Meet Elliana Allon. Mother. Daughter. Birth Photographer. Visionary.

Her unapologetic thirst for life is contagious, as is her profound recognition of the importance of art for all humans. The power of her photographs stirs something inside of you and fills you with the insane desire to create. Her use of available light and love of classical art come together to make real-life masterpieces. There are a million reasons why we asked her to teach for us, but the main one is this… Elliana embraces life like no one we have ever met, period.

If you’re an Unraveled Student, be prepared to have your mind opened like it’s never been before. If you’re not a Student yet, click HERE and begin your own unraveling.

What do you love to shoot most?

- I love shooting women during active to late stage labor, when all their guards come down, and they really get into the primal zone stripped of cultural etiquette... it's when their essence is revealed, and it's just the most beautiful, wondrous thing.

- I also love shooting very young children, who are pure and raw and interact with me in a way they don't with their parents, and I always find these particular moments some of the most special.

What inspires your art?

- the music I listen to and love, the films I watch and learn from, my family history, my losses and grief, my desires and aspirations, my dreams for the future, my idealism, my innocence, my life experiences, my passion for women, my spiritual leanings, my love of nature.

What do you shoot with?

- I'm not a Canon or a Nikon or a whatever girl like some people call themselves. I received a Nikon DSLR on my 30th birthday almost 8 years ago, and since then, I've been using Nikon. I'm a loyal creature and once I start with something that works for me, I stick with it.

- In terms of lenses, I shoot with prime lenses only. I've tried the 24-70 mm, but didn't see much point to it. I primarily use a 35mm f1.4, and also occasionally use a 50mm f1.4 and 24mm f1.4 when the need arises.

What other ways do you express your creativity?

- I love to draw, and paint, and hope to do more of it once I settle into my new dedicated studio space which I don't share with anyone else, it's just my own little universe I can finally call my own (I don't have any personal space in my house, so this studio space is essential)

- I sing, and play cello.... haven't really done either in years but now that I have my own studio space, I'm hoping to start renting a cello and keeping it in there to be able to pull it out and play again.

- I like to think I express my creativity in everything I do... in how I dress, how I decorate a space, how I arrange books on a shelf, how I drive... Ha! I love how eccentric I am, and how much like my parents I'm becoming with every passing day.

How do you de-stress at the end of the day?

- I listen to classical music... my favourite kind is baroque music.... favourite composers are Bach, Vivaldi, and the great master of the early romantic era, Beethoven.

- I love to de-stress while driving late at night through the city, or the countryside.... listening to groovy electronic music... it's not only classical for this girl!

- Going for walks in nature... drinking Starbucks or other local artisan coffee... an expensive habit, but so so yummy.

What kind of music do you listen to while editing?

- I love to listen to Beethoven, Mozart, Bach or Vivaldi... the more sacred, or emotionally moving the music is, the better.

What is your favorite book?

- wow... good question. I haven't been doing enough regular frequent reading these last several years to really trust that I'd have a favourite per se. But my all time favourite has been An Equal Music by Vikram Seth, which came out when I was 18, and after reading it... it was like my first love, and no other fiction novel has come close to replacing that one. It's a forbidden love story between 2 musicians.

Name one movie that inspires you.

- The Before Sunrise trilogy. (Before Sunright, Before Sunset and Before Midnight)

- I am obssessed with cinema and almost every single film I've seen inspires me in some way. I have to say, another film that really inspired me was Satyricon by Felini.

How do you handle self-doubt or creative slumps?

- I put on music. Beethoven and Bach always manage to silence the doubt and invigorate me out of the slumps.

- if I'm really in a slump and no recent work has inspired me, then I'll call up a friend, a muse, and ask if they want to shoot something with me, and I organize it, and make it happen. sometimes creative work doesn't always find you when you need it... sometimes you need to just go out there and find it yourself.

- I avoid looking at other peoples work. Doing that helps me avoid the habit of comparison, which is never really helpful.

What has been the most difficult part of your creative journey?

- making it into a thriving business.

- handling and organizing the financial aspect of things.

- i really don't like dealing in $ and wish I didn't have to.

Who is one of your favorite photographers?

- I'd have to say, my longest running favourite photographer would be Melissa Jean from Australia. Can't wait to meet and shoot her one day.

- And my newest discovery has been Jamie Beck, who is a New Yorker living in Provence, France.