Earlier this week we ran an interview with photographer Ellen Warfield about her Brooklyn office. I promised we’d put together a slideshow of her lovely “Work” series. Here it is. If you’d like to see more of her work check out the photo essay she shot for the Sundance Channel’s Full Frontal Fashion of Frank Tell’s Fall/Winter show.
You’ve seen photographer Ellen Warfield‘s work in the Village Voice, WWD, New York Times, Daily News, Nylon and here on Lifework. We posted Ellen’s photographs of Nicholas Felton in his office which was part of a series she did on people in their workspaces (look out for a slideshow of that beautiful series soon).
Where is you home office? Home is Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I grew up in Manhattan and have lived in Brooklyn since graduating from RISD in 1999. I have been in my current space for a little over 2 years and I am fortunate to have a separate office room in my apartment.
What does your typical day involve? I don’t really have an average work day, and that is just the way I like it, to keep things fresh. Lately I have been scanning in a lot of older negatives and I often try to get some of that done in the mornings. I have been working frequently with Sundance Channel/Full Frontal Fashion and we were all over New York, photographing different designers studios, which was a lot of fun. Then I go home and upload all the raw files, make selects and work on them.
Have there been any advances in technology that help you in your work? As a photographer, there are very obvious technological updates that change the way in which I work. For my artwork, I used exclusively film and darkroom methods until the past year or so, and I have been using digital cameras and computer programs a bit more. I like to look as digital photography as another great tool to use in my work, and use it to my advantage, not let the medium guide the images.
What accessory to you rely on the most? I have to admit that I am a bit addicted to the iPhone, and use all the ical, mail apps, etc. As a freelancer, it is indispensable to have access to my schedule and contacts when not near my computer. I have a separate client area on my computer and try to keep everything backed up for at least a year. And recently I bought a new powerful Epson film scanner and it makes working so much easier, so I would say I cannot do without it.
What is your favorite piece of furniture? Besides my boyfriend, my favorite piece of furniture is probably my desk, it is glass and very simple.
What inspires you? Inspiration can come in many forms, but I definitely feel that I want to be inspired by whatever it is that I find. For instance, I have not always been that interested in high fashion or followed it too closely, but the recent work with Full Frontal Fashion was super interesting and seeing how the collections come together and the processes involved made me see the industry in a completely different light. At its best, it is just another form of creative expression. Also it is one that can directly affect the culture at large very quickly.
My own work is inspired by a search for something intangible but present, a stillness in the world around me. That can be in the sky, the sea, people, buildings, animals, work, play, travel, everything.
