About Emily Gustafson Photography
A bit about my life and love of photos
Hi there!
I'm Emily and I'm a portrait and event photographer in Peoria, Illinois. I love natural light, the great outdoors, and meeting new people. I photograph everything from newborn babies, couples and engagements, families big and small, and all-day weddings.
A little bit more
Besides photography, I love art of any sort. I graduated Bradley University with a bachelors in studio art, concentration in graphic design and minor in marketing. And besides art, I love being active. I was a 4.5 year athlete during my time at BU, competing in cross country and indoor and outdoor track.
How it all started
I love taking photographs. I think this happened when I was a young girl with a cheap camera and an obedient dog. I would take my camera and my Golden into the backyard and take hundreds of pictures. Sometimes I would find an old piece of wood or hunk of metal to set my camera on, then position myself with her to create what I thought was compelling and thought provoking.
While at Bradley University, I took a black and white film photography course where I learned to use a SLR and expose in a darkroom. There, I had the privilege of learning from a now award-winning and published photographer, Anastasia Samoylova.
Since my earliest days with a camera, I have found the different perspectives, lighting situations, and expressiveness a single image can produce to be simply amazing. I've always wanted my images to tell a story, to speak to the viewer visually, and I still continually try to achieve this.
What else I love
Most of my free time is spent hanging out with my husband, son and daughter, running long distances, and stretching it out on the yoga mat. I love the outdoors and animals alike, including my tabby cat and Golden Retriever. Whenever possible I truly enjoy spending warm, sunny days doing anything and everything outside.