Today we’d like to introduce you to Eleonora Chessa.
Eleonora, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am born and raised in Alghero a small town in Sardinia (Island in Italy).
I have a degree in photography and cinematography and graphics design, I follow three years of academy of Art and then I left in 2001 to Milan to follow my dream.
Be a professional photographer.
I worked as a bartender in the privè area of Hollywood club (milano ) for six years where I met all the most important celebrity around the world since this club is an iconic location during milan fashion week and I have so many memories an stories of some of the most famous of them…like I got Brus Willis very drunk with vodka mint shots, I served drink to Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, soccer players, but the best guest to all the time: Michael Jordan in October 2006, i poor his drinks all night and before he left he kissed my hand for thanks ne… (no tips lol 😜)
I start to be a pro photographer in 2005 when I got discovered from Fabrizio Corona. He use to be a costumer at the club always surrounded with the most famous people …They call him the king of paparazzi, his dad was a big time journalist VITTORIO Corona. Unfortunately he got in trouble for blackmail Lapo Elkan and other craziness he did.
But he is my mentor for all I have learned how to make a rumors work in the business , how to deal with events photography how to produce content for media how to marketing a new brand with a celebrity and much more …
I continued to follow my path and work directed with magazines and journalists, covering red carpets events, fashion show during Milano fashion week, celebrity portraits and some paparazzi shoots. In 2011, I met a basketball player on Facebook, I wasn’t speaking English; we were communicating with Google translator and we fall in love so in February 2012, I went to visit in Iowa and here we are… married and with a beautiful baby girl of four years old. I learned my English watching Ellen Show and the Wire and Dexter and Prison Break. I start to travel with him all around the world not missing any of his basketball game and discovering a skill on sports photography. I have worked in Russia, China, Korea, and many more countries.
We are still traveling but during the summer, we stay in LA where he is from and there I work for Splash News covering events and doing some paparazzi. The last few years, we moved to Las Vegas but we have family in LA so we stay more often in LA than Vegas for now. I would love to open my photography studio in LA and keep doing portraits of celebrity and headshots and kids shots.
Has it been a smooth road?
Isn’t a smooth road at all… first, because I am Italian so I need a visa to be able to work in the USA… In 2014, I got an O-1 visa and I have to show prove that I have been publishing and having high level clients …so some Italian celebrity and basketball players and journalists write letters for me. Then after we got married all the Greencard process and show prove that me and my husband were really in love. Then its been hard to be in the Hollywood business since there are so many photographers that covers red carpets and events and paparazzi and my pronounce is different so some of them make kind of fun if it…someone else love the accent… is been hard even because my first Boss in LA was kind of abusing the fact that I needed him as a sponsor for the visa so I was working crazy hours bouncing here and there in LA without bene payed right.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Oh well, I love to catch people soul trough my photos, I love to take out of them that particular beautiful part of their character… even with no crazy team around and expensive tools (lights or studio) I can be able to made the photography work…I love old school photography … I prefer use less photoshop and play more with the natural light at least when the work doesent required studio. I have been traveling all over the world and I am really camaleontic I can do different styles of photography and adapt quickly… I like to decide the project with the client because I want then ti be part of the project 100% and make the client feel that is the one holding the camera and get as much close as possible to his idea of the final product. Most of the photographers do not want to show ASAP the photo… I am proud of what I have archive traveling and filling up my soul of Ideas and to have meet the most of the celebrity and that they remember me and most of them, they become my friends.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely! LA is so inspiring and charismatic… I love LA and there is so much to shoot all the time and is full of opportunity… you never get bored or out of ideas …it is easy to do public relations and meet so many people that work in the business… they have to open up more on fashion industry like NY, Paris and Milan. I suggest to the people that need head shot or a fashion booo portrait to contact me lol
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eleonorachessa.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @eleonorachessaphoto @ec_photographer
- Facebook: Eleonora Chessa photographer
Image Credit:
Eleonora Chessa
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