Rising Stars: Meet Lexi Elliott

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lexi Elliott. 

Hi Lexi, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Since I was a child, I have always loved taking photos. My first ever camera was an old Barbie-style camera that I got when I was 7. As I grew older, I knew I needed to upgrade to a real camera so my dad gave me an old film camera he had and I still use it today! Life got crazy, as it does and sadly, I could not put all of my time and effort into photography but I always managed to capture moments on my cellphone! Music alongside photography has always been a huge part of my life so why not move to Nashville right? Since moving here I have found a whole world of opportunity and have had the pleasure of working with some amazing and talented artists. This all has allowed me to not only expand my career as a film photographer but also open up a house venue with my partner William Cheatham, known as “The Witch Hole.” In this space we put on live shows, offer a rehearsal space for artists, and I run my home photography studio out of it!!! 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ll be honest, it was not a smooth journey at all but I always like to think things could have been worse. My photography career did not get much if any traction at all when I first moved here and it took a lot of meeting people and networking before I landed some paid gigs. Luckily in this town, it is not hard at all to meet someone who either does the same thing as you and can connect you to clients or someone who needs your services. That being said I got into the scene pretty quickly and ended up meeting some of my favorite artists that I still work with today! I learned that no matter how much you prepare for something you’ll always have unexpected things out of your control come into play so it’s good to be versatile! I also learned to always be unapologetically yourself and you can never take enough pictures!! I always just try and take it one day at a time.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am Filmifairy! I am a film photographer and a partial owner of the house venue The Witch Hole, which is not only a venue but also a rehearsal space and photography studio. I specialize in music photography things like promotion shots, behind the scenes of music videos, and themed concept pieces. I mainly use 35mm film but have recently dipped my toes in the digital photography world. When I first started, film photography did not seem as widely used as it actually is. I would say it is still a niche thing but I have realized that it’s quite popular especially here in Nashville. One thing I am most proud of is creating a space where not only I can flourish in my craft but where other artists of all calibers can come and unlock their full potential. I run a home photo studio out of my house and with the help of my roommates we created The Witch Hole where we put on concerts, festivals, and art shows. 

I love the phrase “a picture is worth a million words” and I try and portray that in all of my shoots. With film, every single shot matters and I do not just want to take someone’s photo. I want to create a moment; I want our shoots to be a collaboration and I want to be intentional in the work we do together! Let’s CREATE something that means something! 

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I learned a lot of lessons due to the covid 19 crisis. I learned a lot of lessons in 2020 in general, as I hope everyone did. That being said I want to take this moment to recognize what privilege I have as 2020 for a lot of people was something unimaginable and I am thankful to have been somewhat alright during it. On top of the lockdown and not being able to book shoots in June of that year my father passed away. All of these things one after another discouraged me a lot. I took a couple months to myself where I did not do any work or much of anything but that time alone made me realize that there are other ways for a photographer to make money that’s not just shoots. I decided to brand myself as Filmifairy and I started making prints of my photos and selling those online! which is something I always thought I knew. I fully believe everything happens for a reason and that the universe makes space for what you need and although I wish my dad could be here in this physical realm and see all of the things I have done; I know he is amazed at what I’ve managed to do with that old Cannon he gave me!!! I could not have done this without the help of my amazing partner Will, and  my very supportive friends and family” that would be amazing.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmifairy/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/the.witch.hole/

Image Credits
Filmifairy
John Joseph