Background

Ellen Senisi was born on May 18, 1951, in Little Falls, New York, a small town on the Mohawk River. She is the daughter of William Martin Babinec (an electrical troubleshooter) and Elizabeth Anne Bowen Babinec (a teacher).

Education

In elementary school, Senisi loved to write, and accumulated a vast number of stories, poems, plays, letters, and journals throughout her school years. However, once she reached college, she "decided writing would be pretty impractical work and switched from English to teaching. I quit teaching after five years when I realized how susceptible I was to photography disease and then went to graduate school for educational media and technology, which is where I got my only formal training in photography."

In 1973-1974, Ellen Senisi began her studies at State University of New York College at Oswego. She earned a Bachelor of Elementary Education degree here.

In 1974-1977, Senisi studied at State University of New York College at Cortland and earned a Master's degree of Curriculum and Instruction.

In 1976, she spent a semester at Corpus Christi College at Oxford University studying Victoroan Literature with Dr. Valentine Cunningham.

In 1977-1979, Ellen senisi went through a Doctoral program of Educational Media and Technology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

In 1979-1981, she studied Educational Media and Technology at Boston University and received CAGS (Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study).

Career

Ellen Senisi's professional background includes English studies, teaching young children, curriculum editing, and advanced degrees in curriculum studies and educational technology. This blend helped her develop unique capabilities to capture essential educational, psychological, and literary concepts in both words and images.

In 1974-1979, Ellen Senisi worked as a teacher at public and private elementary schools. In 1980-1982, she was a developer of educational materials at a publishing company. Ellen Senisi was a co-owner of Senisi Multimedia from 2009 to 2012. Senisi Multimedia produced concept-oriented videos using still images, video, and audio, including original music developed for each project. In 2013, Senisi founded EdTechLens. EdTechLens uses the lens of a high-interest subject delivered via educational technologies to teach standard curriculum subjects in fresh, new ways. The company’s first program, Rainforest Journey, takes students on a multimedia trip to the rainforest while teaching the life science portion of the K-5 science curriculum. The program is designed to help schools meet new mandates and improve learner outcomes.

Ellen Senisi has been writing and photographing for the children's book market and for educational publishers as a freelancer for 25 years. She has published 18 photo essay children's books as well as 4 books released as interactive e-books. Ellen licenses stock photography from her collection of education photographs of ethnically-diverse, model-released children. Senisi's first published work, Brothers and Sisters, captures the relationship between siblings from a variety of families. The volume reflects the "ethnic, gender, and generational diversity of modem families," according to School Library Journal contributor Jody McCoy. In Secrets, which reached bookstore shelves in 1995, Senisi examines the many secrets that young people encounter in their day-to-day activities. The author/photographer "adds a new layer of understanding by exploring different kinds of secrets and the emotions associated with them," noted Booklist reviewer Stephanie Zvirin. In Reading Grows, published in 1999, Senisi introduces parents and caregivers to the stages a child goes through during the learning-to-read process.

In addition to her works of nonfiction, Senisi has also written and illustrated several fictional works, illustrating each with photographs of real-life children in situations reflecting those in her stories. In "For My Family, Love, Allie," Senisi portrays a young girl from a mixed-race family as she does her share to prepare for a large family gathering. Senisi’s 2000 publication, "Hurray for Pre-K!," was described by Blair Christolon in School Library Journal as "a colorful photographic introduction to a day at preschool." The book features photographs taken during a New York preschool class session, and highlights the different activities that take place during a normal school day by dedicating each two-page spread to a single word, such as the words play, clean, read, sing, and make.

Achievements

• Ellen Senisi wrote many well-illustrated books. In 1998, the book "Just Kids" was selected among Best Children’s Books of the Year in Special Interest Category by Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College and named a Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies by National Council of Social Studies and Children’s Book Council. Her other books also received positive reviews. Educational Press Association Distinguished Achievement Award was given to Ellen Senisi for the photo essay "Fall Came."

Works

More photos

• book

  • Brothers and Sisters

    (Pictured in expert full-color photographs, children from ...)

    1993
  • Berry Smudges and Leaf Prints: Finding and Making Colors from Nature

    (The book discusses the colors found in nature and provide...)

    2001
  • Hurray for pre-K!

    (Playing, singing, snacking, resting, painting, reading - ...)

    2000
  • For My Family, Love, Allie

    (Full-color photographs dress the story of little Allie's ...)

    1998
  • Spring Changes

    (Illustrations and simple text describe some of the things...)

    2002
  • All Kinds of Friends, Even Green!

    (In school, Moses, and the rest of his class are given the...)

    2002
  • Kindergarten Kids

    (Introduces a multicultural group of kindergarteners who s...)

    1994
  • Fall Changes

    (Children will celebrate all the things that make fall fun...)

    2001
  • Kindergarten Day USA and China (Global Fund for Children Books)

    (Experience a day in kindergarten in the USA and China. Re...)

    2010
  • What Is Mass? 2005

Views

Ellen Senisi is "highly allergic" to the posed, self-conscious look of studio photography and most gallery photography. She views her own work as photodocumentary in style.

"When I set up my equipment on a site," - Senisi said, - "I strive to become invisible so I can catch faces coming alive with natural expressions in a natural environment. I also listen to what goes on while I’m photographing so I can blend natural-sounding language with the images in my books."

Membership

• 

  Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators , United States

• Albany/Schenectady League of Arts

Personality

Ellen Senisi about herself: "I love creating books, I love exploring the relationships between words and images, and the best part is moving on to whatever stage is next. Welding words and images with music may be next for me, or perhaps montages of photographs blended on the computer. I’ll go with whatever methods work to show that illumination of expression I look for as I photograph children experiencing the world."

Interests

• travelling

• Music & Bands

  classical music

Connections

Ellen Senisi is married and has three children.

Father:

William Martin Babinec

Mother:

Elizabeth Anne Bowen Babinec

husband:

John P. Senisi

Son:

Steven Senisi

Daughter:

Kate Senisi

Son:

Will Senisi