Eli Imadali

I'm Eli, a freelance documentary photographer and journalist based in Denver, Colorado. I often explore systemic injustices, trauma and healing, culture, identity and place through visual storytelling. I also love telling stories through audio, video and words. I'm a member of Diversify Photo, NPPA and an alumnus of the 74th Missouri Photo Workshop. I teach as an adjunct instructor of visual journalism at CU Boulder and a guest lecturer each summer at the Western Slope Photojournalism Workshop. Client info and honors below.

Previously, I interned as a visual journalist at The Arizona Republic, Austin American-Statesman and Bozeman Daily Chronicle, producing news photography and some videography. I earned a BA in journalism from the University of Montana in 2019, where I worked for the independent student paper there, the Montana Kaimin.

I grew up in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona. My interest in documentary photography stemmed from escaping the sprawl to bask in the natural world of the Colorado Plateau. It eventually evolved into a passion for documenting the human experience in all its complexity and wonder. Growing up in a liminal space, the son of  an American Jewish mother and a Kabyle and Muslim father, has afforded me a unique and nuanced perspective to tell stories.

I love food and cooking, identifying flowers, skateboarding, basketball, biking in the city, jumping in rivers and exploring places new and old. Photo at right by Irynka Hromotska. Cheers!