While the rest of us were shopping for chocolates, stuffed animals and red Mylar balloons for Valentine’s Day, Amy Spasoff grabbed a bag of conversation hearts. She wasn’t sure what they’d be good for, exactly, just that they seemed like the right thing to grab at that moment.
Spasoff’s newly launched photography studio,
Amy Elisabeth Photography, showcases these little moments of inspiration. And if Spasoff’s not always sure why she’s picking up a vintage hat here or a never-to-be-eaten bag of candy there, it all finds a permanent home eventually.
In the case of the candy hearts, Spasoff poured them into a wine glass, crafting a close-up for a young model, whose portfolio – and that photo in particular – recently won her a coveted agency booking in New York.
“I love when a girl will smile on camera or laugh, so I really think that my specialty is getting a clean, beautiful, happy and fun photo -- the kind of photo that you look and makes you smile,” Spasoff says. She recently signed on as a photographer for a local talent agency, has worked with many young women just breaking into modeling.
Spasoff started photography as a hobbyist, but when a friend insisted on paying her to photograph an event, she realized snapping photos could be a full time job. When she was laid off from a writing position, she decided to pursue her passion full-time.
That meant some serious time behind the lens and in the classroom. Spasoff is currently a Bad Girls Ventures finalist, so in between bookings, she’s attending classes through BGV, learning to be a businessperson and a creative. The result? A lot of questions.
“I just completed my marketing plan and that’s in full effect. I’m also working on my business plan … I literally sit in these classes and I’m like the obnoxious kid sitting in the front of the class asking a million questions. I’m really just trying to take it all in,” she says.
By Robin Donovan
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