WPPI

I would never say that sending my images out of the blue for US Photographers Association (Range Finder) can bring me anything at all.

And I just found out that it can bring me not 1 distinction, but three silver awards!

 

WPPI is THE Wedding and Portrait Photographers International association, based in USA. They organize the largest in the world Photographers Conference (on which I am going in February 2019). They got most prestigous magazine: Range Finder and they select only crem’ de’la creme of photographer masters.

I am one of them now. How bizarre! I know I worked hard for it for many years. But still it never occured to me that I can be among those internaltional photographers like Sarah Ferrara, Erich Caparas or Paulina Duczman! Those are the names winning in photography industry for years. And now slowly slowly – mine is creaping after them 😉

This Year

I honestly couldn’t have been happier this year. I finally decided to open my own studio last year (took the lease 18th November) and started shooting in my space in February this year (needed to renovate the space properly, flooring, walls, interior along side  still working and photographing clients and having 9 month old in the cot next to me. I started winning SWPP  competitions after joining, then MPA in August – getting Distinctions and Highly Commended awards. I had 5 publications during 3 months only (Femme Rebelle Magazine, Brand Model Magazine) with one cover story! (Off course it is not Vogue yet, but I need to start somewhere, right? – and that is not a bad start at all!- I think…)

Then I got qualified as a LMPA – which means a Master Photographer in the UK. And now been awarded by WPPI 2x Silver Award in Portrait and one award for an image in Boudouir. I forgot to mention my Highly Commended image from last month by Masters Photographers Association in Product Photography which I did with my team at NU Media House. 

John Lewis Elton John and what gifts can create

Do you remember the newest add from John Lewis with Elton John? It made me cry, mostly because I had a gift like that from my dad when I was a young teenager. I saved half of the amount and half he sponsored in the time when it wasn’t easy for him to have them.

My first digital camera was a gift, brand new Nikon D70s, with kit lens, that created with me my first five exhibitions and earned first money on photoshoots for first clients in Poland. But I didn’t want to study photography then, I thought that I love it enough to self study. I wanted to have a degree that is more ‘serious’, so I took journalism and advertising, as I love writing as well. If I wouldn’t be a photographer now, most certainly I would be a writer with 5 novels on my account. (Number five is not a dreamed number, I got five novels started on my desktop, literally.)

Journey

I studied animation and video production, digital creation, and Global Media later on at Westminster University. At the same time working, and never occured to me that I have a talent. I just photographed everything at the begining and I improved every 10000 images I made. I still don’t think I have so called ‘talent’; I am just determined in doing what I love. I am just enjoying it and love making people happy when they see portraits I created for them.

I need to say that my photographic journey is long. It speeded up when I said to myself: ‘You want to be only photographer, focus on it more’. So I did. From February and my first shoots in my space we got 9 months, 9 months of such a rapid growth.

Gratitude

I would like to thank my dad for the first cameras (first one, film and dark room one was also from dad, for my 10th birthdays). I would like to thank G. for constant support, without you I wouldn’t have opened my own company, I wouldn’t be brave enough to open the studio either.

They say that behind every strong man is a stronger women, so I think that behind every stronger women is a man that believes in her.

I would like to thank my dear sister for her modelling for the last 20 years. For allowing me to pose her, check the lights on her, to ‘molest’ her with my artistic ideas. For her dedication when I asked her in October to go into freezing water, or running around in shorts in snow and siberian temperatures. For standing in 15cm heels on stairs and climbing trees in glamourous dresses. I love you and thank you, part of this award is thanks to you.

Today I am really fullfilled as an artist. I still sit in disbelieve and can’t comprehend all that, but I am literally singing in here (maybe one day I will record my singing for you on stories on socials, but… I need to gather more courage for that :D)

Thank you for being with me. x

Anna