4 questions with photographer Ellie Teramoto

Photographer Ellie Teramoto is our featured artist through the month of February.  You can view her work in the library’s Activity Room. Ellie was kind enough to answer some questions about her work below:  

 

MR: Which photographers have influenced your work?  Or which artists from any field have influenced your work?

Ellie: I am not sure if my work is influenced by particular photographers or artists – when I am out in the field to take pictures, I try my best to depict how plants and animals spend their time in their habitats. 

MR: What do you want to say, or relay, with your photographs?

Ellie: I would like people not to forget the beauty of Mother Nature and the importance of nature conservation. 

MR: Among your works, do you have a favorite? Why…or why not?

Ellie: I have my favorites out of my work – They tend to be the ones that involve wildlife, especially the ones in which I spent days and hours observing the animals and captured a moment that best depicts their life. I think I favor those images because I feel closer to those animals.

 

 MR: A photographer stated in an article: my photographs improved when I started looking for light instead of subjects.  Does this relate in any way to your work?

Ellie: Lighting is the first thing I look for whenever I take pictures. The kind of light, the direction of light, and the strength of light. And then I look at my subject and come up with a composition in which light helps me express the subject the best.

“for me, the camera is a tool to express my message”