Born in Wels (Upper Austria) in 1941, Elfie Semotan discovered her passion for photography in Paris. After training as a stylist, she worked as a photographic model until the end of the 1960s. In 1969, she returned to Vienna and began her career as a photographer. From the mid-1970s onward, she became known for now-iconic advertising campaigns, notably for Römerquelle (mineral water), as well as poster series for Palmers (lingerie). From 1985, her fashion photographs and portraits were published in numerous international magazines, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and Marie Claire. In 1994, her path led her to New York, where she continued a collaboration begun in 1986 with Austrian designer Helmut Lang and presented several solo exhibitions. In the mid-1990s, she divided her time between Vienna, New York, and Jennersdorf (Burgenland). Recognized and award-winning, she developed a practice that extends beyond editorial and advertising commissions: landscapes, nudes, still lifes, and portraits increasingly took center stage in international exhibitions and artists’ books. She also worked as a visiting professor, notably at the University of Applied Arts Vienna.