Elizabeth Opalenik is photographic artist who believes that all good photographs are self portraits that lie somewhere between imagination and reams.  From her earliest days doing advertising and editorial assignments she has been hired for the sense of poetic grace and movement she brings to her images.  Today her voice is primarily as a fine art photographer, educator and lecturer.

Elizabeth privately conducts photography workshops internationally and in partnership with the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, the Maine Photographic Workshops, the British Guild of Portrait Photographers, National Geographic Expeditions, The Recontre d’Arles,  and others.  With coaching through the F. Holland Day Center for Creativity and Healing, Elizabeth uses photography to facilitate the healing process for women with cancer by finding their inner beauty and strength. For the past 20 years she has returned to Provence and Tuscany conducting workshops on the figure, travel and alternative processes.  Currently she is collaborating with “Siena Danza” capturing their fluid movement through images which also express her childhood dreams of becoming a dancer.

Elizabeth’s heart is in her Oakland California darkroom where she creates many one of a kind images in the Mordançage process, handpainting, toning and working with Polaroid and other  transfer processes.  Today she bridges technology, working digitally when appropriate, utilizing Photoshop and its creative possibilities.

Portfolios and interviews of her work have been featured in such magazines as Zoom, Camera Arts,  Photo District News, Collectors Photography and Progresso Fotografico among others.  Commercial clients include Life Magazine, Gossard Lingerie, Coty Perfume,  Michael Good Design, Sea Air Holidays and ongoing campaigns for The Ladies Professional Golf Association and Nancy Lopez Golf.

Elizabeth’s work is exhibited, collected and published internationally.  She is represented by John Stevenson Gallery in NYC, Gallery DeForest in Oregon, Verve Fine Arts in Santa Fe and Corbis Stock Agency.

For interviews on Elizabeth see CameraArts 1999, CameraArts 2006, and Silvershotz 2006.

Email Elizabeth at