Jennifer Elias Photography

I can't believe how long it's been since I wrote anything here, but in my defense, my life hasn't slowed down one bit since August 17th. I had my surgery, and obviously, it went okay. Recovery has been more than a challenge and I still have a long road ahead of me.I can't believe that I'm nearly eight weeks post-op; sometimes it feels like the shortest eight weeks, and at other times it feels like the longest. I still struggle with a lot of the symptoms that I had before my surgery, but I've been told that's normal and like all things, it "takes time". I'm also struggling with a lot of other things, mentally. I have this new scar that is really present when my hair is up, I felt like I lost a lot of my independence for a while (which I'm slowly gaining back), and a whole mess of other things I'm still trying to work out.  I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I haven't created nearly as much as I'd like to. Besides recove

I suppose that it doesn't really come as much of as a surprise that as time grows closer to my surgery date, I've been trying to keep as busy as possible, but inevitably losing sleep and slowly wearing down. Tonight is one of those nights where my mind simply won't turn off - Thursday nights // Friday mornings are incredibly hard for me, as this officially marks the two week mark until the "big day." I don't know what my brain thinks it will accomplish by making me stay up all night running over everything in my head, but, so that's what it wants... so that's how it is.  None the less, it's safe to say that things around here have been hectic lately. I haven't been working for just over a week now, which is probably the weirdest feeling yet. I don't really know what to do with myself. It's so bizarre to go from 40+ hours a week to nothing. I've enjoyed sleeping in past 7am quite a few days, which has been really nice. I had so

Another night with little ( or next to no ) sleep has left my here, staring at my computer screen, finishing up a wedding I shot in June and working on another new piece for my latest body of work. It also left me realizing that my desktop has become quite cluttered (something that I absolutely  cannot stand) and realizing that I have two pieces I haven't shared yet . When I was uploading them, I noticed they somehow shared a similar color palette, which is pure coincidence.. although they were created one after another. Maybe that happened to carry over accidentally. None the less, I'm really pleased with the way both of these pieces have turned out, so I figured it was time to share them!  Untouchable. 12"x12" Dismal Existence. 4"x3" And like I said, I'm currently working on another, which I feel like is so close to being finished as well. I decided to do something different with this one, so you'll have to check back to see what that

I took a little "me" time tonight and created a new piece for my latest series. So, I figured since this work is out there, it's safe to share them as they're created now, right?  On another note, I cannot believe the kindness and generosity that has been shown to me in the past week. I truly am so thankful for each and every single person that has donated to me and my cause, shared my story, etc. It's beyond amazing and I feel that "thank you" doesn't even begin to do it justice. I never expected to reach as many as people as I did, but thanks to friends sharing my story on facebook, I've reach more than I thought ever possible. This past week has brought so many happy tears, smiles, warm wishes, and thank you's. I'm still touched beyond words and don't know that I'll ever find the right words to thank each and every single person who has helped me along this tough journey. Reverse Evolution.  6" x 9"  © Jennif

One of the hardest things for me when writing these posts is knowing where to start.  Especially with a post like this .. I want it to be personal, but not too personal. This body of work is very intimate and close to my heart but I worry about crossing a line with my readers//viewers and don't ever want that.  Before I actually do get started, I suppose I should give you a warning that this might be a bit long in length.  I tend to get a little long winded when it comes to things like this. As far as where to start … I guess the beginning is as good of place as any, right? I was truly hoping to have an artist statement prepared before I shared this body of work, but I've decided that I want to share it while it is in progress. I want to share the journey of creating new pieces, where my life is taking me, etc.  So, back to the beginning. Back in December of 2011, I wasn't feeling well. Not your normal " not feeling well " … I knew someth

I feel as if I’ve been neglecting my poor dear blog, and I swear, I really don’t mean to! I’ve had a sticky note that says “Update Blog!” on it stuck to my desk for days, but it seems to continue to get buried under other stick notes with to do lists, reminders, etc. It’s easy to forget how hectic it can be to juggle working 40+ hours a week, life’s demands, and creating art! It’s something I’ve always struggled with & since I’m only human, it’s something I’ll probably always struggle with it. How do people do it? I’ve always thought I was a great multi-tasker, but maybe not with such big things! None the less, I have lots of updates, so grab something to drink and brace yourself: 

