MY JOURNEY
I would love to tell you more…
What I love the most about what I do is getting to know the people I work with, learning the stories we all have and capturing them creatively in photographs that will outlive us. I love doing this for women, men, families, groups of colleagues, entrepreneurs and businesses who want to make their mark and add something good to the world.
I am a big believer in elevation, self-discovery and deep connection to ourselves,
My first steps in photography started as a student in Paris, France. I lived there for 7 years studying something not photography related at all, economics which was fascinating nevertheless.
My Journey
I was born and raised in Albania, Tirana and have spent most of my adult life in other countries.
France where I lived for 7 years and went to University and graduated in Economics and Philosophy of Economics, a great subject that I thoroughly enjoyed in my learning journey.
London is where I have lived with my husband for the last 14 years with our 2 wonderful boys, Edward 10 and Elliot 7, who have been growing so fast and sped past the ages of babyhood, toddlerhood, preschooler and are now on the verge of teenage-hood. Our big dream as a family is to have a dog, see as much as we can of our families, travel the world and make a positive contribution.
My goal each week is to spend time doing things I love as well as work, yoga, running, spending time with family and friends and contributing to my community.
We spend our summer holidays in the South of Albania, which for those living in the UK is very close to Corfu and easy to get to from Corfu on regular ferries. It is stunning, I invite you to visit and see for yourself!
I started taking photographs as a student in Paris, and continued through the different phases of my life, graduation, working life, becoming a mum and seeing my children grow. The photography journey has been a journey of becoming a woman, building my independence, becoming a mother and growing through all my life experiences and encounters.
Making the jump to working as a professional photographer, happened organically 5 years ago when I decided to take a different direction from what I had I built over 14 years of a successful career, working in communications and marketing.
Making a contribution is very dear to my heart and I regularly support charities through my work.
The bit about my training
Retraining from a different career to being a professional photographer was an important phase and I did that by training with some amazing photographers.
I have trained in studio photography, children & outdoors photography, newborns, headshots, personal branding, product photography. I am fully insured as a professional photographer.
I am a partner with Clapham Mums online magazine designed for mums, dads and carers with the most up to date information on events & activities in Battersea and Clapham.
Continuous training and professional development are important in any profession and even more so in the creative industries.
I train regularly on new aspects of photography and have recently been awarded bronze merits from the International Portrait Masters Awards, which is an international panel of photographers that award merits and distinctions to photographers work based on a number of criteria. My work on the Portrait Masters Awards
Other Parts of My Work
A key part of my business is helping companies and individuals looking to update imagery for their website, social media and marketing. More on the services I provide for headshots, personal branding and commercial photography in Headshots and Personal Branding.
I organise regular networking events in Tooting Bec, for small businesses in the area that want to connect, make new contacts and learn together. If you’d like to attend drop me an email, we meet every last Wednesday of the month. More details on my Facebook page “Small business network”.
I also run fundraising events for the charities I support and over the last 2 years I have raised £3500 through “Headshots for charity” events organised in Tooting Bec and also Doorstep Photographys during the pandemic, for St George’s Hospital Charity and Cup of Uji. More on this in Raising Funds for Good Causes.
ART ENABLES US TO FIND OURSELVES AND LOSE OURSELVES AT THE SAME TIME
THOMAS MERTON