From the ER to the backcountry, Elena took a lot of left turns to find her place behind the camera.
Meet Elena Pressprich, a photographer and producer based in Bend, Oregon, and the Content Production Manager at Visit Bend. Elena has called Bend home since she was about five, and these days, there are very few corners of Central Oregon she hasn't dragged a camera into.
Her job covers a shoot from start to finish: the first idea, the shot list, talent, locations, schedules, wardrobe, and snacks ("very important"). Then, more often than not, she's the one behind the camera too. "I feel pretty lucky that playing outside is part of my job description," she says.
But her path to photography was anything but a straight line.
A career of left turns
Elena never imagined she'd be a full-time, in-house photographer. "I didn't really think that this version of a career could exist," she says, "because it didn't. It's a newer career, yay!"
She took a lot of left turns to get here. She worked in dental offices and emergency rooms and became a radiologic technologist before finding her way back to photography. The common thread was curiosity. "I really enjoy being able to explore lots of different worlds instead of staying in one lane."
Her work ethic came from her parents, both hard workers in very different ways. "I think I'm a pretty perfect blend of the two: creative and driven," she says. They taught her to show up, be dependable, solve problems, and take pride in her work. The rest, like flexibility and making things work when they don't go to plan, she learned by doing.
The quiet director
One of the hardest things she's learned by doing? Speaking up. It's also the skill she thinks would surprise people most. "I'm naturally a pretty shy, introverted, and quiet person," Elena says. "But I've learned that if you want something, sometimes you just have to ask for it."
She wants her photos to feel genuine, but sometimes the person in front of the camera needs a nudge to get to where they'll shine. Learning to say "put your hands here" or "can you do that again?" with confidence didn't come naturally.
"Photography has taught me that being quiet doesn't mean you can't be a strong director, too."
No two days alike
Some days, Elena is at her desk writing emails, building schedules, developing story ideas, and "checking the weather for the 900th time." Other days she's up before sunrise, hauling 30 pounds of gear up a mountain and trying to keep pace with a mountain biker who isn't carrying any of it.
The work can be intensely physical. "I've hiked, biked, climbed, crawled, laid across rocks, been upside down, gotten dirty, gotten wet, cut up, stung," she says.
The mental load is harder to see. "You have to listen really well, compromise, problem-solve, and know when to completely abandon Plan A and move to Plan B, C, or cancel altogether."
When it all comes together, it's worth it. "It takes a lot to get the people, the weather, the activity, the light, the energy all dialed. There's just a wonderful feeling when all the pieces click."
The work behind the fun
The biggest misconception about Elena's job is that it's all play. "And, okay yeah, sometimes it totally is," she admits.
She tracks every piece in an Excel spreadsheet and marks each item green as it's confirmed. "It is ridiculously satisfying when everything turns green."
"So yes, sometimes I'm skiing for work. But I probably spent several weeks before that ski day making sure all the right people were there at the right time, in the right place, with the right gear, while hoping the weather cooperated."
What she needs from her gear
We asked Elena what she'd want workwear designers to know. First: "A lot of us run cold. Or hot. Or both within the same hour."
She's also hard on her clothes. She's torn them on branches, rocks, and backpacks, sometimes on what was supposed to be a simple hike. On any given shoot, she might be kneeling on rocks, lying across a trail, crawling through dirt, or scrambling through snow with several cameras on her back. "I need clothing that stretches, moves, and actually holds up to that."
And the waistband matters. "Please, my goodness, give me a waistband that stays where it belongs. I should not have to think about whether my ass is about to fall out while I'm trying to photograph something."
In the end, she wants clothes that disappear. "I don't want to think about how my body looks in it or constantly adjust it. I want to be able to focus completely on my job."
Cheering on other women
There are fewer women than men working in outdoor and sports photography, and Elena gets excited every time she sees another woman out there crushing it. One of them is Whitney Whitehouse, who shot Elena's Dovetail photos. "I love those photos," Elena says.
"I'm a big cheerleader for women succeeding in general," she says. "I love seeing women taking up space in fields where we haven't always been as visible."
Follow the itch
Elena used to think a good photograph had to be perfect: perfectly sharp, perfectly composed, perfectly executed. Now she's more drawn to light, blur, movement, and imperfect focus. "Sometimes the photograph is better because it isn't perfect."
She's also learned that you don't need a map. "If you don't know what you want to do with your life, pick a direction and start walking. If it doesn't feel right, take a left turn. Then take another one."
That philosophy took her somewhere new about a year ago, when she earned her pilot's license. Learning to fly in a male-dominated field, surrounded by younger students, was "a roller coaster of lessons, challenges, tears." Now, every time she goes up, she still thinks: "Wait… I get to do this? How lucky am I!?"
Her advice for the next generation of women: "Follow the itch. If something makes you curious, go try it. You don't have to know where it will lead." And above all: "Life is too short not to go dabble around and go have a shit ton of fun in the meantime."
Follow Elena's work on Instagram at @elena.pressprich.