Hi, my name is Mirjam, and I'm a certified professional photographer.
Driven by a love of exploration and visual storytelling, I've spent years capturing the world through my lens, photographing landscapes, cityscapes, events, people, and, with particular enthusiasm, airplanes.
My photographs have been published in the United States and internationally, in books, magazines, newspapers, and numerous online platforms, and are included in public and private collections.
With a proven track record, I have the privilege of working with leading organizations such as Cirrus Aircraft, Aerista and Flight Choice, among others.
My approach is defined by a dedication to skillful execution, capturing the moment quickly and with minimal intrusion, whether using natural or artificial light. I continually strive to refine my craft and expand my artistic vision, always seeking beauty and inspiration wherever my journey takes me.
MY STORY
The Time I Learned That Photography Isn't Voodoo
I used to make prisms and lenses for a living. For seven years, I was a lens-making pro and I was good at it. I knew how to work with light in its most technical form, yet, when it came to photography, I was convinced it was too hard and complicated—probably some form of "voodoo". When I left that job, I entered a design school, while also preparing receptions for the US Consul General, at a time when everything in the world I knew was changing. The photography program? I steered clear of it. I was still convinced it was a whole lot of "voodoo". I've had about a dozen different careers since then. I've lived in three countries, watched political systems change, and witnessed revolutions and wars. Through all of that, I maintained my stance: photography? Probably a "voodoo".
My opinion didn’t change until my mid thirties. My husband's work took us on the road for 15 years, and I wanted to remember the places we'd been. So, he bought me my first camera, a simple point-and-shoot. The first time I photographed a sunset, it looked like absolute crap. Clearly, I needed more control. I eventually upgraded to a semi-professional camera, but that still wasn't enough.
I got tired of hunting for answers in books and online forums, so I decided to sign up for an online course. I found the New York Institute of Photography but worried about the cost. Money was always tight. I prayed for a sign, and that night, my husband and I went to a Chinese restaurant. We were both given fortune cookies, but then, for some reason, they gave me an extra one. My husband's fortune was probably something boring like "Good news will come to you by mail," but mine was a bit more interesting:
It read: "You will learn a skill that you will later teach."
Woah. I was still hesitant, but then I opened the second cookie.
It said the exact same thing!
You can't just ignore signs—not even when they arrive in a fortune cookie—so I decided it was time to put my "voodoo" theories to the test and signed up. At NYIP I got a wonderful instructor called Deborah Ellen Matlack and dove headfirst into learning.
I found a new obsession: learning from the best. I soaked up everything I could from brilliant photographers like Karl Taylor, Lindsay Adler, Jerry Ghionis, Joe McNally, and Vanessa Joy. And you can bet I watched every course I could from the crew at Adorama, including David Bergman, Seth Miranda, Gavin Hoey, and Daniel Norton. I'm incredibly grateful to them for sharing their knowledge; I'm still learning and practicing what they've taught and continue to teach me.
All of this was for my own enjoyment. I was perfectly happy traveling and working as a translator, and occasionally as a picture framer in a gallery. Yes, I did that too. I was even a firefighter at one point, and a secretary and an award wining watercolorist and... Let me tell you I wasn't looking for a new career, but then I got a call: "Can you photograph our jet (yes, as airplanes) deliveries and make photo albums on a regular basis? Just figure out how you want to do it."
I only had one camera and two lenses, but I said yes immediately. They gave me enough time to get my certification from Professional Photographers of America (PPA), and start a company.
Now, several years later, I have a few more cameras, I'm shooting jets (yes, as airplanes), people, and creating albums. I work a lot, but I'm finally starting to think this whole "voodoo" thing was meant to be.