April 2, 2019

Meet Sarah Elise Abramson of Sarah Elise Photography

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Elise Abramson.

Sarah Elise, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was eleven, I begged my mom to sign up for an adult photography class. At the time I was in middle school and had no access to a darkroom, cameras, or really anything involving photography so I knew a class outside of school was my only chance. So, my mom, being the ever supportive parent she is, signed up for one and would come with me every week. She would sit in the corner reading her book while I sat with about twenty or so, middle-aged realtors or whatever and that’s where I learned about F-stops, shutter speeds, depth of field, and composition. From the very first time I held that camera up to my eye and pushed my finger down on the shutter release, I was completely and utterly hooked. I realized that looking at the world through my lens allowed me to focus in on what I wanted to explore and cut out everything superfluous.

I’m thirty-two now and I haven’t put down that camera since, with the exception of a three month period when I was unable to walk. During those three months, I felt myself starting to go a bit crazy. You could take just about anything away from me and I would manage one way or another but don’t take away my ability to shoot. I would most likely just wither away and die.

Has it been a smooth road?
There’s nothing smooth about being an artist. Especially a female artist. The art world is still incredibly male-dominated so hacking it as a younger, female artist has always been a bit of a struggle but I think I was lucky in meeting particular people along the way who have helped me tremendously.

Photography came naturally to me though. It was like I just inherently understood certain things about it. Certain things that I believe can be taught to an extent but after that it’s like you either have it or you don’t. I knew I had it and the praise from my teachers and peers was all the reassurance I needed. Then, once I was out of school I felt myself needing some sort of mentor. I needed a sounding board or someone who I respected and knew what they were talking about to tell me how to get better; how to grow within my practice. That’s when I reached out to Ahndraya Parlato who was (and still is) one of my favorite photographers. She lives in New York though and I was in LA so I sent her an email. I introduced myself and explained why I was contacting her and attached some images of my work to the email. I wasn’t really expecting much considering the distance and the simple fact that she didn’t know me at all but to my delight, Ahndraya agreed to give me constructive criticism on my work.

I would email her all my most recent work and then eagerly await her response. Almost every single time I got an email back from her, my initial reaction was to cry. Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t mean at all. She was however very brutally honest. I can’t thank her enough for this though. She would always tell me exactly what needed to be improved upon and why.

Later down the line, I ended up interning for one of my earliest influences. Meeting and working with David LaChapelle was a dream come true. Once I felt comfortable enough, I started to show him my work and his reactions were the stuff dreams are made of. Since then he has been my photo mentor when he’s not too busy with his own work. I owe a lot to both of these incredible photographers.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
When I get asked what I do, my typical response is that I’m a fine art, contemporary, analog photographer, fake painter, writer, director, curator, and editor-in-chief of a small independent art publication called SLOW TOAST. I write a monthly column piece in American Art Collector magazine where I get to find the best and brightest artists making work today and interview them. I’m an avid collector of anything cool and/or weird. Usually discarded objects. I’ll often incorporate these items into my photographs. I think I’m known for having a strong sense of composition and color.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Of course. LA is great for anything in the arts.

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