Hi Beauties!

If you’ve landed on this page, chances are you either follow my photography journey on Instagram or you’ve been (or will be 👀) one of my lovely clients. Either way—welcome! I’m so glad you’re here.

I thought it was about time I properly introduced myself and gave you a little peek into my world of photography, creativity, and connection. I want this space to feel like a friendly corner of the internet where you get to know me better, find some inspiration for your own photoshoots, learn a little about photography (especially if you’re just starting out), and maybe even pick up a book or show recommendation along the way.

So let me start with the reason I’m here...

MY PHOTOGRAPHY JOURNEY

I’ve always liked the word journey. It implies something ongoing, something you’re actively walking through—and it makes me think of holidays, which is funny, because as much as I love photography, running the business side of it doesn’t always feel like a vacation!

I got my very first camera from my dad, who was massively into photography. I enjoyed it for about three minutes… before he took it away. To be fair, I was probably five at the time and had a bit of a reputation for throwing things, so I can’t really blame him. Still, maybe that tiny heartbreak stuck with me, because years later, photography came back into my life—and this time, it stuck.

The first camera I could properly call mine was a Sony a230. My mum got it for me after literal years of begging. One day she just gave up (out of love, I swear!) and silenced me forever. If you haven’t realised yet—I can be a bit dramatic. But hey, I’m an artist! The camera came with two lenses: an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and a 55-200mm f/4-5.6. That little setup changed my life.

FROM BIRDS TO PEOPLE

My ‘people photography’ journey didn’t start right away. In the beginning, I was all about birds and flowers. As a teenager with scoliosis and a face full of acne, I quickly taught myself photo retouching using GIMP. Photoshop was out of my budget, but I had to do my best with what I had—and I had a killer camera, so who cared about post-production anyway?

Eventually, I built up enough confidence to start photographing people. I pestered everyone at my secondary school to come out and shoot with me in the fields. Some of those photos are still among my favourites to this day. Have a look:

Not too bad for a 13-year-old, right?

DREAMING BIG (AND GETTING PUBLISHED)

Once I got a taste for portraiture, I decided to dream big. I reached out to a few teen magazines in Poland—not just to feature my work inside, oh no—I asked if they’d put it on the cover. Dream big or go home, right?

And guess what? I got published! Here’s my first cover… and then a second one I did when I was in sixth form college:

Somewhere along the way, I also won second place in a national park photography contest for a picture I might have taken… from my living room window… with my 55-200mm lens. In my defence, I did live next to the park. That bird definitely came from there. I won a compact digital camera, which I gave to my brother. Everyone was happy.

THE GAP YEARS

It’s funny how fearless we are as kids—and how that courage sometimes slips away as we grow up. That’s exactly what happened to me when I applied to uni after moving to London. I applied for a Photography degree at the University of Westminster, but after the interview (which totally knocked my confidence), I didn’t even check whether I got in.

Instead, I pivoted and studied foreign languages, which turned out to be an unexpected blessing. That path led to an MA in Spanish and Latin American Literature, then to my PGCE, and eventually to teaching languages. It also meant I wasn’t a struggling artist—and for that, I’m honestly grateful.

I ended up dropping photography for a good five years, thinking maybe it was just a phase. But then I started a short-lived health blog (RIP), which was the perfect excuse to finally get myself a Sony a7 III—which I still use to this day. So, a win-win!

PORTRAITS BY DOM LTD

The real turning point came with my boyfriend’s sister’s wedding. I had been toying with the idea of getting into wedding photography—I’m a sucker for shows like Married at First Sight and Love is Blind, so the idea of documenting real-life love stories just felt right.

I offered to photograph the wedding on one condition: she had to be okay with me messing it up 😅 Luckily, it was a small, intimate celebration in her garden, and she was thrilled to have me.

I can’t even tell you how nervous I was. But knowing the people helped a lot. I even bought roses just before the ceremony so I could use the petals for some cute confetti shots as they left the town hall. The guests ended up sweeping them afterwards, which made for some unexpectedly brilliant broom photos! Shoutout to the flower shop assistant who helped me pluck the petals when I was clearly panicking.

Here are some of my favourite shots from that day:

And, as they say, the rest is history!

Okay, I wanted to include so much more in this first blog entry… but I think I’ll save the rest for next time.

I hope this gave you a better idea of who I am—and maybe gave you a giggle or two along the way.

See you in part two of the “Let Me Introduce Myself!” trilogy 💕

With love,
Dom

P.s.

I found that bird! Was it worth winning a camera? 😂