Elizabeth Waterman

Elizabeth Waterman
Born (1985-03-01) March 1, 1985 (age 41)
Taos, New Mexico, United States
EducationUniversity of Southern California
Known forPhotography
Websiteelizabethwaterman.com

Elizabeth Waterman is a Los Angeles–based artist working with performance, portraiture, and constructed image systems. Her practice engages dancers, performers, and subcultural spaces through staged and observational photography. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including New York City, London, Paris, Sydney, and Los Angeles, and has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, British Journal of Photography, and L’Oeil de la Photographie.

Early life and education

Elizabeth was born in Taos, New Mexico, United States. She earned her BA in Fine Art at the University of Southern California.

Career

Elizabeth's books include Moneygame (XYZ Books, 2021), a study of exotic dancers across five U.S. cities, and Candyland (Unicorn Publishing, 2024), a series of outdoor portraits of female adult film actors.

In October 2022, Waterman did a solo exhibition at Boogie Wall, an all-female focused gallery in London, featuring pictures from her book Moneygame.

In 2023, Waterman held several solo exhibitions, including Gorgeous Drag in Albumen Gallery in London, MONEYGAME in Leica Gallery in Los Angeles and Anderson Yezerski Gallery in Boston.

In December 2022, she released a photo series called "Women of the Sidewalk Project", in partnership with non-profit organization The Sidewalk Project. As a part of the holiday season, they released 12 days of portrait photos of transgender women living on the Los Angeles streets.

In 2025, her series Propulsion was exhibited at Photo London through Albumen Gallery. The work examines similarities between human and marine movement.

Publications

Books

Awards and recognition

Personal life

She is married to an American photographer, film director and author Michael Grecco. The couple lives in Los Angeles, United States.

References

  1. 1 2 "Dark Angels: Illuminating the beauty and athleticism of strippers". 1854.photography. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  2. ↑ Davidson, Susie (July 1, 2023). "Visual Arts Feature: Elizabeth Waterman's MONEYGAME - Reconsidering the Lives of Strippers through a Female Gaze - The Arts Fuse". Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Elizabeth Waterman". phmuseum.com. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "How a fine-art photographer recast the lives of exotic dancers through a female gaze". Los Angeles Times. November 19, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  5. 1 2 May, Tom (August 20, 2024). "Photographer Elizabeth Waterman challenges our perceptions of porn stars". Creative Boom. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  6. ↑ Stephens, Dan (July 6, 2025). "Interview: Elizabeth Waterman On Reframing Sex Work Through The Female Gaze In "Candyland"". Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Boogie Wall Presents Elizabeth Waterman: Moneygame — Exhibition at BOOGIE — WALL in London". ArtRabbit. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Albumen Gallery at Photo London 2023". Artsy. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Elizabeth Waterman "Moneygame" | Leica Gallery LA". Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  10. ↑ Spring, Elin; Révy, Suzanne (May 31, 2023). "Best Photo Picks June 2023 | What Will You Remember". Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  11. ↑ M. Redman, Bridgette (December 19, 2022). "Photographer launches 'Women of the Sidewalk Project'". Los Angeles Downtown News — The Voice of Downtown Los Angeles. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  12. ↑ Liang, John (April 21, 2025). "Photographer Elizabeth Waterman Reveals Striking Parallel Between Jellyfish And Exotic Dancers". Retrieved August 3, 2026.
  13. ↑ "PX3 2020 Honorable Mention Winner — Dark Angels 2020". Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  14. ↑ "PX3 2018 Winner — Dark Angels". Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Meet Michael Grecco: Photographer, director, producer, and entrepreneur". Days of Punk. Retrieved April 25, 2021.