Pictures Of Pooches

We meet Romanian expat Mihaela Tudor, and learn about her photography work, including a recent project about pets!

Hong Kong is the only place Mihaela has lived outside of Romania, but she’s happy to call it home. “This can be a very captivating place,” she says. “To me, Hong Kong is a unique mix of everything: urban jungle, ‘remote’ nature, the blend of cultures, the diversity of people, the food, the opportunities.”

Amongst those opportunities was the chance for Mihaela to set up a professional business in freelance photography and art direction, using her experience in fashion, portrait and product photography as a springboard. And, while this wasn’t without its challenges, Hong Kong’s reputation as a relatively easy place to put together a start-up came to the fore.

“I had to quickly get up to speed on how the market moves here. We didn’t know anyone when we came, so I had to build everything from scratch. The surprise, though, is that it was a lot easier than it looks!”

Today, she’s trying to focus more on documentary photography, and making space in her schedule to build a portfolio for it. That’s when she can squeeze in the time.

“My days are ever-changing, but it’s always breakfast and coffee first. Then, I get on with it, either heading off to the studio to shoot a campaign or an outdoor portrait, doing some product or on-location shoots, or spending days on end in front of the computer retouching.”

Portraits of pets

Mihaela recently completed a fascinating project – one with some warm and colourful results. It’s called “Collective Portraits of South Lantau Pet Owners” – and it’s exactly what it says on the tin: a series of photographs of people in her community alongside their beloved dogs and cats.