I have been a photographer since I was 16 years old. That’s when I started studying it and fell in love with it. I moved to NYC in 1996 from Connecticut to go to the School of Visual Arts to get my BFA in Photography. When I graduated SVA I decided to stay in Manhattan where I lived in the same apartment for 9 years. In quest of more space and a backyard, I finally made the big move to Brooklyn in the summer of 2007. I do consider myself a “New Yorker” since I have been here over 12 years.
I signed with my first photography agent at the end of my junior year of college. When I left them after 5 years, less than a year later I landed my first big ad campaign with Nixon watches. In my 9 year career as a professional photographer I have worked in advertising, fashion, and portraiture, shooting for all kinds of magazines, look books, stock photography, and celebrities. This (more commercially palatable) work can be seen at TheStaggParty.com.
When not shooting commercial photography, I have always pursued my personal work as well–my more erotic photos. I have been shooting erotic photography since I started using a camera, and I have loved all kinds of erotic art since I can remember. However, I really got into the work I’m producing for StaggStreet.com in December 2005 when I met my muse, Justine Joli. She was the first model to help me push my vision. Then Justine introduced me to more girls, and I kept taking trips to LA to shoot more and more Adult Industry models. Too “artsy” for porn mags and too “porny” for commercial work, I soon had a stockpile of erotic images and no home for them. It was at the suggestion of my friend (and fan) J. Nicely that I started my blog StaggStreet.com as an outlet for this work.
At first I was getting 10 visitors a day, and then a bit more when Frank151 started posting a Stagg “pic of the week” on their blog. A couple months later I was receiving press from Complex Magazine’s blog, Fleshbot and Sex TV. As I received increasing attention through word-of-mouth buzz and press coverage from around the world, the numbers of visitors went from a couple hundred a day to thousands. Since the beginning of 2008 close to half a million visitors have viewed my work on StaggStreet.com.
These days, I still stay busy (and pay my rent) with my commercial work, but I passionately pursue my erotic photography at every chance I get. Along, with continuing to display my work on StaggStreet.com, in the future you can expect to see photo books, more gallery shows, and even a documentary. And if you think you’ve got what it takes to get in front of my camera, don’t hesitate to drop me a line. Who knows, if I like what I see, you might just make it on StaggStreet.
With Love, Stagg
Ifc.com Documentary of Ellen Stagg photographing her favorite models, The Stagg Party
MYSPACEÂ –Â http://myspace.com/staggsgtreet
TWITTERÂ –Â http://www.twitter.com/staggee
