Today we’d like to introduce you to Eleonor (Elle) Forte.
Eleonor, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always had a creative spirit and loved music and visual art. I used to buy those small assignment notebooks that everyone had during grammar school. However, my notebooks weren’t filled with daily homework assignments or due dates. Instead, they were filled with sketches and colorful doodling. I studied piano for several years as well which gave me a lifelong love of music. I still tickle the ivory every now and then and love hearing the music that reverberates in our home. Naturally, photography was always a part of my life even back then. I remember getting so excited whenever I got a fresh roll of film for my Kodak Instamatic camera with the cool flashcube.
My educational background is in business. I studied finance at the Kelley School of Business and received my MBA in marketing at DePaul several years later. Upon graduating I worked for twelve years in the corporate world as a financial analyst. Although I enjoyed my job, I longed for something more. I guess this is the point where my left brain conflicted with my right brain. My entrepreneurial business mind eventually merged with my creative spirit and my love of photography, which led me to my ultimate career. George Elliot sums it up with one of my favorite quotes, “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
Has it been a smooth road?
I would be lying if I said that it has been a smooth road. Starting a business is one of the most demanding, stressful, and yes, even painful experiences you can ever go through. I have undoubtedly put more hours into my business than I ever have when I worked for someone else. It’s almost like raising a baby. You want to nurture and love it and give it anything and everything that it needs to grow. I am only able to tackle this now at this point in my life because my four boys are older (my oldest is 21 and my youngest is almost 15). I’m not sure I would have had the time, energy, nor stamina to do this when they were younger. They only stay little for a short amount of time. I am so thankful and fortunate to have been able to put my career on hold during those early years with my boys.
My business background definitely helped me with my startup. There is an enormous amount of work that needs to be done to get a business up and running. My analytical training enabled me to tackle it from all angles (business plan, marketing, sales, accounting, operations). If I am going to treat this as a business and not a hobby, then not only do I need to provide an outstanding product and service, but my business must also be profitable and sustainable.
When I first launched my photography business, I confronted some self-doubt and skepticism from others. Am I good enough? Will anyone want to hire me? Could I really do this and be successful? I’ve realized along the way that the answer has always been yes. It just took a lot of work, both internally and externally, for me to see that.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Elle Forte Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
As a boutique portrait photographer, I custom design all of my portrait sessions to capture the essence of every woman and her family. My clients hire me for my contemporary style of portraits for beauty/glamour, high school seniors, families/generations, maternity and personal branding headshots.
It really gives me great joy to empower women of all ages through my photography. Women are undeniably very hard and critical of themselves. As someone who has gone through the throes of motherhood, I know exactly what it is like to put everyone and everything ahead of you. In the course of everyday life, women can very easily forget about taking care of themselves much less feel beautiful. Many women feel uncomfortable being in front of the camera for various reasons. Some believe that they aren’t photogenic or hate the way they look in pictures. Others believe that they need to lose 20 pounds before having their picture taken. Sadly, some teens don’t feel like they measure up to what they see on social media. However, no matter what stage in life you’re at, every woman deserves to look and feel beautiful. Your loved ones treasure you for who you are. I want to help you exist in portraits so that you can see how others see you – beautiful.
A signature photo session with Elle Forte Photography is a luxurious experience like no other. Together, we will design your dream photo shoot. Perhaps you want a classic Vanity Fair style portrait in the studio with your family. Or maybe you desire something more romantic with a soft, flowing vintage dress. Or you’ve always dreamed of being photographed wearing an epic gown in a beautiful location in downtown Chicago. With a team of professional hair and makeup artists on hand, we will pamper you on the day of your photo shoot. We take care of all the details so that you can relax and fully enjoy being on the top of your “To Do List”. Your actual photo session includes several outfit changes and a fully guided photo shoot where I aim to bring out your true personality, inner beauty, and best features.
This one of a kind experience can be enjoyed with your mother, sister, daughter or best friend. Why not get together and have the ultimate Girls Day Out? You can even have your spouse and family join you at the end of your session so that you can also have that beautiful family portrait that you’ve always wanted. Then, be sure to make plans to go out to dinner afterward because you will look and feel gorgeous.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In today’s digital age, technology is both a blessing and a curse. The ease with which we can take pictures today gives us an abundance of images on our cell phones and computers. However, we are at risk of losing all those precious images with a failed hard drive, corrupt memory card or damaged cell phone.
As a result, professional photographers (especially portrait photographers) are advocating our clients to print their images. The latest cell phone will soon be replaced by another. But your printed photographs of you and your loved ones will outlive us and be treasured for generations to come. This is the power of print.
Contact Info:
- Address: 117 E. Northwest Highway
Suite 104
Barrington, IL - Website: http://www.ellefortephotography.com
- Phone: (847) 502-2002
- Email: info@ellefortephotography.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/elle_forte
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ellefortephotography
Image Credit:
Marna Niebergall de Rojas
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