CREATOR SERIES: Elizabeth Carababas - Photographer & Writer
I came across Elizabeth’s work by chance on Instagram a couple of years ago. Needless to say it was a swift click of the “follow” button, and I’ve been admiring her captivating storytelling through a camera lens ever since.
A Los Angeles based photographer, art director, writer (and I’ve been told – big music enthusiast), Elizabeth is a talented multi-hyphenate whose work has a distinctly personalised stamp on it. Not surprisingly, she has captured the intrigue of leaders in the creative world (Architectural Digest, The Future Perfect, Vogue, Domino Magazine and LVMH to name but a few), leaning into the architecture and interiors space in particular.
I personally love her exploration of space and her ability to capture a mood or feeling, utilising natural light so beautifully. I’m also fascinated by her curiosity towards her projects and how her research of each subject informs the outcome.
It was an absolute pleasure to sit down for a conversation with Liz and learn more about her drive and creative processes.
Read on to find out more!
Hi Liz! So lovely to be chatting with you today. Please tell us about your work and the evolution of how you got to where you are today in your career.
I’m in my 30’s now and I do wonder at what point do we not reference our formative high school years as references to who we are today, but it really does have a large impact on my beginnings. Back then I spent a lot of my time alone. Mostly by choice but also in part because of how I was bullied by my female peers and just wanted to be as anonymous as possible. I found comfort in my job working for the theater department designing and running their shows. I liked working in the darkness with light as a 3D object. And knowing how to read sheet music colored that experience greatly. Two of my favorite things combined in an IRL experience. I worked so hard at being the best I could be. It gave me so much agency at such a young age. And because of that drive I got myself out to Los Angeles despite having no plan, no money and no connections. I half-lived out of my car, half at a boyfriend’s for the first few months of living here, parking my car on the far side of the parking lot at my gallery job so no one would see the furniture and extra suitcases I had stowed inside. I was willing to be uncomfortable to at least try. It’s kind of crazy to think that was 8 years ago.
Each time I’m met with an opportunity to make something I do intuitively fall into this space where I do want the shadows and imperfections and to push something closer to this edge of theatrics. It’s just who I am. And I guess now that I’m settled into my ways I do want my work to show that part of me. I am not afraid of having some mystery, darkness, patina, atmosphere. And I do think there is something to be said for how architecture and interiors can emphasize that.
Do you have a design/creative philosophy?
“Get it right the first time”, which could translate to “get it in camera” or “wait until the light is right.” It’s a nod to authenticity. Admittedly, I don’t like the mentality “we can just fix it in post”. Sure it’s applicable in some cases, but when I hear that on set I get so bothered. Because I see it this way: If I have to spend more than a few hours pushing pixels to get an image to a certain point, I didn’t make a good enough photograph. It inspires me to do better each time I try.
Can you tell us a bit about your creative process?
The truthful answer is that I spend about 10% doing what everyone sees publicly and much of the remaining 90% looks like me laying on the floor in the middle of my living room with my headphones listening to music for hours. It’s a way I gather myself again. Also, I think better when I walk so I do fill in that time with Frank (my dog). It’s not that I don’t have energy to be a photographer 24/7, I just choose not to be because I know I have entirely separate set of interests that need to be tended to on a daily basis. Yay, hobbies.
What inspires your work most, and why?
Rest. Sustenance. Because if I am unwell I stand no chance to show up and do my job to the best of my ability. This affects me more than I admit to myself sometimes. It’s challenging working for yourself to begin with while living with the pressure of hustle culture, the sprinting of marathons and betraying personal needs to appear agreeable and flexible to impossible standards. When I am at the end of my rope I can’t make sound decisions. About anything. Not even just about creative direction or strategizing how to grow my business. My tiredness becomes this toxic sludge that keeps me on a low-level autopilot. Kind of like being intoxicated. How can I make smart creative decisions when I’m just trying to survive my work week?
Last summer I got to a breaking point and a friend would actually get slightly upset with me when they would invite me to things and I would have to respond “On deadline, I’m sorry I won’t make it” every single time. I know they meant well when they would reply “Jesus woman would you take a break for once?” But at the time I just could not stop. I felt so much shame for being the friend that wasn’t taking care of herself. So, a few days later I bought a flight to Greece and it was the best teeth-pulling decision I’ve made for myself in a very long time. It wasn’t just vacation, because I was visiting family, too. It was healing beyond words. I had moments on that trip that felt biblical. And biblical in the sense that it set a new standard for a way of living my life to keep my soul alive. It gave me faith in myself again once I gave my nervous system a break for the first time in five years. Then I started to see the world differently. And that is exactly what inspires me to keep making photographs. It is all how to see.
Do you have any exciting projects you are focusing on right now that you can share with us?
2023 will be the year I publish a photo book. I like this goal for myself. I have always wanted to make something physical with my work. So, let this be the year I meet those that will keep me accountable on that front!
What music have you got on repeat at the moment?
My soul is thankful for this question. I’ve been revisiting J Dilla’s suite of work recently. Same goes for a whole crew of those Detroit characters that are imbedded in the history of Motown to Techno and House. I’ve been reawakened to it in recent years and I’m investigative by nature, which means when I find something I can really get deep in it. Like Youtube 3am watching dj sets level of deep.
LTJ Bukem, Terrance Parker, Rick Wilhite, Eddie Fowlkes, the new Rick Wade LP, Fred P, Ananda Project, Ron Trent’s Word, Sound & Power album, The Promise by Nutty Nys. I listen to Amoroso (1977) by Joao Gilberto almost daily. I revisit All Melody by Nils Frahm when I need to cry & release. The harpist Nailah Hunter has a track Forest Dwelling that is about 30 minutes long and is so comforting to have on in the background. I have playlists for focusing, to flirting. There is nothing I love more than finding a soundtrack to our lives.
For more, visit elizabethcarababas.com