Meet Jeremy Ellsworth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Ellsworth.

Hi Jeremy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been an artist since I was a little kid. I grew up wanting to be a cartoonist. At some point during my youth, I bought into the idea that I could not make a living as an artist and walked away from the pursuit to be a cartoonist. Fast forward 15 years, I purchased a point and shoot digital camera for my wife for her birthday. I ended up using it more than she did and really enjoyed creating art from what I saw.

I was able to convince my wife to invest in a DSLR and I jumped in headfirst to learn as much as I could on how it worked. I would go on drives and just photograph what I thought was interesting. That slowly evolved into taking pictures of family and friends. From there, it turned into a side business for roughly five years until I made the jump to full-time about six years ago.

The entire journey, I was always learning and practicing. I fell in love with using off camera lighting to create dramatic portraits and discovered my “style” during a personal portrait project I called “The Kansas City Christian Hip Hop Project.”

That project leads me to reach out to the fashion community in Kansas City and start working with local models on fashion shoots and work with Local Fashion Link/Local Runway. (https://www.localfashionlink.com/)

I have now combined my style of portraiture into my Senior Photography business and that is my focus. Senior portraits with a commercial and fashion edge.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am not sure any entrepreneur would ever say the road is smooth. If they do, they are probably lying.

I am naturally and introvert and never got into photography because I wanted to run/own my own business. So in addition to learning photography, I have also had to learn business, marketing, networking, etc. It is quite a bit to take on. Especially considering I started this journey just because I loved creating art.

Since I picked up my first camera and started my business, my wife and I have had two children. They are wonderful and amazing. However, learning to balance how to be a husband, a father, a business owner, and still feel like I am fulfilling the need to create just for me is quite the balancing act.

I am extremely thankful to have a wife who supports me and we do our best to make sure we work together to allow each other to follow our dreams and raise our children.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a senior and fashion portrait photographer.

I specialize in senior portraiture with a commercial and fashion edge. I like to say, “These ain’t your mom’s senior pictures.”

I am known for creating portraits that are bold and dramatic.

I am most proud of my ability to think outside the box and create awesome portraits and artwork in locations that most people would not even venture into.

In the senior market, my photography style sets me apart. Most of the parents tell me they choose me because my images are not traditional. They don’t look like “every other photographer’s” pictures.

What’s next?
I plan on continuing to build my senior photography business and reaching more of the Kansas City area.

I will also pursue the fashion and commercial portrait world more both locally and hopefully nationally.

I would love to develop some of the creative ideas I have in my head into personal portrait projects and then do a gallery showing or something similar from those projects.

The amount of talent in the Kansas City Fashion Industry is insane and I hope to continue to collaborate with many of them in the future.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jeremyellsworth.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/jeremyellsworthphotography and instagram.com/jeremyellsworthcreative

Image Credits
Jeremy Ellsworth