Hi, I'm Gretchen Elle.
MY Story -
I knew from a young age how important photographs were. Every time I went to my grandparent's house I went straight to the bookshelf where they kept their stacks of photo albums. I would sit in my grandpa's chair and look at them for hours. I always tried to use our family cameras, even though I was clearly too young (which led to dropping the video camera in my sister’s birthday cake one year). Eventually my parent’s gave in and got me a Polaroid camera for my 8th birthday, completely unaware of how expensive film was & underestimating how quickly I can go through it. I was in high school when I made my first print from start to finish- it was of a drinking fountain at school. It was the coolest thing I had ever done or created (might still be, actually).
Photo by Kevin Wurm
This led me to pursue a degree in Studio Art & Photography at Michigan State- this time of my life was crucial for my survival. I had a toxic home life and grew up with anxiety & depression and unaware of how to deal with it. My anxiety and photography walked hand-in-hand down many different avenues trying to make sense of one another. It always sounds *cheesy* when I say it, but photography was the only way for me to feel- feel my pain, my weirdness, my creativity, my loneliness, and my happiness.
This leads me to why I think we are supposed to work together. I know pain, but I also know so much joy in return. Whether it's your family, wedding, business that you're trusting me to capture, I will do it knowing how much it means to you. I want your photos to truly represent you, and who knows, we might learn something about ourselves in the process.
xo Gretch
Photo by Molly Grunewald
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