SIÂN ELIZABETH

Beauty, fashion and portrait photographer Siân Elizabeth is obsessed with strobes, but there’s more to her work than strong lighting. She talks to Lauren Scott about making mistakes and why you can’t compare yourself with others

- Lauren Scott

IF YOU ask professional photographer Siân Elizabeth when she first remembers holding a camera, she’ll tell you that it’s always been there. But it wasn’t until she graduated with her journalism degree in 2007 that she invested in a Canon EOS 400D, a ‘proper’ camera that would accompany Siân on a backpacking trip around the world.

By the time Siân returned from travelling, she knew that photography was her ultimate career path – but it still took exploring a few different genres to find her true passion…

Where did your career begin?

When I returned from travelling after university, I knew that photography was my career path. I joined a wedding photography agency, which soon had me shooting weddings on my own. When I realised that they trusted me enough to go it alone, I left the company and began taking on my own clients. But weddings were not for me. I finished on a high with a wonderful couple, but my love was elsewhere.

I became the O2 music photographer and shot bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Panic! At the Disco, and Four Year Strong, plus festivals, TV shows and catwalks. I had an absolute blast doing it, but it wasn’t until I got my first set of studio lights that I realised where my passion was.