I'm Elias Marlowe, a portrait, editorial and commercial photographer in Brooklyn since 2013. I photograph people the way they look when no one is asking them to smile, in bold colour and hard, honest light.
About Elias
My story
Light first
I have shot professionally since 2013, and the studio is still just me. I work on medium-format film and digital, and I print my own colour work in the studio.
For bigger jobs I bring in a crew of four I trust: an assistant, a stylist, a retoucher and a producer. Together we have delivered 140+ commissions for 38 brands across 26 cities, from Lisbon harbours to sunlit Highland hills.
[What I bring]
Twelve skills behind every frame
Portraiture
Bold colour, hard sun and crisp shadow. The face people make between poses.
Editorial
Magazine and book stories, sequenced to read from the first frame to the last.
Campaigns
Brand work shot with the care of my own stories, ready for print and screen.
Film photography
120 medium format for personal and editorial work, where film earns its place.
Location scouting
Harbours, wheat fields, hotel halls. I find the place before the crew arrives.
Fine-art printing
I print my colour work in my own studio, so the tones match what I saw on set.
Portraiture
Bold colour, hard sun and crisp shadow. The face people make between poses.
Editorial
Magazine and book stories, sequenced to read from the first frame to the last.
Campaigns
Brand work shot with the care of my own stories, ready for print and screen.
Film photography
120 medium format for personal and editorial work, where film earns its place.
Location scouting
Harbours, wheat fields, hotel halls. I find the place before the crew arrives.
Fine-art printing
I print my colour work in my own studio, so the tones match what I saw on set.
Studio lighting
One hard light or a full set-up, shaped until skin, cloth and shadow sit right.
Art direction
Moodboards, palettes and styling notes, agreed early so the shoot day runs calm.
Casting
Real faces over polished ones. I cast people whose hands carry the story.
Retouching
Honest edits. Skin keeps its texture; dust and stray hairs go, character stays.
Colour grading
Warm, cinematic colour for stories, graded by hand so a whole series agrees.
Moving image
Short films and loops shot beside the stills, in the same light and mood.
Studio lighting
One hard light or a full set-up, shaped until skin, cloth and shadow sit right.
Art direction
Moodboards, palettes and styling notes, agreed early so the shoot day runs calm.
Casting
Real faces over polished ones. I cast people whose hands carry the story.
Retouching
Honest edits. Skin keeps its texture; dust and stray hairs go, character stays.
Colour grading
Warm, cinematic colour for stories, graded by hand so a whole series agrees.
Moving image
Short films and loops shot beside the stills, in the same light and mood.
Portraiture
Bold colour, hard sun and crisp shadow. The face people make between poses.
Editorial
Magazine and book stories, sequenced to read from the first frame to the last.
Campaigns
Brand work shot with the care of my own stories, ready for print and screen.
Film photography
120 medium format for personal and editorial work, where film earns its place.
Location scouting
Harbours, wheat fields, hotel halls. I find the place before the crew arrives.
Fine-art printing
I print my colour work in my own studio, so the tones match what I saw on set.
Studio lighting
One hard light or a full set-up, shaped until skin, cloth and shadow sit right.
Art direction
Moodboards, palettes and styling notes, agreed early so the shoot day runs calm.
Casting
Real faces over polished ones. I cast people whose hands carry the story.
Retouching
Honest edits. Skin keeps its texture; dust and stray hairs go, character stays.
Colour grading
Warm, cinematic colour for stories, graded by hand so a whole series agrees.
Moving image
Short films and loops shot beside the stills, in the same light and mood.
Awards & shortlists
Accolades
Six highlights from nine honours.
Marlowe©
Follow the light
New work, every week
@eliasmarlowe
Outtakes, film scans and behind-the-scenes from the studio and the road. The best place to see what I'm shooting next.
140+ shoots
for 38 brands
Shooting since 2013