Ellen Wallenstein was born in New York City and grew up in Washington Heights, attending public schools. Her first photographs were made in the 1960s, as a student at Hunter College High School. Wallenstein earned a BA in Art History from SUNY Stony Brook, and a MFA in Photography from Pratt Institute. A longtime Professor of Art, she currently teaches Photography and Book Arts at The School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute. She writes articles and book reviews for several online and printed publications.

Wallenstein's photographs are documentary in style. Her current project Respecting My Elders, portraits of creative people over 80 years old, has received funding through United States Artists.org. Her work has been nominated for the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Magazine Photography and the Santa Fe Prize. She is a 2008 NYFA Photography Fellow.

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