If I have to be completely honest, most of the time being an Essex Photographer feels like an absolute dream job. So much so that I sometimes can't believe that capturing beautiful families is what I do for a living. Yes, there are definitely difficulties as with any career path and running your own business is no easy task to say the least, but when it comes down to the core of the job which is getting to photograph wonderful families, it is definitely up there with the best jobs in the world. In fact, there are so many reasons why I love it that I decided it will be best to dedicate a special blogpost to that.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
○ Intro
5 REASONS WHY I LOVE MY JOB AS AN ESSEX PHOTOGRAPHER
If you’ve visited my About page, you will know that I’m not originally from Essex. In fact, I’m not originally from the UK either although I’m beyond happy to have been calling this country home for almost 10 years now. I originally moved to the UK to be with my now husband who had just started his dream job here. We lived in London for many years before realising that whilst we love the vibe, opportunities and things to do that the capital offered, it just wasn’t our “forever” place. If I’ve learned anything living in London, it was that there was a particular breed of people who didn’t enjoy anywhere outside London and this was not us. These people thrived on the business, the loudness and the fast-paced living that London had to offer. Even though we enjoyed our life there, we quickly realised that we’re more suited to a calmer, slower pace of life and thus our search for such a place started.
Fun fact - at first our search lead us to Sevenoaks in Kent, which came highly recommended by a colleague of my husband’s. While it was lovely, for some reason we didn’t really feel “at home” there but we decided that we shouldn’t let something as subjective as a vague feeling trump over logical reasoning - it was close to my husband’s work, the train links to London were very convenient and it was definitely famous for its slower pace of life that we were so desperately searching for. In February 2020 we saw a house that we liked, it was within our budget and so we placed an offer for it. Our offer was accepted and we started thinking about the practicalities of buying our first house.
Do you remember what also happened in February 2020, towards the end of the month to be precise? That’s right, only the Covid 19 Pandemic which turned the whole world upside down. Soon we all realised this virus was here to stay and that things were about to change massively. There were talks of house price crashes, negative equity and other scary things which you definitely don’t want to be dealing with as a first time buyer. It all got too much and driven by the scariness of the situation, we decided against proceeding with the house.
Fast forward to Autumn 2020 and we had all accepted that as a society, we need to adapt and learn to live with this new reality we find ourselves in. My husband and I agreed that we can’t delay our life anymore and we will start looking for a house once again. For some inexplicable reason, we never looked in Sevenoaks again. Instead, we decided to see what other options there were for places close to London with good train links to the city. Immediately, we stumbled upon Shenfield.
We had never been to Shenfield, we didn’t know anyone living there and had no idea what it’s like so one day, we decided to take the train and see for ourselves. We said to each other that this time, we will listen to our inner voices and gut feeling and take them into account when deciding if this is the place for us.
And so, with these thoughts in our minds we got off the train at Shenfield… and we immediately fell in love with it. We had scheduled a few house viewings and just walking to them made us feel at home. We loved how green it is, we loved the independent shops doting the high street, we loved the quaint feeling that it gave us. So much so, that we placed an offer on our house that very same day.
Fast forward to 2024 and I can say that in Essex, we have found “our” home. I love the local community, the friendships we have created in these past few years, I love how much people care about the place they live in and everything that the Essex area has to offer. It’s incredibly family friendly, it’s surrounded by vast green spaces and country parks and even though we do visit London for the occasional family weekend, we feel completely at home here in Essex.
Together with my personal fulfilment of living here, I have to say that being an Essex photographer is something I absolutely love. Here are some of the reasons why:
Essex People are Incredibly Welcoming
I already touched upon this subject in my intro, but it’s absolutely true - people here are very welcoming, kind and quick to accept you in the local community. This is incredibly important if you’re starting a business (as I essentially did when I restarted my business as a photographer here), as in the beginning you really do need help from friends, family and the local people in order for the business to take off. Moreover, knowing that people have your back really lifts you up and helps with that mental aspect of going into the unknown.
Interacting with Wonderful Families
By far my favourite aspect of my work as an Essex photographer is interacting with the families I photograph, seeing how they grow and evolve, the children that bit bigger every time I see them. I love witnessing how relationships between siblings develop, perhaps a new furry friend added to the mix as well. The personalities of the little ones a bit different every time we have a photoshoot…
Creating Beautiful Artwork
I feel that nowadays we forget that a photograph is actually a piece of art and it deserves to lead its own life outside of our phone or laptop. Although I know some photographers are unhappy about the big jump that family photography has made since the invention of smartphones and believe this turns photography into a commodity, I strongly disagree with this. I actually think it’s amazing that we have the opportunity to capture everyday moments in a way that our ancestors didn’t - I personally have thousands of photos on my phone and I love revisiting these little “time capsules” of what our life was, say a year ago.
What I love about photography is that we personally get to be the subject of the piece of art itself. When you think about it, this is actually incredible. For how many things can you proudly say “Oh, this is actually an artwork of me and my family”. Because of this I believe that printing photographs and creating photo albums really elevates them and takes them to the next level. And I’m extremely grateful that as an Essex photographer, I get to play a part of creating beautiful artwork for my clients’ homes.
Enjoying the Stunning Essex Countryside
As you may have noticed from my Portfolio and Instagram page, I love love love outdoor photo sessions in the beautiful natural light. I simply adore how when doing a family photoshoot in the open air, the children are free to roam about and I get to capture genuine moments and emotions without the need for posing. Thankfully, Essex is located in such a beautiful part of the country where we have miles and miles of stunning countryside that we can use as our backdrop. As well as the beautiful fields and greenery being just the perfect setting for a lifestyle photo session, for me there’s an added benefit as well. Not many people can say that they get to enjoy the countryside as part of their job, but as an Essex photographer I am beyond grateful that this is my reality.
Forging Local Friendships
Did I mention that personal connection is very important to me? Only 5 times already? That’s right, because I truly believe that relationships and human connection are an integral part of our overall happiness, especially in today’s online communication and social media driven world. I am lucky enough to say that my clients become my friends and this is an aspect of my job that I couldn’t be more grateful about.
BOOKING ME AS YOUR ESSEX PHOTOGRAPHER
So this is it - my extensive list of reasons why I love love love my job as an Essex photographer. I feel incredibly grateful that life has led me to where I am now and that I get to play a part in documenting the wonderful families in Essex.
If you live in Essex or the surrounding areas and are looking for a photographer who's going to document this season of your family's life in a genuine and beautiful way, get in touch with me today to start discussing your photoshoot.
If you're a family with kids based in Essex, check out my recent blogposts related to things in the area:
If you’re looking for an Essex family photographer, take a look at my Portfolio here and contact me to start chatting about your ideal photoshoot.
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Zee Gunchev is an Essex family photographer with years of experience in the lifestyle photography area. She focuses on capturing genuine moments in soft, dreamy tones and natural light to be savoured for years to come. Her timeless images and effortless style are chosen by many Essex families to document important milestones and life stages.
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