Chris Ellenbogen grew up in western North Carolina in a small artist community near Penland School of Crafts. He went to college in Boone, NC and graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Technical Photography. After college Chris spent some time living in the Caribbean on a small island called Vieques, off the east coast of Puerto Rico. Chris had traveled before this but found that living in a different culture rather than visiting as a tourist was a far richer experience. On his return to the US mainland, Chris moved to Birmingham AL and did freelance work with Coastal Living, Cooking Light and Southern Living Magazines. He loves traveling and worked for East Carolina University ECU Tuscany study abroad program, living in Certaldo, Italy for two years. He helped run the program by teaching photography and leading group trips. He has extensive travel experience throughout much of Europe. He was employed in the photography department at Southern Living Magazine in Birmingham AL as the Photo Coordinator. Chris has diverse editorial, freelance and studio photography experience. Chris is currently real estate photographer based in Durham, NC.