STRONG / INDEPENDENT / RELIABLE

Creative & Passionate Polish Photographer Angelika lives in the small village of Swiecie nad Osa, not far from Torun, Poland.  Known as Andzia to her friends, she got her first Sony camera as a gift from her father.  She still has it to this day, not only does she hold on to this camera for sentimental reasons but because she appreciates the craftsmanship of nostalgic items. 

As a child she was always taking pictures, so perhaps it is for this reason that Angelika has become the successful professional photographer that she is today.  As the years have passed, she has kept her faith in Sony cameras, upgrading them as and when needed, and she still shoots with Sony cameras to this day.

Living in Scotland for 9 years, she developed her photography further, graduating with her Higher National Diploma (HND) in photography from Aberdeen College, as well as successfully completing several other courses including Business and Accounting. Angelika has also gained recognition with her award-winning images from competitions such as the Monochrome Photography Awards, Legacy Photography Awards, and many others.

In her work, you can see and feel the passion she has, her eye for creative detail and the passionate connection she holds with her subjects. Angelika has photographed many weddings over the years, her head is always full of new ideas that she can use to produce beautiful work through her love of fairy-tale photography.   

She is Co-founder of thriving event planning company Dream Day, where she also deals with the planning and organizing of various events including Weddings.

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Moevir Magazine March Issue 2023 featured edition

[Queens of the seasons]

https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2431212

Photographer: Angelika Martko @angelika.martko

Model: Marta Wilamowska @_m.wilamowska

Model: Weronika Mischke @vweronikaaaaa

Model: Aleksandra @33olinda

Model: Julia Przystalska @juulaax

Model: Julia Rafalska @_julieeet

Model: Angelika Martko @angelikanikodem

Model: Monika Zapalska-firlit @mzapalska

Model: Klaudia Ciarkowska @dynulkaa

Model: Oliwia Zielińska @olivvka_2003

Model: Daria Paczkowska @_sportswoman__

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Tell us something about you. Maybe your life, profession, habit, dream. 

My biggest dream of my photography career is to do photoshoots for the Disney brand. Creating beautiful fairy-tale images that allows the minds of all ages to fantasize about their favorite characters. Fairy-tale climates are my “fairy-tale”. I love the atmosphere & essence they generate within my being.  Fulfilling such a dream would be one of my greatest achievements for me, not only in my work, but my life. 

One of my rules of life is the words “Dreams don't come true by themselves; dreams must be worked to make them come true”. So, who knows? I dream and believe that one day I will be able to achieve my fantasy.

I have a cat called “Cookie”, and I always end up taking hundreds of pictures of her.  I got her when I lived in Scotland and she is such a soft bundle of fluff.  When I feel low, as we all do at times, I do a photoshoot with her and this gives me endorphins to help pick me right back up. To work with animals is more difficult than to work with people but we always succeed :) 

What makes you choose this profession?

I owe so much gratitude to my father for sharing his love of photography when I was a child. He especially loved to take pictures of animals/wildlife and would show me them, teaching me how to use a camera and to take better pictures.  I had a fascination for photographing people and I knew from then on that I wanted to make portraiture photography my career.  I enjoy the freedom of the outdoors, letting my mind run riot with dreamy ideas, creating images from fairy-tale ideas, and adding a touch of magic with the changing of seasons, especially with gorgeous warm tones which I love.  Capturing breath-taking images that my models have helped me crate, especially with their own input only emphasizes that I have created magical images. 

My portfolio is a perfect example of how fulfilled and passionate I am with my photograph, and how strong and empowering it has made me feel about myself.  Photography fills every void in my life, and I cannot ever imagine my life without my camera. 

Could you share how you expand your vision of art, fashion?

I started my career when I was very young in Poland.  Life wasn’t easy then, we didn’t have much access to the western world, therefore it was very difficult to access and follow fashion and art media.  However, I kept searching, keeping my dreams alive.  It was through my love for travel and study that fully opened my knowledge of the arts.

Art, fashion, & photography is an ever-changing industry that is filled with so many opportunities, especially through the vast amount of social media platforms that have opened up that allow us to follow and showcase our work.  Learning about the practices of fashion designers allows me to establish the foundation of knowledge that has allowed me to pursue my career and vision, thus creating memorable experiences that say something about my work, who I am and what matters to my clients.  A strong vision gives my photography purpose and meaning, and it is through these visions and dreams that I am where I am today.

Is art, fashion important in your life? Why?

Yes, art and fashion are important to me.  I continually follow fashion trends and explore to see how the fashion and arts are continually evolving.  There is no limit to what we can create in our own minds and to put those ideas into practice. I work with fashion suppliers, this not only helps to showcase their own fabulous outfits in my photoshoots, but allows me to work with amazing models to help create my own vision and style of fashion photography.

If you have a superpower or talent, which one do you wish to have? Why?

