Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Ollis.
Karen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Currently I concentrate on my fine art photography by co-creating with nature in the form of freshwater imagery. As an avid hiker it was only natural for me to bring along a camera. I began really looking at how creeks and rivers flowed which intrigued me. Dialoguing with water through a camera lens is really captivating to me.
I spent many years producing photographic imagery for commercial clients in the form of editorial portrait stories and ad campaigns. It made me a better photographer than if I had skipped commission work going straight into fine art photography because the competition factor made me discipline my creative and technical processes. I was also lucky enough to have clients who trusted me artistically which gave me an outlet with my creative voice while creating those commercial projects. In my off time away from commercial work I always created personal fine art collections. I found experimenting an integral part of my creative process so I could play with ideas and techniques that once mastered I would bring to commercial clients. Both sides fed each other. FLOW which is my latest fine art collection is one of those projects which has taken on a life of its own and now is my full time passion.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Is life smooth? Any road that is smooth doesn’t build character and resilience, it’s not interesting. I have lots of character and resilience along with graying hair and the stories that go with it.
When I was coming up there weren’t the variety of photographers that there are now and same with clients. Beginning my photography career in Los Angeles meant a greater variety of clientele and and atmosphere supportive of creativity. However due to family circumstances I moved to Cleveland and found myself as I was a female artistic photographer in a white male dominated midwestern industry. Cleveland at the time was the fifth largest graphics center in the US, it was a hub of trade advertising with some trade editorial publishing. After moving from Los Angeles and working in the music industry I managed to take my artistic vision and make it work applying it to the clientele objectives making a professional name for myself through creative innovation.
Yes I experienced the off hand typical male treatment from both prospective clients and from photographer competitors, but I never let it change who I was or what and how I did things. Knowing when to disengage from that type of aggressor behavior is key to saving your energy. There were people and projects I walked away from with good reason. My thought is this, if you are afraid of breaking a fingernail, don’t go into professional photography. Your feelings will get hurt, you will want to quit for time to time and you will have to work much harder than you ever thought. Keep your grounding and focus… pun intended. Yet things are different now. It’s easier to find clients that are in your tribe that you align with. So go forth with your camera, your artistic vision and grow yourself.
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?
Photographically I have delved into various ways of defining photographic expression. From traditional photography experimenting and mastering multiple exposures on large format transparency film, to digital formats. When digital photography became better quality I went into it having my wish fulfilled of a more eco friendly process. It also meant I was no longer tied to a lab for film development. As digital cameras and printers have gotten much better it has freed me up considerably and given me more creative license from start to finish. As well digital gear makes traveling and location photography so much easier and faster.
Artistically one of the more consistent areas of my creative process throughout my career as been the exploration of color. It is something that I am known for regardless of the chapters of my life and the subject matter I’ve covered. Whether it was live music performance imagery, album covers, artistic editorial portraits, products, corporate portraiture, multiple exposure conceptual images or fine art nature, my strong use of color and lighting is the common thread that weaves through all of my photographic works.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
First of all, I’m most interested in collaborating with people I align with and vice versa. When people align there is a better outcome for the best interest of all. Whether it’s a fine art project or commercial projects take look at my work and if you are inclined to feel it aligns with what you desire as an outcome, then reach out and connect with me. Email works best.
Fine art prints are available and there are samples on my website. I can always set up a personalized gallery viewing online to find what bests suits you. Prints are a great way to bring the element of water into your living space.
To support my on going fine art project FLOW your options are to send donations via Venmo to purchase my publishing projects the FLOW Calendar which is annual, and the book “FLOW portal”. As well you are welcome to support my work in artistically and photographically documenting freshwater tributaries.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ollisphoto.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenollisphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenollisphoto
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenollis/
- Twitter: https://bsky.app/profile/karenollis.bsky.social
- Other: https://cara.app/karenollis
