Elizabeth Solaka

Photographer

Maternity Photoshoot collage — Maternity collage

Approach

I am an American portrait photographer and artist based in New York. I’m drawn to the beauty in human relationships, the intimacy of sacred events, and the tapestry of endless city streets. It’s my hope that my subjects don’t change their pose for my camera. I want to document people in their natural states. I prioritize the real unedited and unfiltered photograph coming straight from the film surface over anything edited or artificially retouched.

I’m ever inspired by Diane Arbus, and like her, I strive to photograph from fascination and connection.

Earthereal Photography

San Francisco friend and poet Diamond Dave Whitaker described my work with a word he made up: earthereal. I thought this was perfect. It’s pictures suspended between the hyper-real and the transcendent. This approach is central to my practice.

Ariana Guttierez in clothes that she made herself.

I document portraits that reveal the inner life. I’m fascinated by every single person I photograph. Each person is interesting, whether with context around them or in a distilled environment. I photograph landscapes, cityscapes, and abstractions. I’m enamored with urban spaces, and I never run out of inspiration in the vastness of New York or wherever I happen to be.

Inquire

Weddings, Private Commissions, and Personal Milestones

I am drawn to people and sacred events as threads in the larger human story: the joy and significance of a quinceañera or a bat/bar mitzvah; the vows, tears and celebration of weddings; the reverence and warmth of family at a baptism or a baby naming. These are not just events; these are moments where relationships are laid bare in their tenderness.

Woman with grandmother at a garden wedding

Sister helps bride tie wedding dress — Bride with Sister

Portraits of Artists, Actors, Authors

portrait of author Simon Van Booy — Simon Van Booy in his Brooklyn work space

Polaroid

I also have completed a body of work with discontinued Polaroid 665 peel-apart film through my Hasselblad back. This photo process produces a loose expressionistic form, eerie, otherworldly imagery. This happens over the course of months and years as the Polaroid oxidizes and transforms, taking on a life of its own. I am no longer an artist but an observer. Often polarized sections appear when exposed in sunny environments. These create dreamlike distortions that make the familiar strange.