Born in Tokyo, Japan, Nakajima Elly grew up there until the age of 18. She then completed her BSc in Psychology at University of Reading before attending the New York Film Academy in Oxford. In 2009 she moved to London to complete her Master degree at The London Film School where she has studied all filmmaking aspects, but specialized in cinematography. She has worked on many short films, advertisements, music videos and documentaries as a cinematographer. She has worked in various countries including UK, Japan, Egypt and Italy. She was nominated as one of the two students at London Film School to receive Kodak Cinematography Scholarship. A few of the films she has worked on as a director of photography have been nominated for several film festivals in Germany, UK, Italy, and Puerto Rico.