Ely Dominguez (b.1994), a lifestyle photographer based in San Francisco,CA. She works with both film and digital photography to capture a body of work that celebrates human life in all its forms.
Hi Ely, it’s a pleasure to sit down with you. First question, that I always ask. How does a regular day look like for you in San Fransisco?
A regular day for me is really regular. I know my content may make my life look like I’m outside in wild environments at all times but most of my days are spent in solitude alone or with a few close loved ones. I enjoy peace and solitude. Maybe an introverted extrovert in a way. I enjoy my alone time just about as much if not more than I enjoy going out and interacting with others.
I’m curious, growing up in Stockton, what was that like? What kind of kid were you, and how did you spend your time?
Growing up in Stockton was the best. I have so much affection toward Stockton. It’s my true home. I was a kid surrounded by family and friends. Block parties backyard barbecues and sleepovers were the vast majority of what was going on in my early years. We have a huge family so I was really gifted to be able to feel like I’m related in some way to everyone in my hometown. As a teen I definitely really came into my individuality. I spent a lot of time going to DIY punk and hardcore shows in Stockton.
I partied hard I loved being around music and different kids. There was a lot of kids that would hangout on a street in Stockton called the miracle mile. Kids from all over Stockton would come hangout, skate, fight, party and just mingle really. Stockton is interesting in the way there really isn’t shit for teens to do. We really created our own communities and we ran around and did a lot of bad things to be completely honest with you. When there aren’t a ton of opportunities for kids in a town we make trouble but it also allowed us to build community.
So how did you get introduced to photography? And how did you first start out practicing with your camera?
Recently I found a laptop I had when I was around 18 years old and I found thousands of gems. I really realized I didn’t know what photography really entailed back then but on any device I could get my hands on I was documenting. I’m 30 now so I think for the last 15 years I’ve been documenting things.
When I was in high school I did journalism and I took one of the teachers cameras for a week to work on some assignments but of course instead of using the camera only for school I definitely threw a random sd card in there and captured a lot of teen things. When I turned in my photos for that assignment my teacher used my photos to show the other kids how to capture things. I don’t think it clicked then that I had a natural ability to know what to capture, but I think this was the early signs that I was on to something. I got to look at these photos when I came across this laptop and truly the youthful images moved me.
I always say my photos are good now because of the life experience I have had and the empathy I feel toward others. but really I think that ive always been able to truly see people and my skill present day has more to do with the hours I’ve spent practicing. When I was 21 my mom bought me some old point and shoot film cameras at a thrift store. This was when film cameras at thrift stores were actually 5 bucks. I shot a couple rolls and kinda got over it.
Around 22 years old my mom got sick with brain cancer so I shot some more film and captured some of her illness on film. Like I said I had already loved shooting photos but it was always Less intentional. I think at this point I really was understanding how much life can change and how valuable these memories were even the painful ones and how important it was to capture them.
My mom eventually passed when I was around 24. It was at that time that I bought a canon ae-1 program and I really got into shooting. I needed the technicalities at this point. I needed something to learn I needed something to distract me. I really began studying at that point and I would say that’s where it all truly became ingrained within my identity and it was something I was going to do no matter what. Life was changing and i needed to hold on to every single moment because for the first time I was aware of how temporary every single moment was.
I’m sorry to hear that Ely… That’s a traumatizing experience…. How has your mother’s passing influenced your artistic journey or vision?
Before losing my mom I wasn’t a stranger to death. Like I said before I’m nearly related to the whole city of Stockton so with knowing so many folks I went to countless funerals. Outside of my personal life I was working on a 911 ambulance witnessing tragedy and death on a regular basis.
I handled all the patients and their loved ones with so much compassion but I never took it home somehow, ultimately these were other peoples lives being ruined. As much as you can empathize with others it doesn’t really make sense until it’s happening to you. When I lost my beautiful mother Leticia Dominguez I understood how real loss is.
I began to shoot out of fear. I shot because I now knew that life really can change in an instant. I needed to hold on to every single moment and memory because they were temporary. Not only the pain of losing moments but the idea of our brain in general became an obsession. I watched my mom’s brain be deeply impacted by the brain cancer. I became kind of obsessed with the fear of losing all my memories one day and all I’d have were my photos. This is why I needed my photos to be as raw and real to life as possible. I want the photos I take to evoke the exact feelings of what I was feeling the moment I took it.
After my mom passed all of the dedication I put into learning the technical aspects of photography combined with how much heart I was pouring into my work lead me to the position I’m in today which is being able to sustain because of my art.
In what ways has grief shaped your work or how you view your creative process?
My experience with grief has lead me to want to capture connection. My process is simple I want to capture my memories along with others memories. My grief has taught me that every moment is fleeting. I find myself capturing moments while considering the future, knowing that these are moments that will be reflected on or grieved over in life and in loss.
Looking back, what made you want to start documenting the streets and various subcultures?
Growing up I didn’t struggle with meeting others. I ran around Stockton hanging out with kids from every part of the city. When I could drive I started to build connection with other people in other cities all over the Bay Area and beyond. Every person I met had something new and interesting to offer and I thrived on building new connections. It never really meant much to me during this time I just liked fucking around and exploring. I didn’t realize I was learning from others their ways of living and thinking. I just had fun.
When I worked on the ambulance after this period I walked into the lives of so many different people. I might go into 10 strangers homes on any given day. I realized how small my existence is in the grand scheme of things was. I was wildly intrigued with the idea that everyone was so different from one another.
To sum it all up my fascination with the human experience and all its complexities is what drives me to immerse myself into different communities.
With that in mind, what do you look for when you’re out looking for your next motif to capture?
