I am thrilled to share that I'm taking the leap across the pond to London, England and expanding my photography portfolio in a new environment.
2023 has been a year of tremendous change for me. My photography career empowered me to bid farewell to my day job in software sales back in February, allowing me to pursue my true passion full-time. I can genuinely say that I've never been happier.
When I first joined my last software company in May 2020, they hinted in the job interview that they would be opening an office in London, England. Right then and there, I eagerly volunteered to be the one to make the leap.
London Phone Booth. 2018. © Ian Kobylanski
Having previously lived internationally in Bangkok, Thailand during my semester abroad in 2017, I experienced firsthand how immersing myself in a new culture changed my perspective. The prospect of working in an environment that not only offered longevity but also enabled me to support myself while experiencing all that London has to offer was an opportunity I simply couldn't ignore.
This company fully embraced my photography side gig. We specialized in software for creators, and I was a testament to that. I could relate and connect with our clients given my own passion for photography, and this synergy allowed my career to flourish. Simultaneously, it provided me with the flexibility to pursue photography projects close to my heart during my free time.
I loved photography as a side hustle because it enabled me to focus on the clients and shoots I truly enjoyed and wanted to spend my free time shooting. Counting the working hours never happened with photography because it never felt like work. Moreover, I didn’t have to take on photography clients in order to keep the lights on and compromise what I liked to shoot.
As I honed my ability to strike a meaningful balance between my day job and my photography passion, the allure of London, UK, continued to beckon. We initially had plans to explore Australia for several months, but the onset of the pandemic redirected our course. London became our guiding light during those challenging lockdown days.
In the ever-evolving world of technology, what leadership says and what unfolds often don't align. The initial goal of opening a London office in 2022 shifted to 2023, veered toward Dublin for tax purposes, and then further to 2024. Eventually, these conversations dissipated due to anticipated layoffs stemming from market conditions.
It became evident that the international move was a moving target, but for both my fiancée, Kira, and me, London was a dream we had sold ourselves on. The potential opportunities for my fashion and commercial lifestyle photography in London far outweighed what Vancouver had to offer.
© Fourth Foto
We were resolute that this was the path we wanted to tread, and we were committed to doing it on our own terms.
Surviving the layoff rounds until February 2023, leadership sentiment towards my photography side hustle went from a value-add to the team to that my identity was not my day-job nor the company, and it needed to shift. Going public the stock exchange had stripped the company of the culture I loved, and its fiduciary duty threw off the balance I fluorished in.
Thankfully, my commissioned photography work began to eclipse my income from my day job, making it an unequivocal decision to pursue what I loved over what sapped my emotional energy.
Knowing that our plans for London, England were around the corner, 2023 was a tremendous year to grow in my new routines, freelancer habits, and build myself as the photographer I wanted to be. There was a novelty of waking up and editing photos, putting together pitch decks, and brainstorming concepts – while that creative energy was often spent on sales calls and only using what little energy was left at the end of the day.
Transitioning from a toxic work environment to having my images featured prominently across Vancouver's streets in a matter of months was a validation I couldn't have fathomed a short while ago. Today, there's no looking back; photography is my unwavering path forward.
Following a summer that reshaped my career and allowed me to work with incredible photography clients, it was bittersweet to bid them farewell as I prepared for my move to London. This journey had been three years in the making, and now, London was firmly within my sights.
To make the most of this career change, my fiancée and I opted to embark on an eight-month adventure across Australia and Asia before settling down and resuming our careers in London.
The beautiful thing about photography is it comes everywhere with you. Namely, candid street photography is how I spend all my free time. Walking the streets with my camera, exploring areas, and meeting unique people is the only tourist activity I need.
The images I’ll be creating I’m excited to take to London with me. My fiancée is an investment counsellor and studying her for her third and final CFA exam – while I continue to edit my images on the road. As it’s a global certification, she’ll be writing in Hanoi, Vietnam while we spend a month there in February.
© Fourth Foto
Our arrival in London, England is scheduled for June 2024, and we are excited to leverage our travel time to build early connections and ensure a seamless transition once we find our new home. We don’t know anyone there. so recommendations, referrals, or introductions are the highest compliment.
Coming from a world in Vancouver of finance, accounting, real estate, and business, it makes networking with those in the creative and photography space for me in London a dream. Only in the last eight months of pursuing photography full-time had I learnt that:
What I initially perceived as giving 100% to my photography was merely a fraction of my true potential.
Meeting people in my new industry over a cup of coffee revealed that I had far more in common with fellow photographers than I had ever imagined.
I was the lone creative amongst our friend circle, as the cost of living in Vancouver demanded working in either one of the aforementioned trades or finding a side hustle. The prospect of immersing myself in a new city and forging authentic connections with those who share my creative ambitions is what excites me most.
The transition from a day job to full-time photography relieved me of "decision fatigue." The scientific theory posits that we have a fixed number of decisions we can make at full mental capacity each day.
Moguls like Mark Zuckerberg embrace that theory wearing the same outfit every single day and removing every low-level decision so that those decisions can be saved for the highest-value moments.
Though I prefer changing styles, no longer having a day job meant my creative photography decisions held 100% of my mental capacity. The work I had created in 2023 I have felt more proud of than any year before. I grew more in the last eight months than in the last eight years. Specifically, making time for creative shoots reminded me of who I am and what I’m meant to do.
With London on the horizon and the biggest travels of my life ahead, I’m forever grateful of the opportunities afforded to me and to share it with my partner Kira as well.
If you’ve made it this far in reading my reflections on moving and what 2023 has meant for me, I greatly appreciate you and the time you’ve shared. If you’re in London, or know anyone who may help in this transition – or someone I may connect well with, a referral or introduction is the highest compliment.
I’ll continue to share more photo journals ahead on my blog and publish them through my newsletter below. I encourage you to join! Thanks again for stopping by, and I hope to see you abroad.