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Anna Ivanova
@seeyououtdoors
Photographer based in France
My name is Anna, I am a professional photographer based in Savoie Mont Blanc region in France, between lakes and mountains. But my photography journey didn’t start here: I was born in Moscow, the capital of Russia. It’s among the world’s largest cities with over 20 million residents. A city that never sleeps and where there is no wild nature.
My love for art started at the age of six. I started to paint, thanks to my mom. She studied silk painting in an Art school, so instead of leaving me at home she signed me up for painting courses. I went to Art school at the age of 14 and in the end I decided to quit; I told myself that it was pointless and switched to Mathematics. After graduating, I decided to enter a university focused on Economics instead of Architecture as I thought that making a living with business is easier. Purely a rational choice.
"But, most of the time, sooner or later, intuition or emotion win over rationality."
One day I found a camera, an old point and shoot camera, which I started to bring to events I went to. I realized that the shots were not too bad in terms of composition and decided to buy a new camera (Canon 350d) and added a 35mm f 1.8 lense later on – the journey had begun.
I started exploring photography from every perspective, composition, technique… And when I moved from Russia to France to join my mom after I finished my university, I suddenly had so much to explore! I was learning French and studying Tourism Business in Chambery, a city called the heart of the French Alps, so you can imagine the amazing playfield I was suddenly surrounded with. My camera was in my bag all the time, I started to intensely study photography by myself, and switched to manual mode while years passed by working in the tourism industry.
At some point, having been confronted with some adversity and having had to start a new life in a totally new country, I felt I needed some support and guidance to get me on track. I figured starting with sophrology therapy might help me. My therapist made me find out the two things that I love the most in life: travelling and photography. And photography is a way to do the both at the same time!
"That day I understood that you can actually do something cool for living; changing your life is actually simple, you just have to make a clear decision, stick to it, and work for it."
Funnily enough, I also discovered that my dad, whom I had never seen, was passionate about photography too. He left when I was two years old and knowing this only years later, being passionate about photography myself – is a weird sensation.
When I moved to Lyon, a rather big city, it was hard to find work in the outdoor industry and I decided to go for my passion! I started to shoot weddings, as it was rather easy to find B2C clients. Unfortunately or fortunately, my husband and I got divorced and I had to find a well paid job as my newborn photography business was not enough to make a living. I moved to the Alps, to Albertville, a small city located between lakes and mountains, where I found a job as a marketing manager in alpine real estate and was doing freelance photography at the same time. So during the wedding season I almost didn’t have free time.
As I studied tourism for seven years I was convinced I should find myself a job within that industry, but at the same time, I wanted to try to do photography for a living, see if I could make it. My biggest fear in life is to miss out on something, to not travel enough, to not see enough, to not try enough… This creates a sort of hyperactivity. I am bored with routine. I have to feed my adventurous devils all the time. With the strong belief that I don’t want to regret things I didn’t even try, and that for change to happen you have to change things yourself, I just took the leap.
"After having made the choice to fight for it, it doesn't become much easier though. But you do have a clear direction which helps you focus on solutions that will bring you there."
First, at the very start, the hardest thing was the french rules. As I’m a foreigner, it was very difficult to understand how the system works and how to start your own business in France. Then, with regard to outdoor photography, it was hard to enter into this business as tourism destinations and sports brands often have their own photographers. Even if your work is good, they prefer to work with someone they have known for a long time.
Another very challenging aspect of having your own photography business for me is the sales prospect! I hate this part of the business. But if you don’t find clients, you don’t get money. Especially at the beginning when launching your business, you have to let people know about your existence. I’m happy to have pushed – as a result of not giving up I practice my passion for a living now.
"And I want to share this happiness with others - I am convinced that happiness is contagious!"
"As an outdoor and wedding photographer, I always go further than a simple image. It must tell the experience, the feeling… It must give you a thrill, give you a smile!"
My goal is for the viewer to feel the atmosphere and ambiance through my images, and it’s bilateral. One facet is to inspire people to live a better life, to change something in their lives if they are unhappy. To make them think that everything is possible, after all, the only limits are the ones we set ourselves! Furthermore, I want to encourage people to go outside, to do mountain sports, to just enjoy the outdoors… My goal is to “see you outdoors!” And the other facet, more related to wedding photography, is to show people through my images how beautiful they are, how pure their love and connection is.
To be honest, at first I never thought that I would like wedding photography. I started to do it because it was the easiest way to start a business and to catch my first clients. But today I’m very happy to do it because wedding days are so awesome: Everybody is beautiful, the venue is nice, the day is full of emotions, of love and friendship! (I even cry sometimes with brides!) Usually I’m exhausted after a wedding day but I’m also feeling so happy and I’m full of positive energy.
"And moreover, it is amazing to make people smile and let them live their best day again by delivering my pictures."
Outdoor photography, on the other hand, came very naturally to me. I do mountain sports such as snowboarding, splitboarding, hiking, climbing, mountaineering… There are so many possibilities to be physically active in nature in the region where I live now, and I take the camera with me almost all the time. It’s all about exploring, pushing your limits, sharing happy moments with friends, and discovering new places. It’s my meditation. Photography is a way for me to be in the present moment and to capture it, to see the scenery differently – to see the beauty in everything. Photography represents for me a real source of personal fulfillment.
Furthermore, in general, traveling and outdoor adventures teach me to seize the moment. If you see a nice picture, take it! Right here, right now. Otherwise you’ll lose the moment. Atmosphere, light, emotion… It won’t be the same at another moment. It’s better to do it than regret that you didn’t do it when you could. That’s the worst feeling.
But, that is with everything in life, I would say. You have to take your opportunities, because you are the only person responsible for your life. No one else will find the motivation, inspiration, get up after setbacks, or face your fears for you. It’s me who pushes my limits doing mountain sports. Who continues when I think I can’t move anymore. Who generates energy and force when I feel I am already dead… Thus, because of exactly that, I believe that it’s me, myself, that enabled and allowed me to develop myself professionally and personally, to whom I’ve become. And I don’t think it’s selfish.
But of course my friends deserve a big thanks too. They convinced me that my photos were beautiful when I saw nothing special in them compared to all those other great creators. Then, my family became a support network for me too, though just a little later. They were afraid I’d fail, not making enough money, and that it would hurt me. They just didn’t want me to suffer too much, which I understand now. After my several little successes they started to take me seriously too.
Nowadays I receive compliments from people I don’t even know – this makes me so happy! It is a source of motivation and energy that those people themselves may not even be aware of. I think everything and everyone you meet in your life teaches you something and contributes somehow to your successes and development, even if that involves hardship. Try to take the best from everything! And try to be that positive stimulation for others too. Sharing both happiness and hard times is very important for growth.
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