Doug Ellis Photography

Serves San Luis Obispo, CA

35244

Hired 183 times

2 employees

25 years in business

$395

5.0

This pro accepts payments via Apple Pay, Cash, Check, Credit card, Google Pay, PayPal, Square cash app, Stripe, Venmo, and Zelle.

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Credentials

Background Check

Doug Ellis
Completed on 9/26/2019

Introduction

Enjoy magazine-quality photos by an experienced portrait photographer and have fun in our beautiful fair city with glorious golden California light. I keep things light and moving and will never let you look like a dork or make you stew in an awkward pose. I truly believe that play is at the heart of good work. A great photo is an all over body experience. We get to have a lot of fun and feel more alive by showing the real you, the authentic you and those you care about. I'm Doug Ellis, a Santa Barbara branding, headshot, and family portrait photographer who helps people feel at ease no matter the occasion. I have a career and Masters degree in branding/marketing and use somatic coaching and positive psychology and other energetic/body based tools to help you embody and express your best. I have been a full time professional photographer in Ojai, Santa Barbara, and Montecito for 15 years and you can read more about me at dougellis dot com. My images have been published in national magazines and broadcast television programs, including People, Spirituality & Health, Travel + Leisure, Success, National Geographic, and Oprah's Super Soul Sunday and the Today Show. "You see..its neither pride, nor gravity but love that pulls us back down to the world. The soul makes a thousand crossings, the heart just one." John Glenday

Q&A

What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?

That there is nothing hidden! I make it super simple. Business portraits and family portraits both have a flat session fee that includes retouching and use of all the files. It is based on how many different "looks" you want to do and there are no surprises.

What is your typical process for working with a new customer?

I typically call and coach my clients through a pre-session discovery form give them a fashion/style guide and posing tips and sometimes help coordinate hair and makeup through my favorite makeup team. We also set an intention and do some stretching/energy practices to get the good juju flowing before the session. There is also an assistant with us to focus on details and help you feel relaxed.

What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?

Yes, I do workshops all the time--including leading them-- and am continually practicing and refining my craft and widening my own consciousness/inner aperture.

How did you get started doing this type of work?

Photography got into me when I got LASIK eye surgery in the fall of 2005 and took five months to travel throughout southeast Asia, Japan and Australia. When I got back, everything was different and I wanted to share that sense of awe and wonder with this amazing world.

What types of customers have you worked with?

Many famous authors, coaches, speakers, teachers and healers in the human potential and transformational trainings fields. Professional business and publicity photos, including book jackets and cd or dvd covers, website photos for business, magazine covers, Facebook and LinkedIn photos and contemporary lifestyle family portraits designed as decorative art. I also document spiritual ceremony and sacred event photos and publicity photos for nonprofit and educational organizations.

Describe a recent project you are fond of. How long did it take?

I'm proud of all my work and inevitably my last project is my favorite project, but I am especially proud of my Spirituality & Health covers and my Esalen coffee table book.

What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

Buy for lasting quality and a unique perspective that matches your lifestyle. Make a long-term investment based on someone's capacity for service and fulfillment of the finished product--good photography is just the start of being a good steward to precious memories. Also, with wedding photographers especially, make sure the personality and temperament of the photographer will increase your enjoyment of your special day instead of adding to your stress. You'll be spending one of the most important days of your life with them!

What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?

That it's not about the gear, the sheer volume of photos, or the clothes or the hair. Its a way of living oriented to beauty all the time and being prepared to share it. When you invest in photography, you are investing in all of the life experiences that led up to the moment of that shutter click.