My mom came down from Michigan last weekend which was beyond amazing! I haven’t seen her in quite some time (and she hasn’t been to Ohio since October) so it was a much needed visit. We spent time thrifting, watching movies, catching up, and of course, eating at some local Cleveland gems! And naturally,

This week, the weather has been beyond phenomenal - especially for March! I think it's finally safe to say Spring has sprung! .. or at least, I hope so! I know we're all crossing out fingers that it's here to stay and mother nature won't come in with the ol' one two punch any time soon to drop some of that [awful] white stuff on us. You never know what can happen in March! We've been driving/sleeping/living with the windows open and loving every minute of it. With warm weather comes the instant desire to spend some extra time down by the water, and we have been doing just that! A lot has been going on in my personal life - and it never fails that being by the water offers some sort of peace and serenity. When the going gets tough, the tough head to the beach! ... something like that. Naturally, I've been taking my Instax with me every time and snappin' some more shots. I know, more Instax photos? Oh yes. Believe me, the fun is just getting started. Ch

Since the weather has been absolutely beautiful today, AJ & I finally decided to go check out this building near downtown Cleveland that we've been aching to photograph. I took along my new Instax Wide to snap a few shots as well, and I think it's safe to say I'm absolutely head over heels in love with it! Here are the shots I snapped with it: This building is absolutely beautiful - I feel like the pictures might not do it justice. I also took along my Pentax, so once I get the negatives back from that I'll be scanning those in to share as well. Oh, and check out this awesome photo AJ snapped of my Michigan tattoo. I'm submitting it to a blog that is all about state tattoos, so I'll be sure to share the link to that once it's up! I'm so glad we went to check out this building! It's a Cleveland gem, that's for sure. Buildings like this always fascinate me - I want to know more about them... what they used to be, how/when they became vacant, et

To a brand new baby Fuji Instax Wide! Last week after much debate, I finally decided to spoil myself and purchase a camera I've long drooled over. I figured with it being tax return time, this would be my one big "splurge" .. and I'm so excited about it. I try to do something nice each year with my tax return because well, I worked hard all year for that money . My camera is "schedule for delivery" sometime tomorrow along with 2 wonderful boxes of film. I absolutely cannot wait! I suppose I guess what this post should really read is "Watch Out: Lots of Instax photos comin' your way!" In other news, but I've been cutting, scanning, photoshoppin', cutting more and scanning again all week. I think I've finally finished my first piece, but I don't want to show quite yet. It seems out of context at this point, so I think I'm going to wait until I have a few others to share! Keep your eyes peeled!

I've been out of school for 10 months now ( wow, where has the time gone? ) and lately I've been feeling like something is missing. It's hard to explain, but I'm been feeling off. Different. No one really prepares you for what is next. Not just "the real world" but what really happens, mentally. It's a really weird and different experience to go from dedicating your whole entire life to creating something, anything, every waking moment, to simply, not . I was a full time student for four years. I worked as much as possible outside of school to support myself, but I still dedicated myself 100% to my school work. I left jobs because they consumed too much of my time, and I was so so so focused on what I was doing. I loved my Thesis. I loved every bit of pouring a year of my blood, sweat, and tears into one project and having a magnificent final show to show for it. I've never felt more accomplished and more in love with anything. ( I didn't know it

I finally got around to scanning some of the images from a wintery beach adventure AJ and I had last month! It was a total spur of the decision where we just decided to grab our 35s and drive out to Lake Erie to see what we could find - and I'm really glad we did! These are just a few of my favorite shots from that day, you can see more (and larger versions) here . I don't know what it is, but there is just something so appealing about the beach's landscape in the winter time. While I'm thankful we had an exceptionally warm and short season, I'm always left wishing I could have shot something more. Maybe it's the fact that the lake never really froze this year and I wasn't able to capture certain things I had hoped to. There's always next year though! And really, who can complain about Spring making an early arrival, right?

Since I've been redesigning my website , I've been spending a lot of time going through my external hard drive and browsing through some older images of mine. It's interesting how your perception of "what's good" changes over time. I wonder why I never did more with these images and chose to stash them away instead? I'm especially fond of the smashed peach ( I think it's a peach ) on the bottom left - I'm head over heels about that lighting & the depth of field. I'm guessing I didn't use it because it didn't "fit" what I was doing at the time, but who knows! I'm glad I found them now though!