Decades ago, Bill Ellzey was a cowboy/photographer. He still cowboys occasionally, just to keep his hand in, on the family ranch in the Texas Panhandle.
And his photography has taken him a long way from the Western images that were his first love: from Australia to Egypt, from the Rockies in mid-winter to the jungles of Central America in mid-summer. Along the way, Ellzey's commitment to photography as a full-time working pro has led him to explore widely diverse worlds of photography—fine art, black and white, portraiture (classic and outdoor), sports action (rodeo to skiing), commercial, industrial, advertising, aerial, editorial assignments, and stock.
After university (where he studied psychology and electrical engineering), Ellzey discovered photography during a four-year hitch in the Air Force, and there was no going back. A self-taught photographer, Ellzey now teaches others. He founded Western Photo Workshops in Telluride, Colorado, and was its director for 11 years. Sought for his varied experience and easy lecturing style, he has taught for schools such as Anderson Ranch Arts Center and Winona International School of Professional Photography. Ellzey is also a respected juror for professional and amateur photographic exhibitions.
A writer as well as photographer, Ellzey's articles have appeared in National Geographic magazine, Photo District News, Outdoor Photographer, and Camera & Darkroom, to name a few.
Today Ellzey keeps a darkroom on the family ranch on the Texas prairie and another in the San Luis Valley in Crestone, Colorado, which is his current home base.
