✨ Ellen
The Luminous Project
A Conversation with Ellen
Ellen and I met a few years ago at an event where we were putting together care packages for our kids. Since then, she’s stayed in my world, joining me for experiences like vision boarding and branding challenges. As a Bay Area portrait photographer, I was thrilled when she decided to step in front of the camera to celebrate her milestone birthday. We sat down afterward to talk about making time for herself, embracing change, and what it meant to intentionally capture this chapter of her life.
Can you share a little about yourself?
I started my career in engineering before discovering a passion for corporate learning and eventually moving into consulting sales with GP Strategies. Outside of work, I love spending time with family, dogs and horses, along with books, travel and my newest pastime, puzzles.
What would your younger self be most proud of about the woman you are today?
I was a pretty reserved person growing up. I don’t think I was shy, but I was quiet. My career has turned me into someone who is on a stage of sorts, whether that’s pitching ideas or having discussions where we have to reach specific outcomes. I’d like to think I get it done with a little flourish, and I think my younger self would be proud of that.
Early in my career, I was behind a desk and not in front of customers or leaders. Then I became a consultant, and suddenly I was in front of clients all day. They were paying me for my expertise and my output. Later I moved into consulting sales, where I had to prove my worth, be honest and forthright, and correct mistakes when they were made. It holds you to a high level of accountability. At the same time, I’ve been able to have a healthy personal life outside of work, and I’m happy with how that has all turned out and balanced.
Was there a challenging experience in your life that shaped who you are becoming?
I had the courage to change my career path when I was in my early 30s, and that was pivotal. I have a graduate degree in engineering and started my career as an engineer.
When I couldn’t find the next job I wanted in my field, I decided to take a chance and try something else.
I moved into writing and workplace training, and eventually into adult learning, which is the field I work in now. I found myself in a more diverse workforce, and overall it was a much better fit for who I am. I’m proud of making that change.
Not everyone wants to step away from something they’re trained in and learn something new on the job, but it’s very possible. I tell young people that all the time.
What did that experience teach you about yourself?
I’m resilient and pretty determined. I can learn something when I need to learn it to be successful or when it’s expected of me. Give me something new and I’ll give it a try. I’ll ask for help if I need it, but here I go. I haven’t shied away from those kinds of challenges.
What made you hesitate about investing in portraits, and what finally made you say yes?
Honestly, it was setting aside discretionary money for something that was just for me. We have limited time and resources, so it wasn’t an easy decision. But then I realized I was doing this to capture this age in my life, this season, and these photographs would be there not just for me but for my family to enjoy.
I have photos all around my house of my own parents, and we love them. We treasure those photographs. It made me think, why shouldn’t I be doing the same thing? We plan and save for vacations and other experiences that matter to us, so why not plan and save for something like this too? That was really the turning point for me.
What surprised you most about the session? Was there a moment that really stayed with you?
I was fascinated by how you get the person in front of you to a place where you’re eliciting an expression and something that’s inside starts coming out. I’m such an analytical person, so I found myself listening and watching what you were doing and thinking, she has a formula, but it’s probably really flexible depending on who’s in front of her.
I enjoyed being shaped by what you wanted me to do, the posing, changing my expression and my posture. And then there was having a hair and makeup person work with me beforehand, thinking intentionally about the clothes I brought and the other things I wanted to be photographed in.
The whole experience was just a nice way to sink into myself, but show myself off.
When you saw the final images, how did they make you feel?
You made me feel luminous, beautiful. There’s no question that when you take the time to put a look together, and then you elicited that emotion from the inside out to go along with the beautiful hair, makeup, jewelry, everything, the result was so lovely and artistic.
I really enjoyed paging through the final images I chose. I also looked closely at whether the images highlighted the things I brought that I thought would be special mementos.
What do you hope your family sees when they look at these photographs?
I hope they see the things that were gifted to me being used and being loved. It’s fun to get dressed up and celebrate ourselves. I even wore a borrowed black dress that we paired with my wedding jewelry, which made it feel more personal. I hope my family sees that I invested some time and energy into putting this together and thinks, look how beautiful she looks. I’ll take a compliment.
Has this experience changed the way you see yourself?
I’m aware that so much of my day is spent on Zoom and other software where we’re all looking at each other’s faces, and frankly, image is important.
It’s also encouraging me to rearrange my closet because there are a lot of things in there that I hadn’t been wearing. We always go to the same favorite items, and those photographs included some things I hadn’t worn in certain combinations or as often as I’d like to. I love purple. Why don’t I wear more purple?
What would you say to a woman who is still waiting for the right moment?
Put it on the calendar and make the time. There are always work, family and other obligations competing for our attention, and if you don’t prioritize the experience, the time probably isn’t going to magically appear.
I took the whole day off for my session, and I’m so glad I did. I got to step away from everything else and enjoy being the center of attention for a little while, which isn’t something I normally get to do.
Ready to step into your own spotlight? Learn more about the Luminous portrait experience for women 40+ and how to create a session that celebrates this chapter of you.
Now I have more versions of Ellen to put into the rotation.
I appreciated the pre-shoot coaching and prep, from the detailed instructions to the conversations we had so you could draw out what I wanted. I did not fly blind coming into the studio that day. Your process works.
From the shoot to looking at the photos and making my selections, everything was smooth and streamlined. You made it a very smooth customer experience for me. Start to finish, it was meticulously orchestrated.
I would recommend the Luminous session because there are different ways of showing ourselves to the world. Now I have more versions of Ellen to put into the rotation, and it’s nice to have them captured for posterity.