Rising Stars: Meet Liz Maselli of Columbus, Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Maselli

Hi Liz, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up a huge animal lover. I have been vegetarian my entire life and vegan since 2011. Growing up I always wanted to be a vet and care for animals, but as I got older I realized the reality of caring for animals in a medical sense isn’t sunshine and rainbows. After I went vegan, I joined the Columbus vegan community participating in activism and other local and state events. I started volunteering with a Farm animal sanctuary after routinely visiting in 2014 as a guest. I later joined their board of directors as secretary and headed their social media, fundraising, worked on their website on top of helping with animal transports, event planning and cleaning. I started photographing my beloved residents and formed deeper love for photography. I realized photos can bridge the gap between our perception of typically farmed animals and the true reality of their kind and gentle nature. I try to capture personalities to encourage people to learn about the animals humans typically over look and don’t see as having the same feelings or rights to live their lives in peace. I since resigned from my position and now volunteer my photography services to other non-profit sanctuaries in Ohio like Red Oak Animal Rescue and Foreverland Farm near Cincinnati, Stahl’s No Harm Farm in Uniontown and The Good Shepherd in Neaopolis. You can find the sanctuaries I volunteer with on my website and find ways to support them as well. All of my photos for nonprofits are donation based. It’s my passion to help supply sanctuaries and rescues with material to help aid with fundraising and marketing.

My love for photography also extends to plant-based food. I work for a local vegan restaurant called Setian’s Realm running their social media and photography. I’ve worked with several vegan restaurants and have had my food photography images published in local magazines like 614now and have been featured in online vegan publications like Peta, Veg Out Magazine and even Whole Foods and interviewed by Vegan FTA 3 times. One of my greatest passions is working for businesses who have vegan and plant forward options. I genuinely love vegan food and I hope to help break the stereotype that vegan food is bland and boring. Eating more plants offers so many benefits to the animals, our planet and our health.

I am also a new dog mom. I rescued my best friend, Ollie over the summer and have been nursing him back to health. He is the absolute joy of my life.

Growing up in a vegetarian household and later transitioning to a vegan lifestyle has shaped my outlook on life in so many ways. It taught me compassion, empathy and gave me a better appreciation for the interconnections of all living beings. I believe this is why photography became my passion. It is the bridge from my perspective that I wish to share with the outside world. I strive to capture not just images but emotions, stories and moments what resonate with people. I want the world to see animals as I do. My greatest passion lies in documenting the lives of animals, whose stories often go untold. I hope to show their individuality and help the world understand the bond we share with all living beings.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has not been. People have many opinions and vegans definitely receive ridicule. Many don’t take me seriously because I do only shoot vegan options or products. Photography is an art and I receive criticism almost every single day. Criticism has pushed me to work harder and improve my art. I think as artists and creators its so important to learn how to turn struggles and obstacles into advantages and chances to grow.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a vegan photographer that specializes in shooting vegan food for small businesses. my greatest love is photographing sanctuary animals so I also volunteer with non-profit animal rescues donating photos of their residents for fundraising and marketing use.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a super energetic kid with a lot of interests. I grew up in ballet even attending a ballet boarding school. Photography wasn’t even in my world. I only picked up a camera in my mid 20s. Growing up I had a fierce love for animals and their well being. My mom likes to tell the story of my young activism days in pre-school. (I was sent home for telling the other children where the hamburgers came from) Nowadays my activism is much gentler and I love to educate through my images.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theveganlens.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Theveganlens_
• Other: https://veganlens.myportfolio.com/work