PRO STORIES: JOSEPH ELLIS

MEET OLYMPUS EDUCATOR JOSEPH ELLIS

WHO ARE YOU?

I’m a wedding and portrait photographer, YouTuber and educator from Dallas, Texas. I specialize in Wedding Photography & Family Portraits.

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WERE A PHOTOGRAPHER?

I fell in love with photography when I was pretty young, maybe 10/11 years old. I was obsessed the mix of art and science, storytelling, technology and the sharing of images. I would sit in the library of my middle school devouring photography books and magazines which lead me quickly into my own darkroom and from there I knew it would be lifelong passion. But when I really fell in love with photography wasn’t until I discovered photojournalism. My high school basketball team won the state championship my senior year and during that tournament run I shot images behind the scenes and during every game which ended with a 24 page essay in our yearbook and prints being shared all over the school. It was that experience which really propelled me into my college career as a newspaper photojournalist and into my business today.

INTRODUCING OLYMPUS

How did you get started with the Olympus system?

Initially was looking for a system that would help me get to the images I wanted to make more quickly and with less bulk and weight. I started by adding just one camera (E-M5 Mark II) and a normal lens (M.Zuiko 25mm F1.8) to my kit and I soon realized that there are a ton of advantages even beyond the small size, like the IS, speed, articulating screen, exposure simulation and 4K video that all helped me increase my creativity all while keeping more energized and having more fun on demanding and long wedding days.

What’s your go-to Olympus setup?

My go-to setup is two E-M1X bodies, the M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO and the M.Zuko 45mm F1.2 PRO. That combo does a lot of work on the wedding day and that’s how I usually being and end most days in terms of what I’m carrying on my person.

In my bag, I have:

How does Olympus help you do your job?

Wedding days tend to be between 8-10 hours and for many the size/weight of your gear can have a tremendous impact on your energy level has you reach the last half of the night. What I love about the OM-D system is that it’s no burden at all to throw and extra lens into a jacket pocket or bring an extra strobe plus I no longer have to bring a tripod when I’m attempting images at night. It all adds up to being faster, more creative and having more fun.

The IBIS system of the OM-D cameras as allowed us to make images at night both in the city and under the stars not possible before without a tripod and it’s been even more useful as we’ve added video into our product offerings because, again, so much less gear is needed to get smooth footage.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING A MEMBER OF THE OLYMPUS FAMILY?

I would have to say the community. There are so many outstanding and generous people in our OM-D community and I love both helping them with my knowledge and learning from theirs. Photography is a life-long process of learning and refining your craft and it’s awesome to be on that path with other inspired people.

TIPS FOR OTHER BUDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Be a photographer, not a camera owner. The best you can really hope for with gear is that it will inspire you to get out and create, great images and amazing experiences are the goal and your camera is the passport to go after them.

TIPS FOR OTHER PRO PHOTOGRAPHERS

Always find time to play. As pros we’re often so busy with work and entrenched in what we know gets the job done that we can forget to spend time just playing, learning and adapting to new ideas. As I came into the Olympus system I made and effort to learn and embrace the unique features and technologies of the OM-D system and many of those have opened new doors to storytelling and/or services I can offer my clients.