Eleanor Preger is a photographer from Lake Tahoe, NV and Sausalito, CA. “I love to bring the beauty I see & interesting experiences I run across to your eyes.” Eleanor says, “I want to tap into your emotions and make you say AHHH. I love to experiment with the light and shadows that create the moment and mood. I am a member of the Burning Man Documentary team, a self taught photographer, fueled by a love of people and landscapes. It was the experiences of Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert since 2011 that escalated my interest and skills in photography. I've been published by many publications around the world, won prizes and exhibited at museums, airports, galleries and public events.
From the first time I was at Burning Man 12 years ago, I saw the potential of what I could do photographing the art installations, the people and the incredible landscape. The opportunity to photograph the stunning sunrises and sunsets with beautiful art and people, leave me with little sleep, but with the most satisfying photographs. Capturing people, art cars and art installations during these magical hours allows me to take advantage of the natural golden light. The enchanting time at the temple at these early & late moments showcases individuals doing their thing, whether it be dancing, meditating, fire dancing, gathering or just being, with no judgement.
As I learned about the 10 Principles from Burning Man, I applied them to my life. Radical self expression resonates with me and is a chance for myself and others to live truer, be more honest and let down some of the barriers. Seeing people radically express themselves has inspired me and my photography to capture their look, their mood and their persona. I love the colors, the outfits and costumes, the makeup, the hair and individual styles that participants create for themselves. I really enjoy engaging with people to take their photographs and I get a lot of pleasure gifting them their photos after we return home. If you see me on the Playa, be sure to say hello.”
The Monaco art car, mutant vehicle ship was built in 2010 by long time Burner, Greg Barron and crew. It took 5,000 man hours to build. It is a replica of the USS Raleigh ship built on the frame of a Winnebago. It lights up at night with a DJ usually on deck. It's quite noticeable in many Burning Man photos. “Greg Barron is a close friend of mine” Eleanor says, “He donates many hours of taking the Media Mecca & Documentary Team participants out on Playa art tours, along with sunset cruises with other Burners. Greg is also very generous in taking children from Kidsville out on Black Rock City star gazing tours, and donating tours to raise money for Burning Man. I was on an art tour w/ Media Mecca when I took this photo. He usually stops so people can get off the ship to interact with some art and wander around for a bit. We had a full on white out with gusting wind blowing Playa dust around. I was carrying my Canon camera that was modified to shoot infrared photos with me, and left my normal Canon on the ship as I wandered around. I turned around and captured this photo, which I had no idea how it would turn out. Infrared captures can be really special and this one is one of my favorites of this art car, mutant vehicle. When asked to submit this to Sotheby's, I wanted to make a special presentation of it. I printed it on 24" x 36" metal w/ a floating framed pewter frame."
To see more of Eleanor’s work please visit her website or follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
Exhibition History
Eleanor Preger's work has been shown in the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Museum, Oakland Museum, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno Int'l Airport, Sierra Nevada University, Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe, Eldorado Hotel, Resort World in Las Vegas, Sierra Arts Gallery, Montreux Golf and Country Club.