A wee bit about me
Halo! I’m Dee aka elegia. I use she/her pronouns. I’m a Scottish self-taught analog photographer and artist based in Glasgow.
I grew up in a wee seaside town in North Ayrshire and from a young age I was artistic. In my late teens and early twenties I studied various subjects at college including fine art, poetry and creative writing. I struggled a lot due to undiagnosed disabilities and my poor mental health. I remember feeling disillusioned with everything, and I stopped painting and writing altogether. It wasn’t until 2011, that I found my way back to all things artistic, when I relunctantly fell into modelling. Initially, I picked up a camera to photograph myself in order to practise my posing. Then I got my first Polaroid camera and this quickly snowballed into a passion for teaching myself how to shoot and process film. Soon I began photographing models myself and taking my work more seriously.
I’m very proud of being self-taught at photography. It’s the hands-on element that I enjoy about working with tangible processes. I believe that my modelling experience helps me to understand what it’s like on both sides of the camera. My work is greatly influenced by my childhood and working class background; namely the architecture, art, cinema and music made by us. I also have AuDHD, OCD and dyspraxia, which understandably influence my work too. I've created many self-portrait projects exploring my experience of living with these disabilities and the unique ways in which they shape both my eye and my world.
Over the last 14 years, I’ve been lucky to have had my work published and exhibited internationally. Personal highlights have been Impossible/Polaroid using my work and exhibiting with them in a group show in London, and more recently; exhibiting with the Society of Scottish Artists at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. Creating with tangible imagery is what really drives me; there’s just nothing else like it. <3
As well as my self-portraiture; I work with models, musicians, actors and SWs. To book a shoot and to discuss my rates: you can email me or find me on Instagram.
I’m online a lot. (I hope you like cats). 🐈🐈⬛
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EXHIBITIONS
LEVEL Public Open Exhibition 2026
July 3rd - September 11th, 2026.
LEVEL Arts Centre, Rowsley.‘I Wish I Was In Glasgow’ Exhibition
July 26th - August 4th, 2026.
New Glasgow Society, 1307 Argyle St, Finnieston.FUJIFILM House of Photography Photo Competition 2026
July 24th - August 21st, 2026.
FUJIFILM House of Photography, 8-9 Long Acre, Covent Garden, London.‘Greetings from Scunthorpe’ Exhibition
July 2nd- August 31st, 2026.
Fountain Arts, Scunthorpe.Over The Bridge Group Show at Ryedale Film & Photo Fest 2026.
June 20th - August 31st, 2026.
Parish Project Spital Street, Malton.REMEDY. Photo Festival: Group Exhibition
June 2nd - 30th, 2026.
Not Quite North, Lincoln.REMEDY. Photo Festival Weekend
June 19th - 21st, 2026.
Barbican Creative Hub, Lincoln.SSA 127th Annual Exhibition: Honouring Legacy, Embracing the Future
January 11th - February 4th, 2026.
Royal Scottish Academy - Upper Galleries, Edinburgh.‘Beneath The Veil’ Exhibition
October 3rd - November 1st, 2025.
The House of Smalls Gallery, Edinburgh.Cafe Blah Open Exhibition
December 8th, 2024 - February 9th, 2025.
Withington Hall, Manchester.‘Dissect’ by The Art Collective Exhibition
Fundraising for Women Refugee Connect.
November 30th, 2024.
Withington Hall - Manchester.‘A Sense of Place’ Exhibition
October 25th 2024 - January 12th 2025.
Oyez Arts - Altrincham Town hall.‘PLAY’ Exhibition
November 1st - 3rd, 2024.
OT Creative Space - Old Trafford.‘What Artists Wear’ Exhibition
September 2024.
Blue Rinse Vintage - Manchester, UK.
ISO600 International Instant Photography Exhibition
October 4th - 6th, 2024.
Paoletti Photogallery - Bologna, Italy.‘Day & Night’ Exhibition
June 26th - July 11th, 2024.
Fronteer Gallery, Sheffield.Community Micro-Gallery Exhibition
Happening In MCR x Afflecks
May 27th - end of August, 2024
Afflecks Ground Floor via Tib Street entrance.West Art Collective Presents ‘Indelicate 4.0’
March 9th, 2024
Antwerp Mansion, Manchester‘Blue’ Exhibition
October 7th - November 2nd, 2023
Glasgow Gallery of Photography‘Representation On The Line: (Un)framing Our Identities’ Part II
Hundred Heroines by The Royal Photographic Society showcasing women in photography.
August 31st - September 30th, 2019
HIVE, 80-82 Church Street, Blackpool.‘Representation On The Line: (Un)framing Our Identities’ Part II
June 2019
Hundred Heroines by The Royal Photographic Society showcasing women in photography.
Heroines Hub in Chelsea, London.‘Photography on a Postcard’ Exhibition: raising funds for the Hepatitis C Trust
October 12th – October 25th, 2017
The PrintSpace: Shoreditch, London.‘Polaroid Is Not Dead’ : Expolaroid
April 9th – May 1st, 2016
Hotel Pasteur: Rennes, France.SHVR: Traditional & Diverging Views of Beauty, Romance & Darkness
October 31st & November 13th/14th/15th 2015
The Fruit: Durham, NC.‘Impossible presents 8 x 8’ Group Show
February 20th – February 22nd 2015
The Hoxton Gallery: London, UK.‘Chemistry: New Instant Photography’ Exhibition
June 10th – July 27th 2014
The Jam Factory: Oxford, UK.‘Wanrooij meets Raw Beauty’ Exhibition
June 6th – June 21st 2014
Wanrooij Gallery: Amsterdam. -
PRINT PUBLICATIONS
GRAINCORE Fanzine: June Edition (2025)
The Optiko Journal Vol.5 (2025)‘Roots & Rituals’ Photo Book 2024: Stirling Photography Festival.
Photodarium Classic Calendar: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2025, 2026.
Photodarium Private Calendar: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023.
Purpose Magazine: Volume 1, Issue 5. July 2018.
The Optiko Journal 2018.
Impossible Color Image/Spectra Film advertising (2017).
Photography On A Postcard 2017 Boxset 50 Postcards.
Practical Photography Magazine, December 2017.
LOV Zine, Issue #2: Portraits.
Hylas Magazine, Volume 1: Loss.
She Shoots Film, Issue 1: Self Portrait.
Monochrome Magazine, Issue 4: Instant.
Femme Fotale, Volume III: Analog.
‘elegia : Self-portraits’ – A Quite Delightful Monograph.
Issue Two of The Quite Delightful Project : ‘Quite Lovely’.
Fixation Zine #01
‘Raw Beauties’ – A Polaroid Project (Book).
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AWARDS, FEATURES & INTERVIEWS
FUJIFILM House Of Photography Photo Competition 2026 Shortlisted Artist
First Prize 18+ category at LEVEL Public Open Exhibition 2026
Society of Scottish Artists ‘Life With Water’ Exhibition showcase.
Global 50/50 Org: ‘This Is Gender’ Collection.
Analog Sparks International Film Photography Awards 2024: Honourable Mention Fine Art/Erotism for my ‘Sarah’ series.
Analog Forever Magazine
Sunny 16 Podcast
Lomography
PRYME Editions
LOV Zine
DRECK
Impossible Magazine
BLUR Magazine
Float Magazine
Analog Magazine
Analogue Vibes
Light Leaked
Emulsive
Fragmentary
Whattaroll