My answer for this question will be really obvious and short. If I could have any superpower then I would wish to have the magical powers of a fairy, to help create breath-taking fairy-tale sceneries with one stroke of a rose.

Do you have any problems with your profession? How did you solve it?

The biggest problem I have is our weather seasons, especially in winter when it is snowing. It can be minus -10 degrees and I am photographing outside with models, therefore I try to keep their outdoor exposure time to as short as possible. I do however admire my models with the way the cope with the very cold weather. 

I always ensure that I have big thick blankets for them to wrap up warm in between shoots and large umbrellas so that I can take the umbrellas away at the very last moment. Other problems can arise when photographing pets, especially dogs when they don’t want to co-operate at the start of the shoot, but if you keep your calm, approach slowly and get to know them first, then you have a better change on getting a successful photoshoot. Every session is different, always new experiences to learn from and new inspirations to aspire to.  

What do you think about your work? Is it what you like, or simply saying a dream?

What I like most about my work is that I get to communicate and socialize with people and can help them to create magical moments in their lives, especially weddings.  The joy I feel when helping couples to create their vision of a special day, and I am so lucky to be part of that.  

I use my photography as a means to record those little moments that are so precious and easily forgotten about.  The icing on the cake for me though is the editing, this is where my creative juices endlessly flow.  I feel so fulfilled at the end of the day, because my childhood hobby and dream came true, and it is what I get to do every day now.  I am always developing my passion and always open to new challenges. 

In modern society, lots of people want to be famous, influential. What do you think about it?

Each person has his/her own character, their dreams, ambitions & goals. There has been a huge rise in recent years with people having a strong desire for fame through social media that reflects in their need for attention and popularity which they totally entitled to, but they must be aware of the potentially problematic downside considering the negative effects that social media can have on mental health.   

It’s not always about how famous you are, it is about the quality of work or product you produce.  I got to where I am today, not by being a top influencer, but through hard work, study, and determination. I would like young people to follow this path also. Nowadays it is not difficult to buy a good camera, you still need to feel "that something". We have thousands of social media platforms and opportunities, but you need to feel it, and love what you do - and then success will come by itself - this is my maxim.

To become famous, what kind of qualities do you think the person should have?

Believe in yourself and have passion in what you do. Be yourself and your talent will get noticed. Fame won’t come by itself , so stay focused, work hard and dedicate yourself to it. Have determination and drive to succeed where others have failed.  Most of all, do it for yourself and with love.

What will be the suggestions to new photographers?

Ask friends and family if you can practice on them, advertise for people to model for you free of charge for you and in exchange give them some digital images.  Always go for a different style of model each time, this gives you variety in your work. Pets make excellent models, as they keep moving around, so great practice for getting to grips with shutter speed and focal distance.  Put these images on your social media pages to promote your work.  

It will be extremely hard in the beginning, but the more variety of portfolio work you can show the better of a chance you have in getting noticed.   Approach any local photographers especially wedding photographers and ask if you can be their second shooter for free for several shoots.  This allows you to learn as you work.  Get to know the best times of the day to shoot outside.  Do research on your location to find the direction of sunlight.   It’s not all about taking the pictures, you need to be able to edit your images.  Not everyone’s style of editing is the same, trial and error helps you to find the style that suits you best.   

This will change the more you evolve.   You must love what you do, give it your all, things may not always be perfect, but have faith in yourself and your abilities as a photographer.

What is your favorite camera? Why?

I have only ever worked and owned Sony cameras.  My first camera was a sony, and I still have that sentimental attachment to it.  I have tried to use other brands, but for me my heart belongs to Sony cameras.   Like most  professional photographers I have a few cameras, but most often I use the Sony 99II. When it comes to lenses, the first one I had and I still work with today is Minolta, but most often I choose Sigma Art lenses.

Where does your inspiration come from?

My main inspirations are fairy tales, but most of all it is my imagination. My ideas are to create images that blend in and refer to the beautiful dresses that queens and princesses wore at balls and lavish events many years ago. My models always like my creations as it makes them feel very special, glamorous, and amazing for the day.  However, I do nothing schematically, I always try to embody something new with every new idea that pops into my head.

How often do you create new works?

It all depends… Every idea I write down in a notebook and then I start preparing and planning. Sometimes I work on my projects all by myself, but in larger projects my sister-in-law who is a decorator in our company helps me. I do most projects in the period May - September, but I will not lie that I love winter projects. It is known that in winter you have to work quickly, some models also do not like to work in low temperatures, so I am very grateful to girls who are not afraid of winter. For this summer I have 9 important projects that I would like to implement and I think that my determination will allow me to implement them all.

What is the most important thing for creating new work?

Conversation and understanding. First of all, listening to the expectations of the client, my vision, then putting my plan into practice – if we understand each other and know what we want and what we want to achieve from the whole shoot – then we will do it. I know that from my side I will give 100% - my models are all great to work with.