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What made you move to Malta?

Well, I moved to Malta in 2018 after living in the UK – mainly around London for about 11 years. I don’t have very good memories of the place. I was always struggling financially. Working too much and the bills were too high.

I wasn’t living life – I was living to work. That all changed when I moved to Malta. I started as self- employed here and began exploring opportunities here that I hadn’t had in the UK.

It kind of made me realise how grateful I am for moving here. So many opportunities came to me since moving here. My business started growing and I became really active within the LGBT community. I have made lots of friends here in Malta now. It wasn’t just the fact that I moved here to start photography. Moving here was an escape. I was refusing to work somewhere where I didn’t want to work (like in the UK). Especially after Brexit.

I met a woman in the UK and she invited me to a wedding and that’s how I got started and fell in love with wedding photography especially. That’s when I set up FocusbyMrV

So what do you do in Malta?

I began developing a photography business. I have started working as a 2nd shooter alongside Kris Micallef, mainly at weddings, slowly building up visibility. As it’s not easy for foreigners to make their mark here. You have to be proactive and really work for it.

I began to build up my name and reputation among those sorts of circles – I worked hard and started to get my own bookings. By 2020 I had a full calendar of bookings only for Covid-19 to mess up all my hard work – like it did for many many people. So all of my bookings were pushed back to 2021 as no events were allowed.

 

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And how is it going for you post-Covid? Has your business recovered?

I have since worked tirelessly to provide natural, non-posed photography for clients of all persuasions.

It’s usually people who are looking for something different and mainly clients for whom, taking photos is a total nightmare. I generally manage to make most clients feel comfortable and at ease, which I think is important since weddings are that stressful.

Looking back about five years, I’ve realised that I am already where I wanted to be within this time. I’m no sort of wondering what is waiting for me next? I’m currently slowly breaking into the destination wedding market, and I receive requests from all over the world.

Last year I photographed a wedding in the UK and on top of a mountain in Switzerland. This year I will have a wedding in Romania and another in Israel. So I’ve certainly started to travel more with my work – which I enjoy.

And I’d like get my name out there more so I’ve been speaking with as many people as possible here in Malta – it was lovely chatting with Kamil Willinsky.

In the next five years I think I’d like to travel even more and photograph weddings in countries I have never visited.

What do you think makes a good photographer?

I believe that a good wedding photographer – specifically – doesn’t just photograph, but also helps relieve stress for the bride-to-be on their big day.
A good photographer also helps arrange the dress, flowers, calms family members down and ensures that the lucky couple have plenty of time to relax without a camera constantly pointed towards their backs.

What are your thoughts on the LGBT community in Malta?

I think that the LGBT community in Malta is a bit more welcoming than in the UK. When I lived in the UK I didn’t feel included, I felt left out. Here I’ve been involved a lot more – I’ve taken photos for Malta Pride and ARC. For Lollipop – Kris Micallef’s event.

I think Malta is a very welcoming country in that sense.

What else has Malta given you that other countries haven’t been able to?

Opportunities mainly. For example I was able to take part in season three of X Factor Malta . I began singing lessons here. Participating in X Factor was so much fun, but it was very stressful. I feel confident here compared to the UK.

I feel that my life in Malta is all about challenging myself, doing things I’ve never attempted. So the scarier the better – just putting myself out of my comfort zone essentially to grow as a person.

The six-chair challenge has arguably been the most wonderful experience of my life. There hasn’t been anything more scary or exciting than ever before – for me.

 

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Who do you think deserves a spotlight on them in Malta? Tag them in the comments below!