ARTS PHOTOGRAPHY LINDSAY ELLARY TEXT ISABELLE YANG DESIGN ISAAC MCKENNA
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INTO THE LENS OF THE FEMALE GAZE A conversation with photographer Lindsay Ellary
In the photograph, twenty-two year old Mikaela Straus is seated outside with a glass of orange juice and a spoonful of dripping Cheerios. A thin line of milk connects the edge of the spoon to the bowl as Straus stares directly at the camera. Her face is bare, visible, and centered. Wearing a simple white tank top, her arm is stretched to expose her natural armpit. You most likely know her as King Princess, the Billboard-charting musician. And you’ve most likely seen Lindsay Ellary’s work capturing musicians. Yet in this image, like many of Ellary’s works, any distance between the subject and the viewer is erased. Her photos feel instantaneously familiar and reachable. Behind the camera for Phoebe Bridgers, Tame Impala, Thundercat, HAIM and more, Ellary is familiar with space that occupies photography in the music industry. From shooting for the cover of TIME Magazine to working on Nike campaigns, Ellary defies fixed boundaries in marking her career as a photographer. When looking at Lindsay’s work today, there is an undeniable awareness of light, form, and the human object. Each image feels palpable, the subject’s skin and the surrounding light vivid at all moments. Her models—who range from children to musicians to strangers—are consciously dressed in jarring colors, accessories, and decor, while the background frame is oftentimes completely black. Beyond her commissioned projects, Lindsay stands at the forefront of portrait photography, capturing faces not typically championed by the industry. And it’s only been three years since Lindsay moved to Los Angeles to pursue photography full time. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Lindsay grew up with a camera. In middle school and high school she was always “that kid” inviting friends over to take portraits of them. Influenced by her dad, who paid his way through college by taking photos, she ventured into photography as a natural pursuit. Now recognized by W Magazine in 2020 as one of the “10 New Fashion Photographers to Follow,” Ellary has been on everyone’s radar. She video-called me from her house in Echo Park, Los Angeles. Her hair was in a casual bun and she sat comfortably in front of the screen. Behind her were some portraits she had taken hung against the wall. We talked about her creative process when shooting, the ever-evolving definition of the female gaze that her work dives into, and the intersections between gender and commercial success in photography.
