Elisa Haber
About
Elisa Haber, from New York City, is an editorial photographer, whose work has a strong emphasis on environmental portraiture. Elisa began her career in the documentary film world in the 1990s, and after attending Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, she focused strictly on still photography. She began her career working for magazines such as Flaunt and Venice. Flaunt magazine hired her to photograph “Public Access Stars”, which inspired her to continue this on-going series which eventually evolved into a much larger project documenting over 20 cable tv access “celebrities”. Venice magazine launched her career into shooting Hollywood focused portraits. She has a portfolio ranging from film composers, such as Randy Newman, Mark Isham, and Elmer Bernstein. Her list of film directors ranges from Wes Anderson Alfonso Cuaron, Christopher Guest and Errol Morris. She has an extensive actor celebrity portfolio as well. Her true passion is photographing series of work with an Americana bent. Her latest series “Twinsburg” is going on its fifth year, following twins that attend a yearly Twins festival in Twinsburg, Ohio.
Elisa resides in Venice, CA with her partner, daughter, now in college, and 3 dogs and two cats.
Gallery
LACP Interviews Elisa Haber
LACP asks Elisa Haber ten questions about their background, career in and beliefs about photography.
Los Angeles Center of Photography: What kind of photographer are you?
Elisa Haber: I am a portrait photographer.
LACP: How long have you been photographing?
EH: I began to take photographs when I was 15 and professionally, I have been shooting since 1994.
LACP: Where did you get your training?
EH: My training began watching my dad take pictures endlessly growing up, but my true training was at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. Unfortunately, it no longer exists.
LACP: When did you know you wanted to devote your life to photography?
EH: When I was 19, I saw a show at The Whitney Museum in NYC on Robert Frank’s book “The Americans” and I thought this is what I want to do!
LACP: Did you ever come close to giving up?
EH: Not really. I do go through many times where I feel creatively stuck and then will have an idea that excites me and keeps me creatively inspired.
LACP: Have you sacrificed anything by being a photographer?
EH: Yes, lots of struggle balancing making a living and not giving up on my art. I have had plenty of frustrating times wondering if what I am doing is worth it in the bigger picture of the more important struggles on our planet.
LACP: What have you gained by being a photographer?
EH: Getting to meet incredible people and hearing their stories. I never would have met these incredible souls if I never became a photographer. I have a greater understanding of where I come from because of all the amazing people I have photographed.
LACP: What classes do you teach at LACP?
EH: Environmental Portraiture
LACP: What do you love most about teaching?
EH: Teaching is incredibly rewarding to me. I aim to inspire and create a space that is fun and exciting. The best teachers to me growing up had the coolest ideas and made learning fun!
LACP: What advice would you give someone who is thinking about making a career in photography?
EH: I would say to get a great technical background in photography before experimenting with the craft. I went to a very technical Photography school, and I thought that was going to be incredibly dull. Just the opposite. Having the tools made me more proficient in becoming more experimental with my work. Also, I highly recommend assisting as many photographers as you can to learn many techniques