economia.”
Elena’s work shows a strong sense of story, and is a great example of how pictures can be used to portray a message. “My photography is always conceptual,” she says, “and nowadays the surreal element is almost always present, whether I’m doing a fashion or beauty shoot or shooting a project for my personal work.”
Elena says she has found that people are now just as interested in her personal projects as her professional work: “Clients are often intrigued more by my personal work, which has garnered me various international awards, including this accolade.”
Expanding on her win, she adds: “It is an absolute honour to be the winner of this competition. I remember devouring every page of Digital Camera when I first started, and I was in awe of many of the images featured. To be featured as the Photographer of the Year is incredible, and humbling at the same time.”
When it comes to her ambitions for the future, Elena hopes to get the opportunity to work on campaigns for international fashion and beauty brands. “On a personal work level, I’d like to explore more and more unconventional subjects from a portraiture standpoint, and to explore more issues that are perhaps less comfortable for me or the viewer.” We can’t wait to see what happens!