I’m incredibly lucky to know Agi Lebiedz personally, we first met my very first SEO workshop in the UK (just a few months after having relocated to this new Country – I was feeling so worried about speaking in public in a new Country!).

Then, we met personally when we were nearly neighbours, in Isleworth, West London.

Agi is one of the sweetest people you may ever meet. She has a natural kindness and sparkle in her personality that makes her absolutely perfect for being a family photographer.

She’s also extremely talented, so much so that she has been featured in VOGUE Italia, BBC Wiltshire, CYK Magazine, a number of photography hubs and international publications.

It’s with my greatest pleasure that I am introducing you all to Agi Lediedz and I have asked her to share a bit of her entrepreneurial journey with us.

How did you get started in your business?

Photography was love at first sight for me.
I remember when I got my very first point and shoot film camera when I was a teen, my word changed. This little plastic box gave me super-powers. I could freeze today in time..and so I did. Capturing anything and everything, always.
I then learned from the most amazing professors, in a couple of photography schools and it was like a perfect and magical fusion of art and silence and I still remember the smell of all the darkroom ingredients…
…and then the ‘grown-up’ life started, I finished Uni and started a 9-5 job and my cameras landed somewhere at the bottom of my desk drawer…
Then my daughter arrived, turning the world upside down and reminding me about that camera buried somewhere in the drawer. From photographing her and all the wonderful changes, came photographing friends’ children, and then their friends and so the passion slowly started changing into a business – without me realising at first!

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

I am a lifestyle family photographer and I photograph my lovely clients’ stories at their homes – this is something I am very passionate about as our homes are such a wonderfully important place in our lives.
What I love the most and what is in fact a true privilege, is meeting my clients and being able to tell their stories.
Witnessing the everyday magic and being able to save it in time and craft it into a photograph that will take them back to that moment and make them feel and smile each time they look at it. That is just so special.

What do you see as most unique or special about your company or business?

I think each and every artist is so beautifully unique and there is an endless abundance of truly amazing talent out there.
In my work, it is about the entire experience. The getting to know each other and developing trust, so when I am coming to my clients’ home on the day of the shoot, we feel like we already know each other and it’s more like a visit from a friend.

bath_newborn_photographerWhat advice would you give to someone just starting out in your business?

You really can do it! Just remember to keep nurturing the art and the business side of things.
It may look overwhelming but there is so much information out there such as workshops, courses, mentorships, see who resonates and I would definitely recommend these as a shortcut through all the possible traps that can lead to the burnout. Oh, and don’t spend all that time on scrolling Instagram! 😉

What’s the strangest or funniest thing you’ve seen happen in your business?

I can’t remember one specific one but it will definitely be connected to my bumbling on things, falling over things and so on! Walking backwards when looking into the camera is probably not the best idea of all…

What significant changes have you seen in your profession in, say, the past ten years?

I have been in business 5 years hence I don’t have such an insight myself but I have learned the changes that are the result of the accessibility of the medium. We all have little cameras on us – in our pockets – all the time these days and we love to snap all the wonderful moments around us!
This, combined with all-round visual content that we digest daily, is changing our perception and aesthetics.
It can be inspiring but it can be dangerous when we land in the rabbit hole of comparisonitis.
Our own stories and vison are uniquely beautiful because these are ours. We really do not need to copy anyone.

What do you see as the coming trends in your business?

Video. This is the next best thing! And what a beautiful way to save your family stories when you not only have visual but also can hear the tiny voices of your children, the smiles, see you all moving together.
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After years of working as a family photographer and a photography teacher, Agi confessed on her website that she still does
an inner happy dance after each wonderful family session.
She’s available for Natural Family Photography in Bristol, Bath, Cotswolds, Wiltshire, London but she also travels across the UK and worldwide.
Agi also consults as a photography mentor. Accessing her knowledge and expertise on a 1:1 basis can allow photographers to tap into an insight of both the art to the business side of having your own sustainable family photography business.