This is my very first blog post and I will tell you about me and Ela Pop Photography.

I had a camera since I was very little. I got my first camera from my grandfather who most likely bought during one of his work trips to Greece or Libia ( he can’t remember). I do remember how proud I felt when I got to hold it and how happy I was when I learned it was mine. My grandfather was not a photographer. He worked for a oil mining company and because of that he was able to travel and bring us, his grandchildren, lots of goodies that where not so easy to find back then in Romania.

Like this pair of overalls that is 41 years old. He got them the year my sister was born. She wore them, I wore them, her daughter had them and now my little girl fits in them. They are in mint condition and will be passed down to my son and hopefully many generations to come.

I can talk about my grandparents and their small farm where I grew up for hours, but I will tell you the short story about how photography captivated my soul.

After I got the camera from my grandpa I had to learn how to use it. I took free classes a the community center in my small hometown, Adjud (if you are curios to see where I was born click here). I learned how to load film in the camera (very important), exposure, composition aka take a picture that was not blown out or completely dark and looked interesting (this is how my child brain understood exposure and composition). The most magical part was learning how to develop film and print. Its might sound cliché but I fell in love with photography in that small dark room.

I don’t think I knew any English when this picture was taken but looking back at my shirt now I can’t help but smile 🙂 Back then it was fun and it definitely put a smile on my face every time I was in the dark room. The dark room was my happy place and I miss it!

In August 2011 my photography became an official business, it was named Ela Pop Photography, to honor my late husband Costi Pop who past away to colon cancer June 2011. He loved life, always had a smile on his face and he was the first to encourage me to start a business.

Fast forward to 2021 photography still puts a smile on my face but is not fun all the time. I am now a small business owner, happily remarried with two beautiful children. I transitioned my business from newborn photography ( I still love to photograph newborns and I still do it every chance I get) to weddings the year my daughter was born, 2016.

I learned the ins and outs of weddings from friends and fellow wedding photographers, I was the second photographer at many weddings, took many classes and workshops and now I am happy to say I had the honor to be part of close to 100 weddings. I don’t only document and photograph the day, I serve my couples, we become friends, and I walk away at the end of every wedding with a smile.

I also still work a part time job as a Retinal Angiographer. It’s a mouthful I know :)). I work for a ophthalmologist and I take pictures of the inside of the eye ( crazy ). It is a very interesting job where I still learn amazing things, not just about the eye. I get to meet and talk to new people every week.

Photography might not always be fun anymore but it still makes me smile 🙂

Hugs,

Ela