We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stefanie Villers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Stefanie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

If nothing in life is guaranteed then I guess everything we do is a risk, isn’t it? Take the risk and hope it works out!

When I left California to move to Europe, I hadn’t been working full time since the pandemic came around in 2020 and I had moved out of my Los Angeles apartment and into my parents home out in the desert – it was just me and my dog. I figured, hey if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just come back. I just needed to give myself a ‘fresh start’, I needed to climb out of the hole I had allowed myself to sink into.

In March of 2022 I tossed out almost all of my belongings, packed the rest and boarded a plane with my dog and camera(s). Still, with no real plan or “job” in sight.

Now here I am today, still in Europe, living in Portugal as a Freelance Photographer while also working for a platform for photographers. The risk opened doors for me that I wouldn’t have been able to walk through, had I not just gone for it.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

In high school, my dad gave me his Nikon film camera (previously given to him by his uncle) to use for my film photography class. Before that, I was the girl bringing disposable cameras everywhere.

When I got to college, I’m sad to say that I did not enrol in any ‘creative’ classes. I didn’t really know what I liked, what I was really passionate about. It took me quite some time after that and a lot of job changes to bring me back to photography and being in a ‘creative space’.

In 2016, I bought myself my first DSLR, a Canon 5D, and started shooting a lot of different images for all sorts of people, brands and events. Each shoot was a new learning experience which came with failures and wins. Since then, photography has taken me places that some people can only dream of and I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way because of photography.

More so in these last few years, my goal with photography has been to shoot mostly film and with that, capture real, authentic moments that I hope can serve as a reminder to those around me that life, in all its messiness and ups + downs, can be so beautiful and to keep living authentically and unapologetically day in and day out.

It wasn’t always like this for me but I can say now that I’m proud of myself for not falling into the ‘trap’ of social media photography trends. I shoot what I love, what feels right for me and the people and places in front of my lens and I think that shows in the photos. I hope that I never waver from my intention of capturing images that move me, that move others.

Right now, I’m living in Portugal with my dog Floyd and I work as a Freelance Photographer and Client Success Associate for a platform for Photographers. I take on a handful of photography jobs a year and travel as often as possible, documenting as much as I can so that I can continue to share and provoke those around me to feel and see the world differently.

I also want to share that I’m also in the process of studying for my Pilates Teacher certification which I’m hoping will be just another way of giving back and making others around me feel good.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

My answer for this one feels simple – if someone can look at my work and then feel and see something differently than what they would have seen otherwise, then ‘my job is done here’. I just want people to look at an image I’ve taken and think it’s like nothing they have ever seen before, even if they have.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My creativity has its ebs and flows. I don’t feel creative all of the time and because of that, I often live with imposture syndrome as a photographer. I think where I am at in life and work right now, my creative journey is being driven by the need to keep moving… to keep traveling, keep experiencing, keep loving, keep living.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stefanievillers.com
• Instagram: @stefshotit
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanie-villers-a5b0a81a/