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Send It: Roanoke Photographer Creates USPS-Inspired Fashion Shoot

Greta Timmins | October 14, 2020

Topics: Maggie Ellmore, photography, skate parks, United States Postal Service, USPS, voting

Maggie Ellmore’s latest photo shoot was inspired by the United States Postal Service and recent efforts to defund it, as well as the ongoing lack of funding for community-oriented public spaces in her hometown of Roanoke.

What similar roles do fashion and the postal service play in public service? And what are the implications of the defunding of the postal service? Maggie Ellmore, a fashion photographer and set designer based out of Roanoke, set out to answer these questions in her newest photoshoot, “All I Do is Fucking Send It.”

The photoshoot features a model, Taia White, dressed in black shorts and a striped shirt with a U.S mail patch attached, posing in an abandoned skate park. The shoot was done all in one day, after Ellmore reached out to White, a good friend of hers.

“Both the USPS and fashion are connected by grand notions that are larger than life,” Ellmore said. “The postal service, of course, [is] is a lot more rooted in reality, where if the larger than life really shrunk, it would negatively impact a lot of people. I decided that the best way to show that was with some pretty fly style, so to speak.”

Many of Ellmore’s projects are based in fantasy, as she often explores the idea of what life would be like on other planets and how that would then mix with fashion. Therefore, she wanted the shoot to have a unique look that went beyond the traditional USPS outfit.

“[When planning the shoot] I thrifted clothes and ironed patches on, and made [the outfit] really quirky and flow together in a way that is pretty cool,” she said.

While the shoot is inspired primarily by the defunding of the US Postal Service, Ellmore also wanted to show the importance of government and public service on all levels, which is why she based the shoot in a skate park.

“Roanoke will not fund any sort of skate park, which is really chaotic for a town of our size, because we do have a skate community,” Ellmore said. “And so we’re left with having to create our own spots that aren’t necessarily safe, but still do look cool.”

The shoot critiques the lack of funding while praising the community effort.

“I just wanted to show the importance of [the lack of funding] in  a way that critiques it, but also embraces what we’re dealt with,” she said.

Ellmore also sought to call attention to other governmental issues. One shot of White features her with an open fanny pack with stamps flying out.

“I really wanted to raise awareness for [the USPS], as well as voting,” Ellmore said.

Ellmore’s favorite shots are the detailed ones, where she was able to highlight both the story and the fashion.

“There’s one [shot] where she’s sitting in a split across the railing of a skate ramp, and I love it because the ramps are made from road signs,” Ellmore said. “It just really adds another message of why public service is so important.”

Ellmore thinks work like this is important because of art’s ability to commentate on society without words. With that in mind, she is brainstorming ideas for future projects.

“I’m excited to see if there is anything else that I can connect together to amplify my voice in a positive way,” she said.

Photos courtesy Maggie Ellmore

Transcending the Familiar With Maggie Ellmore

Kaitlin Edwardson | May 20, 2020

Topics: Maggie Ellmore, photography, Virginia photography

Photographer Maggie Ellmore’s arresting color schemes and fantastical imagery are both otherworldly in effect and deeply rooted in her local community.

Maggie Ellmore’s photos are some of the most colorful and impressive pieces of art I have ever seen. She draws inspiration from cinema, art history, and music to create beautiful sets and whimsical photographs that transport you to another world.

Her website describes her work as something that “makes you feel as if you’ve transcended into a new reality in between the familiar and the unconventional,” and I couldn’t have said it better myself.

After starting photography in middle school and maintaining it through high school, Ellmore decided she wanted to do it for a living and go to school for commercial photography. “The past few years, I have been going to school at Appalachian State University,” she said. “Last summer, I did an independent study for five weeks, where I did about 10 or 11 shoots working with a set that I modified.”

Ellmore hand-paints her own sets and does almost everything herself, to make sure the shoot is as cohesive as possible. She also uses common objects and similar items to accessorize the shoot. “From styling to wardrobe, makeup, the sets, the photography, the editing, I do it all,” she said. “I felt that it was important to do that in order to solidify a unique look.”

The sets can take a while to paint, but Ellmore said she can usually turn around a photo in a week or two. “Sometimes I can sit on an idea and wait to work on it for months or years in order to get the timing right,” she said. “But from idea to final photo, it’s usually a few weeks.”

Her unique aesthetic draws on inspiration from photographers David LaChappelle and Miles Aldridge, as well as David Bowie. “I think that music pushes the narrative,” Ellmore said. “They all inspired me to convey what I want in a way that hasn’t been done before.”

Ellmore’s shoots really do make you feel as if you have entered another, more colorful, world. Her 2018 “Eyeris” shoot was a final project in one of her classes, and was shot in Roanoke, Virginia.

 “I reached out and went around to local businesses to shoot,” she said. “I also have friends who have houses that haven’t been touched since the 70s.” The clothes in that shoot were mostly thrifted, and Ellmore modified them to include the eye elements, she said.

As a local artist, Ellmore finds her work to be rewarding. “I work in such a unique niche that I have been lucky enough to work with some amazing people and businesses who want to actually work with me and trust my creativity,” she said.

She also tries to collaborate with other local artists because she “feels there is value in learning from other mediums,” and applies it to her work as much as she can.

Even quarantine can’t stop her from working and photographing. “Right now, I am working on a self-portrait series,” she said. “I have a six-foot by six-foot set in my garage, and I have been working on detailed production and slowing things down a little bit.”

Ellmore’s work can be found at her Instagram, Facebook or website. Check it out.

All photos by Maggie Ellmore

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