THIS IS...Mihaela Valceanu!

 This is Mihaela Vâlceanu, a 20 year old Romanian girl born in Slatina, now living in Bucharest due to her University studies. She’s very dedicated to her passions and spends much of her free time doing just that – traveling and photography.

Although a travel photographer, Mihaela has not yet been outside of Romania. The aim is to promote her homeland in the best way possible, there are too many hidden treasures to explore.

Apart from photography, she loves to do rock climbing A LOT and spending time in nature is very important, so camping trips with family and her best friends are a must! She’s a lover of tea and a good book and her favourite season is autumn. What follows are her responses to some of the many questions I had for her:

Is there anyone in particular you'd say awakened this interest in photography in you?

I received my first camera when I was 15 years old. My father decided to buy a compact camera to use in our travels and save the family memories. He has been a big photography enthusiast and even used to print in his own dark room. My family supported me from the very first picture I took and encouraged me keep using my creativity in getting the best angles and ideas. 

They believed in me and my potential and supported me in each contest I entered. 

So I take it the intention is to pursue photography even further as a result.

Yes, I intend to keep learning about photography as much as I can and in the future I

would like to join the School of Photographers.

As a beginner photographer at the time, what did you find the most challenging?

At first, I had no particular photographic style - I used to shoot everything around me and tried to find the beauty in anything. At that point I was still in Secondary School and my classroom colleagues were the spotlight of my activity. Camera choice was not a problem for me, starting with a compact camera

was the best introduction in this domain. All I had to know during that period was how to highlight my subject and use the angles I have. Getting more and more experience I

decided to move on to a D-SLR and experience the manual mode and different lenses. 

Were there any photographers you looked up to at the time?

I'm always in search of new talents because each one has their own way of seeing the world through the lens. I like to compare 'my own world' with the world they create. My favorite Romanian photographers are Mihaela Noroc and Marta Popescu. I love to check out their work and activity. The projects I liked the most are 'The atlas of beauty' - Mihaela Noroc and 'I love...' - Marta Popescu.

Now being a much more experienced travel photographer, what in particular do you look out for when deciding where to shoot?

As a travel photographer I consider it's very important to be open to unforeseeable events. Things may or may not go as you planned, but that doesn't mean the journey is over. If you get lost - find the beauty in the unknown! If the weather goes bad - enjoy the silence of the rain and charge your batteries! And the most important thing... never ever leave your camera at home. Moments need to be kept alive - not only in our

hearts, but on our walls too. 

Roughly how long ago did you start exposing your work online and on social media?

I started to expose my photography 5 years ago. I decided to do this because I wanted to get feedback from strangers and use the positive and negative opinions to grow in this domain. If you want your work to be recognized you have to show it and to be open to different points of view. Express yourself through photography and let people discover you!

And how would you say the experience has been so far?

As I have mentioned before, everyone has their own way to see the world. If you get

negative feedback don't worry, take the good from it and try to evolve. No one was born taught. You should worry if you would get only positive feedback because it would mean that everything is perfect and we both know that nothing ever is. Try

new angles, change the contrast, use new subjects, but never stop trying to evolve.

Another side of using the internet to promote your work has been selling your

photos online. What advice would you give to anyone who is thinking about doing it too?

First of all, it is really important to trust yourself. If you don't believe in you and your work, how will you convince others to do so? Secondly, experience is a must. You can't expect people to buy your work if you don't listen to the feedback of others (good and bad). Be patient and try to experience as many types of photography as you can, you never know which one fits you the best. 

You can't be good at everything but at least you can try. After you find your photographic style climb up the ladder as much as you can and invest in you and your talent.

Have you been selling them for long? 

I started to sell my pictures almost 2 years ago. I tried different platforms but the one that

helped me the most to sell my pictures and promote my portfolio was Coinaphoto. I

joined this platform one year ago and I can sincerely say that it's the friendliest

team I have ever seen!

*(I blush at the sight of this feedback 😊)

Do you feel using this kind of platform makes it easier for your family and friends to recognize your achievements?

Of course. Coinaphoto is just one click away to access your portfolio and achievements. It makes it easy to share with others. 

Are there any ongoing or upcoming projects you are working on?

I'm not working on a specified project but I can say that I like to collect smiles. Throughout the years I've tried to enlarge my portfolio using the natural smiles of people that surround me. When they least expect it, I try to capture the moment of their smile and highlight the emotion they emanate. Below you can see a collage of a few pictures I took. (if you see me in the pictures, it's not me, it's just my twin sister!) 

Being that you're from Romania, is there anywhere in particular you'd like us to visit if ever having the chance to?

Seeing so many beautiful places of Romania it would be hard for me to choose only

one, but most probably I would opt for the west of the country. There are many places to visit, especially the Apuseni Mountains.

What are your  Top Tips for anyone who is getting into photography and may be

feeling a little overwhelmed?

1. Create memories; Keep them alive; Have fun!

2. Be patient; Trust yourself; Evolve!

3. Do what you love; Love what you do; Don't give up!

Thank you so much for your time Mihaela! It sure has been nice getting to know you a little better and getting some much needed advice from you.

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If you'd like to keep up with Mihaela's work you can follow her on Instagram: @mihaela.vlc and at coinaphoto.com. 

Hope you've enjoyed this interview and if you have anyone you'd like to "get to know", drop me a message and I'll see what can be done.

Love.

Patty

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