Elin Hörnfeldt grew up in the northern part of Sweden with her parents and three younger sisters. From a young age, she has expressed herself through creative and artistic work. Her interest in photography started at 19 when she began photographing her sisters and friends, incorporating elements of fashion photography such as makeup, hair, styling, and location — she directed the images based on her ideas of how to portray her models, focusing on the beauty of their personalities. 

Elin later moved to Paris to study photography at Parsons School of Design. After two years of studying, she felt she had gained the most from her education and secured a meeting with Carine Roitfeld, the editor-in-chief of French Vogue at the time. Carine then gave Elin her first story for Vogue Enfants. She continued to work with French Vogue, Marie Claire UK, Max Factor, Dunhill, and Nina Ricci, among others.