Some people are born knowing their passion. Elton Anderson (SBI ’05) stumbled upon his.
The commercial/editorial photographer won his first camera while working at Pfizer in 2008. He started taking pictures as a hobby and when complete strangers started sending him messages about how his work inspired them, he knew he’d found his calling. “The fact that they would go out of their way to send message of encouragement was beyond humbling,” he said. “I quit my job a few months later and never looked back.” That was the birth of Elton Anderson Photography.
Anderson is influenced by photographers like Mario Testino, Chris Craymer and Ben Watts. But he also finds inspiration in “people who are just true to themselves. Kanye West embodies this. Crazy or not, he brings an insane level of passion and work ethic to everything he does and he makes no apologies for being who he is.”
When you look at Anderson’s work, you won’t see a lot of smoke and mirrors. “I’m not heavy into photoshopping. I capture pure and honest moments as they occur and find the natural beauty in each one of my subjects.”
Anderson says his life is best defined by “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. “This book taught me that there is no perfect time to pursue your passion. Make it happen now.”
Even when he’s volunteering Anderson has a camera in his hands. While on a trip in Swaziland last year with Project Africa Global, Inc., he immortalized their efforts on film. “The experience was life-changing.”
The shutterbug says you know you’re successful when “you get paid for being yourself.” And that’s exactly what Anderson is doing.
To see Anderson’s amazing portfolio and find out his next big projects, check out http://www.eltonanderson.com and http://www.TheL10blog.com (Coming Soon)
You can also email him at elton[at]eltonanderson.com or send him a message on Twitter.
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