the artist
Michelle Lorentzen, founder of Ellemi Ko, is a mixed Filipina photographer, designer, and artist specializing in elevating both physical and digital spaces.
Her photography encompasses film stills, travel, event coverage, and brand storytelling for websites, social media, publications, and blogs. Her design work focuses on brand refreshes, logo development, branded content, illustrations, hand-lettering, and murals for residential and commercial spaces.
She finds inspiration from the natural world, documenting moments, exploring her inner child's curiosity, and traveling often.
She was born in San Antonio, Texas to an immigrant mother and an American father. Her mother is from the Philippines (The Visayas and Mindanao) and her father is of Danish, Irish and German descent.
Her family moved to Busan, Korea in 1996 and she returned to her San Antonio roots in 2002. Living in culturally diverse places greatly influenced her creative style and aesthetics.
In 2014, she received two BFAs from the University of the Incarnate Word, one in Fine Arts with a concentration in Photography and the other in Graphic Design.
Her work has been published in Roast Magazine, House Beautiful, Designer's Today, Scout Guide, SA Current, and Edible. She's photographed film stills for indie feature films, a Nike x NOCTA commercial, and Extreme Makeover Home Edition. She has curated three annual photography exhibitions for FotoSeptiembre and her art has been featured in solo and group shows throughout Texas and the East Coast.
She lives in Baltimore with her plants and partner Mark.
