International Friendships and Travel Opportunities
This was an email I received about 6 weeks ago:
Dear Helen
I want to start by saying I'm a huge fan of your work all the way from New Zealand. Your way with light is just incredible and I love your tones!
My name is Nisha, I'm an aspiring Wedding Photographer from New Zealand, I'm a 25 year old kiwi-Indian with a passion for detail, design,corgi's and photography.
I know this is a complete long shot but I'm getting in touch with you because I'm making the big move to the UK in mid June until January and I would like to offer my second-shooting services to you. I'm extremely easy going, take direction well, am creative and SUPER friendly!
In return of course you would gladly be welcome to come to New Zealand at any stage and photograph with me here or in Australia, or I could refer you for a season when I have double bookings.
Over here I've photographed all over New Zealand, in churches, halls, barns, caves, forests, mountains in all conditions. I've photographed around 35 Weddings now in the past two years and I'm always eager for the next adventure.
Let me know if you'd be interested in perhaps skyping sometime and discussing anything I've mentioned. You must get this all the time so I'll understand if I don't hear back.
Oh before I forget!! To show I'm not just a complete loonie, here's a couple of links to my work that should solidify my claims!
always a fan
Nisha Ravji
I do quite frequently receive emails from other photographers like this and so I clicked on the link with mild interest but far from being aspiring, Nisha's work struck me as being highly accomplished, natural, sensitive and creative. All the things I aspire for my own work, and I could see and immediate synergy between our styles. I wrote back immediately to build the connection and suggest next steps.
As a wedding photographer I generally work alone. Using an assistant or student generally results in few images that I can use alongside my own in an album but to use an equally experienced second photographer is usually prohibitively expensive so I jumped at this opportunity.
After a Skype call to the other side if the world we came up with the brilliant plan that Nisha would come and shoot with me this summer and in January and February of next year I would go and shoot with her. Not only has she offered me many opportunities to second shoot with her but within weeks she had actually booked me a wedding of my own (in a kiwi tree orchard - how utterly fabulous is that?!).
I am blown away by the generosity of someone who was a stranger only a month ago. She has opened up an opportunity for me to visit New Zealand and make new friends whilst developing my portfolio and experience. I count myself so blessed to have found myself an industry that has such a strong sense of community. One that offers its members support, encouragement and opportunities like this.
I am looking to build on my existing network in Auckland so please do get in touch if you have any recommendations.
Here is some of Nisha's beautiful work - I can't wait to meet her in June and work with her:
