We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ana Gregorič. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ana below.

Ana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Mother says that I literally went crazy as a child when I saw a camera. I loved taking photos, but back then it was a very expensive hobby. Such an additional expense was not something our family could afford, so my mother literally hid it from me. So, in the desire to create, I turned to drawing. The camera kind of faded into the background.

I decided to attend an Italian high school because at that time, I thought I would study in Italy. Later, I realized that tuition fees were still too expensive, so I applied to the Academy in Ljubljana. I was accepted on the third attempt because I had to make up for a lot of knowledge that was expected in the entrance exams. I’m glad I didn’t give up and persisted until I succeeded. Even during my studies, I started working as a designer, but for my thesis, I still chose photography because I wanted to deepen certain knowledge. My mentor was Milan Pajk, and together we chose the topic of Portrait Photography in Fashion. It was only with this task that I truly fell in love with photography and felt that someday I might be able to make a living from it. I realized photography suited me very well, and I could weave reality with imagination, I could explore light, features, emotions,…

My obsession became faces. The faces of models, passersby, faces and figures, hands and eyes… faces, so beautiful in their uniqueness, each with its own life story, each with its own dreams… I think that my academic education helped me a lot because I learned to look at light, form… Knowledge from illustration, painting, and sculpture helps me always find the right light for each face.

Then began a period of deepening demands: obsessively seeking beauty and perfection, searching for the depth of emotions and experiences. I began to pursue the explosion of emotions at special happy events, at every moment of intense happiness – that perfect moment that can also make you cry… and which is so strongly present on a wedding day. Thus, wedding photography took up the majority of my time.

Technical knowledge is the foundation, something you can learn. I was very committed to acquiring it. But it’s never enough; I’m still updating, still learning. The diploma is just a starting point; the rest is primarily practice, daily improvement, enthusiasm for the profession I chose… enthusiasm that turns fatigue and necessary routine into secondary factors hardly worth mentioning; and even that only when the clock shows it’s high time for rest.

My work has brought me quite a bit of satisfaction, including the award for Special Artistic Achievement for the thesis “Portrait in Fashion” and the award in the open category “People” for the photograph “In between” at the Sony World Photography Award, the most prestigious competition to which more than 110,000 photographs from around the world are submitted to London. Last year I became Canon Ambassador for the EMEA reagion, which is another dream come true.

I always work hard for my clients, but mostly for myself. I always want my last project to be the best and today’s technology helps me achieve my goals easier and faster.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I remember the first steps very nostalgically. It seems to me that I didn’t even know what I was getting into. Just when you think you have some knowledge, the next day you realize that you didn’t understand anything until now. It’s beautiful to explore your limits and taste. Experience really changes and enhances you; no course or YouTube tutorial can give you that. As a photographer I want to capture that special gesture, a stolen moment where the details blend into a unique whole. I wish that it wouldn’t even be noticed that it’s posing. This is where it can sometimes go wrong if the person doesn’t have a sense of posing. That’s when I need a little more time and a few more tricks to achieve that.

At the beginning, I had quite a bit of stage fright, but now I have so much “mileage” that I’m confident enough. The experiences I’ve gathered are invaluable. I always strive to make that special day even more magical than it was.

You need to have physical and mental stamina because you work continuously for 12-14 hours, from a technical standpoint, it’s very demanding work because you’re working in various weather and lighting conditions. Even when you’re tired, you have to find the drive and inspiration within yourself.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is to have the ability to capture and create moments of beauty, emotion, and connection. Being able to evoke emotions, tell stories, and preserve memories for others appears to bring a deep sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Additionally, the continuous growth, learning, and improvement that come with the creative process contribute to a fulfilling journey as an artist.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I have always been very stubborn and find it difficult to allow someone to help me. This characteristic has certainly prolonged my development. This self-reliance has undoubtedly played a role in shaping my journey, being open to collaboration and guidance from others could potentially have offered alternative perspectives and accelerated certain aspects of my creative development. Exploring workshops or courses focusing on specific techniques or aspects of photography or design could have still offered valuable insights and perspectives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anagregoric-weddings.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anagregoricphoto/