Staying True to Your Passion 

As a mentor for photographers, I work closely with others to help them step into who they truly want to be so they can increase their income and attract high-end clients—just by doing what they love. I emphasize that last part because it’s the most important part of the equation: doing what you love.

I constantly encourage photographers to be authentic, to focus on shooting what excites them. When their passion shines through their work, it creates an undeniable energy in every image. That energy, in turn, helps build a sustainable business from the ground up.

A Moment of Realization

I love guiding photographers because I truly believe in what I teach and practice what I preach. Or at least, I thought I did until an experience a few months ago made me question if I was still following my own advice.

Losing Sight of My “Why”

I was on a shoot that was chaotic and stressful. Time was short, the client’s expectations were all over the place, and I felt like I had to keep shooting more…. and more…. and more, to meet everyone’s needs. We got through the day, and the client was happy, but when I got home, I realized that this wasn’t the reason I got into photography. I had lost touch with the core of why I do what I do. I want every shoot day to be a great day, where I feel inspired and connected with my clients and the rest of the crew that I work with. I want to leave feeling energized, not drained.

The Shift 

I realized I needed a shift. A few weeks later, I was talking to a friend who mentioned that she never liked any photos of herself and didn’t feel like she was photogenic. On a whim, I asked if she wanted to do a quick, spontaneous shoot. No styling, no perfect makeup—just her, as she was, and me with my camera, acting as her mirror. She agreed, and I jumped at the chance before she could change her mind.

What followed was a magical 20-minute shoot. It wasn’t long, but the results were amazing. We were done quickly, but I would have been happy shooting for hours. The look on her face when she saw the first shot was priceless, and I felt pure joy being able to show her the beauty I saw in her.  I saw a visible change in her posture and her attitude.

Reaping the Rewards of Authenticity

That shoot reminded me of why I started my business in the first place. It wasn’t about pleasing everyone so that I would get paid; it was about connecting with people and creating something meaningful.

Just days later, I found myself on an inspiring, organized, and fun shoot with a client I had dreamed of working with for nearly a decade. It all came together when I stopped trying to do what I thought I had to and focused on being the photographer I wanted to be.

The Lesson: Be Who You Are

This experience taught me that when we align with who we truly are, the opportunities and clients that match that energy will find their way to us.

As I sifted through a few old hard drives today, it struck me how much my job seems to mimic my life—or perhaps it’s the other way around. In an effort to create a system for the hundreds of thousands of images I’ve amassed over the past two decades, I got sidetracked on a nostalgic journey. Even though I’m nowhere near finished, the process has been a delightful walk down memory lane, a visual diary of my personal and professional evolution.

A Decade of Capturing Life’s Essence

For over ten years, I’ve been a commercial lifestyle photographer. This career path has allowed me to capture the essence of life through my lens. As I looked through a condensed version of most of my adult life, a fascinating theme emerged: my professional work has closely followed the major events and phases of my personal life.

The Early Days: Fashion and Beauty

In my early years, when I was young and single, my work gravitated towards fashion and beauty. I spent countless hours shooting beautiful models and the latest fashion trends, capturing the allure and glamour of the fashion world. Looking back, these shoots feel vibrant and extravagant, much like my life at that time.

Transition to Family: Baby and Children Products

As my life evolved and I became a parent, so did the focus of my photography. Suddenly, I found myself behind the camera for baby and children brand shoots. The innocence and joy of childhood became a central theme in my work. These projects resonated deeply with me, as I was experiencing the wonders of parenthood firsthand.

Embracing Fitness: The Start of a New Chapter

A few years later, I decided to get back into fitness, a passion from my earlier days that I had put on hold. This personal shift led to an influx of fitness shoots. One in particular stands out—a shoot that marked the beginning of a new chapter in my career. It was the first fitness shoot I did, and it served as a precursor to many more.

Here are some photos from that very first gym shoot, a project I had almost forgotten about until today. These images are a testament to how my personal interests have continually steered my professional endeavors.

The Interplay of Life and Work

Reflecting on this journey, I love how my focus in life has influenced the focus in my career. This evolution has kept me passionate and motivated. It’s a reminder that our personal and professional lives are often intertwined in beautiful and unexpected ways.

What’s Next?

As I continue to navigate this wonderful journey of life, I can’t help but wonder what’s next. What new passions will I discover? How will they shape my work and inspire the images I capture? The future is a blank canvas, ready to be filled with the colors of new experiences and opportunities.

For now, I’ll keep organizing my vast collection of images, cherishing the memories they hold, and looking forward to the next chapter in this ever-evolving story.

Image credits:
Model: Martin Vlcek
Location: https://www.24fitnessdubai.com/
(The gym has been renovated since this shoot and is even better than it was then)

April 5th, 2021, was the most dreaded and best shoot day of my life. It marked my first shoot for Adidas—a dream come true! However, it was an underwater shoot, which was my worst fear, brought to life.

A Dive into the Unknown

Years ago, I bought my husband a scuba diving course, and we soon realized that scuba diving is best enjoyed together. I joined him, earned my license, and though I passed with ease, the sea terrified me. We took a diving holiday in the Maldives which was the most stressful 7 days of my life and I did a few small underwater test shoots in shallow waters and a swimming pool. After that, I hung up my diving gear, not expecting to use any time soon.

The Brief

Fast forward 8 years to the day I received an ad campaign brief for Adidas. The project aimed to capture the natural beauty of women overcoming perceived limitations to create the life they wanted. It was a dream come true, but there was a catch: part of the shoot was underwater in a swimming pool and in the ocean in Fujeira, UAE.

As I visualized the shoot and imagined seeing it on billboards, my fears came bubbling to the surface. Despite this, I knew this opportunity was exactly what I had been preparing for. It was authentic, challenging, it pushed me past anything I had ever done before and it was the start of a new chapter.  This was the reason I had become a photographer in the first place.

Preparation and Determination

I quickly compiled a portfolio of all my relevant work, including the underwater test shoots, and sent it off. I booked a refresher course for my scuba license (just in case I got the job), and the next day, I was confirmed on the shoot. With only five days to prepare for the biggest shoot of my life, time flew by, and the first shoot day arrived sooner than I had imagined.

The Shoot Day

Even though I was exhausted from a sleepless night filled with excitement and nerves, I was ready. This was the day my dreams were set to come true, in ways better than I could have imagined.

We traveled by boat to the shoot location. After discussing shots with the swimmer, I was joined by my underwater assistant and a safety diver. As we prepared for the first round of shooting, I felt many eyes on me from the other boats. Falling backward into the water, the familiar fear of the unknown below resurfaced.

Descending to the seabed, my heart raced until my assistant handed me my camera in its underwater housing. In that moment, everything changed. As I began shooting, my nerves disappeared. It was as if I could speak underwater, and my team and I were perfectly in sync. I knew this was going to be incredible.

Transformation and Triumph

The first round of shots took about 20 minutes but felt like mere seconds. I could have stayed underwater all day.  I was in my natural habitat and yet I wasn’t at all. What I realized was that when I have my camera in front of me, all my fears disappear. When I am creating, I am in my comfort zone. And when I see the results of my effort, I know exactly why I do what I do. 

Finding Your Why

What is your Why? For me, it’s the transformation within me that happens when I am behind the camera, creating and capturing various moments in time. It’s about overcoming fears and pushing boundaries to achieve something extraordinary.