Des Moines Music Scene - Musician Spotlight - Ellis Belle

About one hundred years ago, when my oldest was a young toddler, I was a babywearing educator with the now defunct Babywearing International Chapter of Central Iowa. I would teach parents and caregivers ways to wrap and wear their newborns and big kids in baby carriers. I met so many amazing individuals, some of which I'm still close with today. That is how I met Mara, the musical genius behind Ellis Belle. Read more about Mara and the Des Moines music scene.

I instantly gravitated towards Mara, even though I was a few years older than her. She had amazing energy and a great sense of humor. She also loved thrifting, sewing her own clothes, and general awesomeness. I was able to capture photos of her and her brood of kiddos last fall. A few months later I found out that she released a music single called Little Fires. Holy moly, I did not know that she had such an incredible voice. When her second single, Apathy, was released, I knew I had to get her into the studio for some pics. Mara talked to me about the music scene in the Des Moines metro and how she met the team that she would work with the produce her songs, as well as where she hopes her direction of music goes.

Mara came armed with a ton of different outfits from all black, slouchy flannels, ripped jeans, and a bit fancier outfits. Her jewelry, shoes, and record collection were equally impressive. Being in the spotlight is always a bit nerve wracking, so I opted to start with just some basic headshots on a blue background. It was screaming Senior Pictures 1997 and we both actually really loved that.

I loved the chin on the fret board so much, we had to edit it in both color and black and white. Des Moines was pretty split on what they favored.

I was wanting to experiment with more dramatic lighting and different set-ups, and it seemed this task was best suited for another creative. Someone that is flexible and willing to try new things, but also secure enough to say, "Calli, that's not cute." Haha! Mara allowed me to be creative but also told me, "I feel like a dork."

I knew that I wanted to break some of the rules when I was editing Mara's photos. I wanted some with harsh lighting and fall off and I wanted grain. The most surprising shot was the profile silhouette shot. Mara acknowledged that this was an angle that she had never really seen herself in, but agreed that it was freaking cool! I love shooting at the black seamless paper. If these were traditional portraits, I would have utilized another strobe for rim lighting, but again, I didn't want a neat defined image. I wanted messy and chaotic and a bit punk rock. Mara has a wide variety of musical taste from records her folks listened to, to pop punk, Christian worship, emo/scene, folk music, and pop. Her own style of music is best described as indie folk music. Utilizing her record collection and her acoustic guitar was an obvious choice for a few frames.

I was able to use my new Cedar roll of seamless paper from The Newborn Nerds for these shots. I also used some in-camera haze and manipulation of light to try and create a foggy ethereal look in camera, as opposed to adding it in post. Again, I added additional grain in the editing process as well. As we were wrapped up, I offered Mara some dresses I had in my client closet. Some were thrifted and others were purchased new. Mara, also being the good sport, agreed to try one of my 1920's flapper style dresses. I offered the feathered headpiece as well and she was quick to tell me that it leaned too far towards the custom side. Noted. :) Mara applied a bit more dramatic make up and I switched out the seamless paper to a neutral color.

Mara has naturally curly hair, so she joked that she was going to send these to her hair stylist. I loved seeing her gain more confidence from our session.

Alright Des Moines and surrounding cities, if you love Mara/Ellis Belle, you can stream her music on Bandcamp follow her on social media, or go out into the community and support live music in the Des Moines music scene. Have a favorite local musician or band and want me to feature them as the next musician spotlight? Send them my way.

It was awesome to catch up with Mara and not just talk about kids. I loved hearing about her music, the direction she was wanting to go, and share our recent favorite thrifted items. I am so excited for Ellis Belle to release more singles, and who knows, maybe a full EP in the future. If that happens, you must see some Calli Tuggle Photography images gracing the cover.