I’m not looking for anything really. I just like to bring my camera with me where I go. I have no expectations and thats what’s special about it I’m capturing things in their truest essence.
How important is authenticity in your work? And can a picture still be good, if it does’t have any?
Because authenticity is something that is really important to me as a daily practice, separate from my work, I think it’s easy for my work to show the moments I’m apart of through an authentic lens. It’s very important to me because it is really the core of what I think makes my work beautiful.
A good photo is subjective. A photo can be good technically while lacking authenticity, it’s just not what I’m interested in. There are plenty of great photos with no meaning or authenticity.
So what makes photography your preferred medium of expressing yourself?
Photography allows me to connect with others while many other art mediums are done in isolation. My style of Photography requires connection.
Alright Ely, you’ve been pretty open about being queer… I was wondering How do you feel your queer identity informs your perspective as a photographer?
While in its simplest form, queerness is just another layer to my identity, the reality is that it is a complex identity that is not supported in the society we live in. I am openly queer but if you look at my work without my face on it you would have no ideas who or what I am. it’s always been really important for me to integrate different types of people together to share community and to know that expansiveness IS possible which is the true meaning of queerness. This is what can bring people together. I don’t have any agenda when it comes to my work other than for different people to at the least just see one another. Because my work is expansive I hope it inspires people to do that.
Do you incorporate elements of LGBTQ+ themes or personal identity into your photography? If so, how do you navigate that?
I am constantly capturing people living their lives. Queer people exist and I integrate them into my work the way they should be integrated into our society, the same as everyone else.
How do you see your art contributing to conversations around queer visibility or representation in your community or the broader world?
Because I personally am integrated in so many different communities and my work reaches so many different communities I know that my photography will always provoke a conversation. Some of the communities that I am involved in are unfamiliar with one another so when I share my work it ignites curiosity. This is how my photography is able to provide representation and merges worlds.
Are there any moments from your time in emergency services that have had a lasting impact on your perspective as a photographer?
Sometimes in our personal lives it’s easy to have anger, frustration, and a lack of patience with people we love or associate with. Specifically working at the children’s hospital I dealt with so many powerless sick children. Having a lens into the most vulnerable parts of their lives allows you to have an almost immediate empathy for someone. Providing caretaking to my patients helped me begin to practice love as an action in my personal relationships. My work at the children’s hospital had such an impact on how I approach my subjects in photography. I move with more gentleness, empathy and patience for others.
Can you tell me about some of your favorite memories from being out shooting in the field?
My favorite memories are the ones spent capturing the young people in my family, the next generation. It’s intriguing documenting their growth because young people change so rapidly. For example being able to capture the birth of my nephew was one of the most unforgettable life changing experiences in photography I have had. I am not only their elder but I am apart of the village that is raising them. I want them to one day be able to look back and be able to see themselves through my eyes.
Other than the camera and lens. Are there any essential items that you always bring with you when shooting?
I’m probably the most minimal photographer you’ll ever meet. I keep it simple camera lens and sometimes a flash. I’m from Stockton and I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 10 years I know better than to walk around looking like I want to get robbed.
Can you tell me a story about a time when a connection with someone had a big impact on you?
There was a young girl who was a patient of mine that I cared for for an extended period of time. Her resilience and ability to make me laugh in the face of adversity changed me forever. She taught me to love selflessly. She taught me to not get angry at the things that I couldn’t control. She was in a vulnerable position and she exemplified love. Her perspective was so different than mine but we were able to connect. I felt more connected to her than many people in my personal life. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to connect with someone so different than ourselves. She taught me lessons that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life and I am a better person because of her.
What qualities do you find most important in the people you choose to spend time with?
I have a hard shell and a soft inside. I think I’m drawn to people who are gentle and tender because it gives me space to be that way as well.
I know that sobriety is important to you, can you tell me about that?
It provides me clarity. I haven’t always acted like the person that I am. Substances played a part in taking over me and at times took away the parts of me most sacred. Connection is a huge part of what makes my work what it is. The opposite of addiction is connection. Substances acted as a barrier between my true self and others.
Anybody you look up to?
I look up to my dad. We’re different in so many ways. Though Some might say we’re just as much alike as we are different. My dad isn’t an artist, he’s a simple man he works hard and he loves his family. Somehow along the way of providing for us he managed to become a friend of the world. In my adulthood I have tried to come back to the basics and remember to look at the ones closest to me and learn them the way I learn others. I watch the way he can have a conversation with every single person in the room and I’m amazed by it every time as if it’s my first time seeing it. My mom told me everyday before leaving the house “trust nobody but yourself”. Her words protected me from the world. It was her balance of self preservation with his openness to anyone that lead me to practice both ways of existing in balance.
What motivates you?
My parents sacrificed a lot of their freedom for my siblings and I. I recognize that and I strive to take advantage of the freedom that I have. So my word, my work, and my integrity are everything to me. I never want to take my life for granted. The gift of life and health is motivating enough to get me up and at it everyday.
How would you describe a perfect day?
Being surrounded by my loved ones, everyone’s getting along, everyone is happy, and we’re laughing over delicious food. At some point in the day I would pull everyone to the side and get their portraits.
Alright Ely. I always ask these two questions at the end of an interview. The first is. What’s your favorite movie(s) and why?
This is a question I’d probably never be able to answer. Anyone can ask me my favorite anything and I will never have an answer for it. I know that’s a funny answer but it’s the truth!
What song(s) are you currently listening to the most right now?
I think I have probably listened to this song more than a million times. “Bobbi Row and the english men – why’d you put me on.” My top played artist right now though is probably EBK Jaaybo