Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Bienek.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Emily. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started photography when I was a teenager in the rolling hills of Southern Ohio. Because of the recession and the general rural nature of my home, art wasn’t on anyone’s list of things to care about or appreciate. I left there to join the Coast Guard: I had so much youthful, invincible energy to get out of my system! I spent six years traveling, photographing, training, conducting search and rescue and high risk security details, saving lives, and other exciting things. Through that experience, I got to see most of the US, and experience the points of view of many people and sub-cultures that I never would have experienced if I stayed put in Ohio. I ended up in Boston with the Coast Guard, but my career ended abruptly when I revealed that I was the victim of ongoing domestic abuse, and subsequently was hit by a car while riding my motorcycle (head injuries and victimhood don’t jive in the military). That was a life changing experience, effectively obliterating three years of my life, but I am so grateful for it! I mean, I didn’t really like being ordered around for arguably pointless things anyway, I certainly didn’t enjoy being abused, and I needed desperately to find a more fulfilling life for my daughter. Because the life of a single mom with a head injury in Boston wasn’t comfortable, I took a road trip north and landed in Portland, Maine. Now, I am a law student, my daughter is beginning kindergarten, and I own a successful photography business about to celebrate its first year! It has been a long and winding road from where I and my photography began, and where it has brought me now.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For me, photography was rough in the beginning. I grew up with America’s Next Top Model, so I developed a love for dramatic, editorial photography that is provocative in nature. Not provocative in a sexualized way, but in the way that makes you stop and think about what your eyes are seeing. To me, an image is more than just an image, there are meanings and emotions in each moment that is captured. Where I come from, with that type of thinking, I was essentially an alien. I knew I couldn’t thrive there as an artist or a person, so I left – and that is always hard. Moving my business from Ohio to Florida, and then to New Orleans, then to Chicago, then to Boston and Maine, really wore me down. I moved about every year with the Coast Guard, so I was never able to establish a customer base or a presence in the community. I basically spent six years running in place without going anywhere – you know, like Scooby and Shaggy when they get freaked and try to run away but don’t actually move. As far as a photography business went, I was exhausted and my motivation was spent. When I thought things couldn’t get worse, they did! I was abused by my husband, and then I was involved in a serious motorcycle accident which basically left me with nothing except my sweet little daughter who needed a kick-ass role model. She inspired me to find those things that I loved, that had been taken from me, and to turn them into a new life. So, I invested my soul into bringing Elusive Photography back to life. Less than a year later, I have worked my way into a successful business that stands out from the crowd. I’m going to be frank, owning a photography business is still hard – I go 100% every day trying to reach the right people, do the most good, and have a big impact in the community. Some days, my brain is mush. However, I finally feel like I’ve found the life that I am meant for, that provides a great life for my daughter, and that does a ton of good in the community.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Elusive Photography is split into two distinct specialties. Elusive Photography itself specializes in New England and Destination Weddings, Adventure Elopements, Couples, and Boudoir photography. I work all over the world, giving our clients a luxury, one on one experience. I also create exciting styled shoots to showcase what New England has to offer, and tailor those showcases to highlight fellow green and sustainable businesses.
Elusive Kids is based out of my Maine studio and specializes in Newborns, Families and Fine Art Reverie sessions. The Fine Art Reverie Session is something unique to me, I work in composite photography meant to foster and interpret the imagination of our sweet, confident little ones.
Elusive Photography is a green certified business and I take that very seriously. I study and research to bring my clients the most sustainable and clean products as possible, and I structure my work in ways that encourage my clients to make small, but impactful, changes in their own lives. One small photography business won’t change the world, but the ripple effect can be huge. I follow Leave No Trace principles when working with customers outside, and I are in the process of building a net zero home/studio!
In addition to being green, I am a values based business. That means that I care about upholding the values more than earning more money. Early on, someone suggested that I should not to talk about global warming or social injustices because it’s bad for business. Instead, she suggested, I should stick to posting happy Pinterest quotes. As you can tell, I did not take that advice, because my life just isn’t meant to be played safe, I am not content with choosing comfort over advocacy. To me, I’m willing to risk business success if it means providing art, happiness and expression to individuals in need, to encouraging community support and interaction, to face abuse, to embrace recovery, to celebrate and talk about mental health, to normalize all aspects of motherhood, and to force the industry to be kinder to the earth. This is what I am most proud of.
What were you like growing up?
Emily growing up is almost the same Emily in 2018. I was sporty and intense, I was also artistic and bold, I was almost too good at arguing, and I was basically born as an adult. I questioned everything and got in lots of trouble for doing so. I can’t even tell you how many sentences I had to write in in-school suspension because I dared to stand up to the principal’s senseless rules. (I mean, how can you punish a kid for being late when they’re wholly dependent on their parent for transportation – what is that?!) My older sister is disabled in many ways, although when we were children, she wasn’t in a wheelchair, so kids thought she was basically normal. From my first day of kindergarten and on, I have been protecting my sister and putting the oppressive and harmful systems that hurt her in their place. I’ve stood up to bullies since the beginning, and I still do so with a loud and reverberating voice. I think this is why I am so driven to have a values based business that does good in the community; I just can’t stand to live a day of my life that isn’t also making life better for someone else.
Contact Info:
- Address: 90 Bridge St. STE 327 Westbrook, ME
- Website: www.elusive.photography
- Phone: 513-965-1264
- Email: contact@elusive.photography
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elusive_photo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elusivephoto/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/elusive-photography-westbrook
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/elusivephoto/
Image Credit:
Lindsey Michelle Williams (Model, the bride on the rock)
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