Sophie Elgort
Growing up in New York City in a family of artists, Sophie Elgort had plenty of exposure to travel and culture. But when she studied abroad in Buenos Aires, she took full advantage of every opportunity for immersion. From watching soap operas with her host mom to making friends with restaurant owners to interning in the ER at a public hospital, Sophie made certain this would be a standout experience. She learned lessons about taking risks and managing the unknown, skills that would prove useful as a young entrepreneur launching a multi-channel business in fashion photography. To date, her work has been widely published in publications such as Teen Vogue, Glamour, Elle, Paper, Tatler, Visual Tales, and The Financial Times; and she has shot for top brands including Bloomingdales, IBM, Clinique, Etienne Aigner, Mercedes Benz, and Vince Camuto. Learn more about Sophie, why she feels it is important to mentor aspiring young photographers, and what she is planning next.
IES Abroad: Why did you decide to study abroad and why did you go to Buenos Aires?
Sophie Elgort: I was a Comparative Literature concentrator at Brown University, and they encourage all Comparative Lit majors to study abroad. I was also very interested in the opportunity as soon as I heard about it. I was studying both French and Spanish literatures within my concentration, but I picked Buenos Aires because I felt like it was a place I might not get back to as much in the future. I go to Europe a lot for work now, but it is true, I don’t really make it back to South America as much, so I am really glad I ended up studying there.
IES Abroad: What are some of the most influential memories from your time in Buenos Aires?
SE: Oh, so many. I had a really great host mom. She was single and loved soap operas. She was just the best. She wasn’t a very good cook. She would stick something in the microwave and heat it up for both of us. And she didn’t speak a word of English, not even one word, which was great. We really got along and loved watching soap operas together. One night I didn’t go out since I was exhausted after multiple nights out in a row, and she was so shocked she asked if I was sick. I will never forget her. She was a really positive experience.
Also, I was lucky enough to be there at the same time as another friend of mine who I grew up with, starting in lower school in New York, who was in Buenos Aires on another program. We didn’t actually know at the outset that we would both be there. We had mutual family friends that let us know that we were both over there. We ended up having a lot of fun adventures together. In having one other person in each other, we were able to make a lot of friends locally and meet a lot of owners of small businesses, like restauranteurs and shop owners, and explore together.
IES Abroad: What was your personal journey to taking up a profession in fashion photography, and how did your time in Buenos Aires influence you as you launched your career?
SE: My time in Buenos Aires was a very formative time, in general. It was definitely one of the most standout experiences, even to this day. I’m comfortable traveling; I’m comfortable being in new places; I like exploring; and doing all of that. You learn how to take risks and are able to appreciate adventure. In the beginning of a career, especially when you are an entrepreneur, there is a lot of uncertainty. You have to be able to dive in, take the risk, and believe in yourself. Having studied abroad certainly helped prepare me for this. I remember the first week abroad was just challenging. You are in a new place, living in a new home, speaking a different language. I think it just prepares you for your career, and entrepreneurship, in particular.
IES Abroad: Has the experience informed your photography work in any way?
SE: With photography, you pull things from a ton of different places and experiences. Randomly, the other day, I was looking at a photograph of mine, and it reminded me of an experience in Buenos Aires. I have been trying to figure out what I want to do my next exhibition on, but now part of me thinks I may focus on this one subject in Buenos Aires and go back to capture some of these images.
IES Abroad: You have had some pretty incredible assignments and have worked with several well-recognized brands and publications. What has been one of your most exciting or fulfilling assignments?
SE: They are all fulfilling in different ways. One that was really exciting was photographing Coco Rocha, who is a pretty big super model. I shot her for a campaign earlier this year, and that was a really exciting moment for me because it just felt like it was at a different level. I felt like I had accomplished something by getting pulled into a job like that. Also, I was working with her and the team, working with these amazing teams of people. Every new opportunity is really exciting. I was just interviewed by Sotheby’s about their upcoming photography auction, and that was cool, because they are a huge global name. It’s always exciting, and part of me thinks, “Whoa, why would they want to talk to me?” But at the same time, you have to realize that every single little accomplishment is a win in your life, and you just appreciate it.
IES Abroad: Last summer, you launched your own lifestyle website. Why did you decide to pursue this direction with your work?
SE: The “lifestyle website” is more like a diary. Actually, it’s funny because when I did an interview for it on Women’s Wear Daily, they called it a “lifestyle website” or something like that. Then, Hollywood Reporter picked it up and did this huge story about how I was launching this massive lifestyle website. I was like, “Oh no! I’m not launching a lifestyle website! I said a diary, an online diary!” It’s really more about sharing my personal pictures and experiences, the ones I am not commissioned to do. I was trying to think of where I could find a platform to put these images, and I thought a diary online would be a cool way to show them. For example, I was just traveling in Australia for ten days, and I took all these pictures. I want to be able to share them and write about the experiences. It is about showing people my voice – people who don’t know me – so, not only what do my pictures look like, but what do I sound like, and what do I sound like when I’m writing. I’m also going to do a video component soon, which I am still figuring out because it is a little more time intensive.
IES Abroad: Tell us how you have used your influence to support aspiring photographers, particularly among younger generations.
SE: There are so many young aspiring photographers in middle school, high school and college, and I get all these comments on my Instagram or via email asking me to check out their work. I always try to take the time to look at it or meet with them if they are in New York. A lot of times, I have them come meet me, and they are with their parents – they are that young – and then I look at some of their pictures, and I talk to them about what they are thinking in terms of career goals and going into college, how can they pursue it, or coming out of college, what makes sense next, because a lot of people don’t necessarily think of the arts as a career option. Especially if someone is talented, it is important for someone to be able to encourage them and for them to have a role model, see that this can be a career, and that you can make money doing it.
IES Abroad: What do you aim to achieve with your work in photography and your other creative outlets?
SE: There are a few goals I have been focusing on for the last couple of years. One is growing my photography career, meaning shooting more and more, bigger and bigger publications and campaigns. That is the commercial side. On the personal side, the art side, I really want to have my first solo exhibition on a topic that is important to me. I am also working to get more on-air opportunities. I would like to be a host or a judge having to do with fashion or photography on a TV network, or maybe now it is more current or modern to do it on a digital platform, but still video. That is what I am working on, but they all go hand-in-hand. As one of them grows, it will help the other, and vice versa.
IES Abroad: What has been one of your most satisfying accomplishments to date?
SE: There’s a lot of different things, but I would say just getting my photography career organized as a business. I’m in the arts, but it is so important to think about this other side. If you want to make a living in the arts, you also need to look at the business side and realize, “How am I making a living doing this? What are my financial goals? How am I looking at it on the business side as well as the creative?” I really think that I’ve managed to learn about, set up, and organize the business side pretty well. Probably in the last year, I have really focused on that, and I’m pretty excited about what I have done. That’s something I never really knew about, thought about, or thought I could do. It’s not the glamorous part, but it’s so important.
IES Abroad: Why do you feel studying abroad is important?
SE: I think study abroad is really important. Everyone makes it into their own experience. It’s important to get out of your comfort zone and go explore. When you’re just traveling, like I just was in Australia for ten days – and I spent three days here, three days there, and so on – you don’t really get to know a city like you do when you study abroad. I think it is a really cool thing to be able to live in a different place and experience a different culture, not just as a tourist but as someone who lives there. I also think that language is important. It challenges your mind. Through language, you can also really understand other cultures – the phrases, the nuances, etc. It gives you perspective into other cultures the way nothing else can.