Blazenka's photography hobby evolves from landscapes to lipsticks

Based in Sydney, Blazenka Harvey is a creative photographer with a background in marketing. After discovering photography as a hobby Blazenka worked hard to expand her skillset and now shoots eye-catching content for a variety of small businesses and Creatively Squared customers.

We had a chat to Blazenka to find out how she got started and what motivates her to create.

Meet Blazenka!

I started my career in Marketing and I have worked as a Marketing Manager and Consultant for over 15 years. I was always exposed to photography having worked in retail marketing and would often attend advertising shoots.

In 2013, I signed up onto Instagram and from then on, my love for photography grew exponentially. I originally focused on landscape, architecture and travel photography.

In 2014, my family moved to China for my husband's work and that's when I decided to start a marketing blog and create stock photography. I knew that this was something I was immensely interested in and so I took courses in photography - everything from food photography to photojournalism, photoshop and landscape photography.

Once we returned from China, having dabbled in Influencer campaigns, I decided that I wanted to create more content for brands and that's when I discovered Creatively Squared.

Joining a community with great opportunities

I originally discovered Creatively Squared via Instagram. What prompted me to join was the ability to work on some big brands that I may not otherwise get access to as a photographer who was starting out.

I love that the community is full of like-minded people who are will to share tips/tricks of the trade, to share wins, and to encourage each other to grow as photographers.

I've had a quite few favourite Creatively Squared projects that I've worked on. These include the Lakmé shoot, the Grant Burge campaign, Bundaberg drinks, and Vaseline.

I always enjoy shooting a mix of lifestyle content as well as studio content.

The Lakmé campaign was also one of my most challenging as you are working with both a reflective surface and a mirrored surface.

My personal aesthetic

I definitely have a minimal and clean aesthetic. I love working with light and shadows, as well as texture. For this reason, beauty and skincare photography is always a favourite of mine, as well as beverage photography.

Photography tools of the trade

Besides my collection of lenses (fixed and zoom), reflectors, and studio lights, I would say my large selection of props and backdrops definitely help with the scene I'm trying to create.

I mostly shoot from home and occasionally on location. I'm definitely grateful to have the beach as one of my backdrops!

I always create a storyboard prior to shooting. There is the flexibility to change on the day if a composition isn't working but the planning helps me to minimise set-up time by knowing which props and backdrops I will need on the day.

While most of my work is created by me and occasionally features me (usually my hands!) I am fortunate to have two gorgeous girls who step in as little models to hold a product.

How I stay inspired

To get into my creative zone, I love to sit with a good cup of coffee and plan out my storyboard. I also like to research the product category, not for ideas but rather to make sure that the images are different from the competition.

I follow a variety of people on Instagram but I have to say @anniset and @drcuerda would have to be two of my favourites! I love the way they combine architecture and geometry into their images.

My top tips for creating fabulous content

1. To research your product and know your target market
2. To have a clear vision when shooting
3. To follow the brief!

This year, I'm hoping to focus on improving my post-production skills. While I always try and capture my scenes in-camera, I know that there's a lot that can be done in post-production to elevate an image.

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