Check Out Isabel Dowell’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabel Dowell

Hi Isabel, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was gifted my first camera at the age of fifteen. From that moment, I knew I had found my creative outlet in life. Throughout high school and into college I worked closely with friends, teachers, and mentors to hone my skills and find what niche of photography felt the best for me. Since I was pre-teen, I had always loved going to concerts and once I realized that it was possible to mix my love of concerts and photography the answer was obvious. This dream became a reality when I covered my first show; Grand Valley State University’s Spring Concert in 2018. After that, I was reaching out to any and all artists that came through my area looking for photography coverage of their set. There were approvals and rejections. I had many artists accept my offer and put trust in my skills so early on into my career which I am forever grateful for.

Since then, I’ve gone on tour twice with a Grand Rapids-based band, Low Phase, covered hundreds of shows, traveled across the country to cover music festivals (Lollapalooza, Hinterland, Pitchfork), and worked with more artists than I can count. I provide artists with portraits as well as show coverage, and I work in both digital and film mediums. I’m always looking to try something new whether it be bringing my medium format film camera to a show or working on some crazy collage or alternative process to take my work to the next level.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Finding my path in the world of concert photography hasn’t been a smooth one, but it’s still fun regardless. I have received a lot of devastating rejections where I know if the artist or publicist gave me a chance I would have been able to wow them, but sometimes there just isn’t an opportunity to do so. My recent struggle has been trying to find a style of photography that feels very true to me. I’ve wanted people to look at a photo of mine and know I took it. A friend of mine, Bella Peterson (@elevamy on Instagram) has a really incredible style that I admire. I had asked them one day how they did it, what it took to get there. They told me they didn’t even feel like they had a style, they just did whatever made them happy. That really changed my perspective on how I shoot and edit my work. In trying to find a style, I was making work for other people and I never want that to be the case with my art. In recent months, I’ve been really trying to follow B’s advice and focus on making work that I want to see. It’s been extremely freeing and has brought me even close to my work.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a concert, film, and portrait photographer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I specialize in live music photography and enjoy working with local and touring artists that come through my area. While working with some of the biggest names in music is extremely exciting, I am most proud of the work I do with local artists. A few I’d like to name in particular are Low Phase, marsfade, and Isobel Vee. These artists are all based in the Grand Rapids area and have really given me the time and space to practice, mess up, and succeed. Without them, I would not be the artist I am today. We understand that we are all learning and living together which makes our relationship as artist and photographer so much more special, and we’ve all become friends in the process which just helps turn work into play all of the time.

How do you think about luck?
I think luck has definitely played a role in my work, but a very minimal role. There have been moments where I’ve posted at just the right time or tagged the right people to get my work in front of those who are looking to hire me, but other than that I’ve done a lot of the work myself. Luck doesn’t send out hundreds of emails to every artist at a big name festival looking for one person to accept my offer or spend hours upon hours editing or playing around with new techniques to change up my work. I did all of that. Luck has been present at times, of course, but without the many decisions I’ve made I wouldn’t have the career I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.isabelelise.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabelelisephoto/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@isabelelisephoto