I’m Ellen.

Toronto. Originally from the Netherlands. I photograph the things people mean when they say "you had to be there."

A couple dressed in formal wedding attire standing on a white balcony of a white building with black shutters, under a clear blue sky.
A group of women, including an elderly woman, and a baby are gathered near a large window, engaging in conversation and sharing a joyful moment, with sunlight streaming in.

Weddings. Elopements. Portraits. Events. The same eye across all of it: honest first, beautiful second. Usually both at once.

I show up as a person before I show up as a photographer. On the day I'm calm. I give direction when you need it and step back when you don't. Not invisible, present. The kind of person you're genuinely glad is there.

A pregnant woman and a man are stretching together in a doorway, smiling and holding hands above their heads.
A woman sitting on a chair by a window, trying on high-heeled shoes, with a pair of slippers on the floor in front of her.

Twenty years from now, you're on the couch.

You open the album. And you're back in the room. Not just remembering it. In it.

That's the only goal. Not the prettiest image. The truest one. The laugh that caught you off guard. The uncle who said exactly the wrong thing at exactly the right moment. The quiet seconds nobody planned for. These are the ones that hold.

A joyful woman in a wedding dress and fur coat holding a bouquet, accompanied by a smiling man in formal attire, standing on steps outside a historic building with large columns.

Inspired by

The light through old windows. Cities that still have grit. Faces mid-laugh. Hands that tell you something. The moment right after the moment. Garment districts and side streets. A full room forgetting there's a camera. Two people who've stopped performing.

A person wearing a black coat and black shoes walking beside another person dressed in white, with only their legs visible. The person in white is wearing white high heels, a white lace dress, and a fluffy white jacket, standing on a wet sidewalk.

Your way is the right way.

If this sounds like the kind of photographer you're looking for, let's talk.

get in touch