What You May Not Know About the Woman Behind the Camera
It’s been 14 months since I started Marina Black Media. While I’m still a young entrepreneur, I’ve been able to explore various types of photography, find my style, and continuously grow my client base. From weddings and portraits to creative collaborations and surrealism art, I take great pride in my work and all the opportunities I have been able to exercise and develop my creative eye.
While you may know me through my creative work, I want to give my followers a closer glimpse at who I am. After all, a blog does not exist without personality. Here are a few things you may or may not know about me.
My dream is to pursue photojournalism.
Storytelling is my passion, and my goal is to elevate my written stories with photographs. Learning about some of the world’s most famous photographs (i.e. V-J Day in Times Square (1945) by Alfred Eisenstaedt, Napalm Girl (1972) by Nick Ut, Afghan Girl (1984) by Steve McCurry, Behind Closed Doors (1982) by Donna Ferrato, etc.) inspired me to always be ready with my camera and pursue the instinct to photograph the subject or moment.
I’m a horror enthusiast.
My friends think it is bizarre that a Jason Voorhees mask is mounted on my wall, yet I’m a lover of classic horror. My short fiction is often inspired by writers and filmmakers that border horror/thriller and science fiction, namely Rod Serling, Stephen King, Alfred Hitchcock, Ray Bradbury, Stanley Kubrick, and Joseph Conrad.
From Stephen King’s Pet Semetary to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, I always appreciate a twisted tale from 20th-century horror culture.
I’m a freelance editor.
One of the services I don’t advertise as much is my short-form and long-form editing. When Marina Black Media was just getting started, I was approached by the Urban Writers, a ghost-writing company, to become an editor of books relating to health and wellness, do-it-yourself, recipes, and topic-specific guides.
When business is low, I often go back to the Urban Writers and pick up requests to edit novels. Editing has been a great avenue for enhancing my technical writing and attention to detail.
Fitness is my therapy, yet I’ve had to have therapy to be fit.
Aside from actual therapy, fitness has become a great outlet for stress, anxiety, and depression.
I was very active growing up, running around outside as a kid and later playing AA basketball in my teen years, yet my love and appreciation for fitness started in my second-year of university with the simple goal of becoming fit (and not being called “noodle arms” by my beloved sister).
The gym became a safe space for me to work through emotional struggles and drain my physical energy to find peace and calm amid the chaos of daily life. However, a few years ago, I hurt my lower back on the squat rack to the point that getting out of bed was next to impossible. I went through painkillers, x-rays, and physiotherapy, which I don’t recommend, but helped me learn more about health and my body.
Now, I’m proud to say I work out six days a week, lift in the “boys” section, and continue to push myself harder while focused on proper form. My love for the gym also gave me an excuse to invest in more athletic wear – an excellent perk to regular exercise!
My favourite movie is Alice in Wonderland (1951).
Between Alice’s curiosity in an unknown land and the psychedelic concepts of Wonderland, I can never get enough of this story.
As a child, I really enjoyed the colourful visuals in the cartoon, but when I was about eight years old, I fished the 1999 film adaptation of Alice in Wonderland out of a cereal box. The cast included some of our favourite actors like Gene Wilder, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lloyd, Martin Short, and many more. While the timing of this film missed the mark, this rendition of Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass is the most faithful to Lewis Carroll’s book.
Marina Black Media pulled me out of a dark place.
I struggled to find my purpose post-graduation amid the seemingly never-ending COVID-19 lockdowns. My doctor confirmed my Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and the road to harmonizing the mind, body, and spirit was a tough battle (one that is always ongoing). Sleeping, watching Netflix, and Call of Duty became coping mechanisms for post-grad depression, chronic anxiety, and isolation.
And that’s when I started Marina Black Media. I chipped away at it for months, pretending to believe in my work and listening more to others than myself. At the end of the day, Marina Black Media had my back, and I had it.
When I bought my Canon R6 in October 2021, I knew there was no turning back – you can’t drop thousands of dollars on a professional camera and be a flop. From there, my business and I grew together, learning new things, developing our style, exploring new paths, and finding success when we least expect it.
It’s a nice story when you put it this way, but living it was hard. We all visit our dark places at one point or another, but sometimes we never know just how deep we’re in until we find our way to the surface.
On a happier note, both Marina Black Media and I are thriving. This summer has gotten me into wedding photography and further into portraits for artists and business professionals. I probably should have taken a vacation like everyone else, but artists never truly sleep.
Stay tuned for my adventures this fall!