Today, my studio turns 15 years old.

Fifteen years of creating, learning, and growing.
If I’m honest, feeling a lot, too.

Looking Back
When I started, I never could have imagined where this journey would take me.

Over the years, I’ve worked alongside some amazing people.
At one point, there were twelve of us!

The studios (we’ve had two homes now) were always buzzing with laughter, hard work, and cups of tea that went cold far too quickly.
Although the first studio had NO heating or hot water!

While looking for some Halloween images this week, I stumbled across old team-shoot photos. That was bittersweet and emotional!
For a few years, we’d all get together for a creative shoot day: dressing up, doing makeup, laughing, and ordering pizza.

I loved what we built together, it was the best of times, can’t help but be quite nostalgic about it.
Team work, makes the dreams work… I miss every single one of them and think of them all the time.

Understanding Myself

Slowly things changed, we evolved. I couldn’t keep up with the pressure of such an high octane life. I really was feeding a beast in the business. High risks, no break.
As an newbie to business after my midwifery career, I was no stranger to hard work after all!

With a much needed studio move, I kept swimming. As anyone self employed will tell you, you just keep pushing. I was so proud of the difference we were making to others lives but I felt like it could all go away tomorrow!

The team dwindled to a select few, I was focused on increasing the client experience and that meant shooting less, so less team were needed.
Looking back, I cringe at me, the mad scientist in the middle, pushing and yearning for success.

Even though I knew what had to happen, I was so sad to see team members move on and not look back the second the final £ was exchanged.
Friends? No, it was business. (Disclaimer – not all!)
At times I handled things so badly.
The lessons kept rolling in.

Personal relief came, through being late diagnosed as neurodivergent in 2022.
I finally understood myself in ways I never could before.
I wasn’t a bad person after all.

I started to give myself a break. I couldn’t fix what had been before (so many regrets) but I could look to the future and find a new path.

Could I learn to love myself, the way I wanted my clients to love themselves?

What I’ve Learned

All of this has taught me so much about connection, vulnerability, and what it truly means to see someone.
Every experience… the joy, the loss, and the lessons, have shaped who I am today.

It’s given me a deeper understanding of women, emotion, and identity, and that’s exactly what drives my work now.

My photography isn’t just about creating beautiful images.
It’s about helping women see themselves in a new light.
To feel valued, confident, and enough.

A Different Kind of Celebration

So yes, today I will be celebrating alone, just me, a cupcake, and a little party hat.
But rather than sadness, there’s peace in that.

Because I’m exactly where I was always meant to be. I just didn’t know it back then.
I used to measure success in numbers, systems, chaos and pressure.

Now I measure it in meaning, connection, and the impact my work has on the women who step in front of my camera.

Today, I will be celebrating:

• All the women who walked beside me.
• All the lessons that shaped me.
• Plus, the woman I’ve finally come to understand.

Here’s to 15 years of Johanna Elizabeth.
To growth, self-love, compassion, and doing exactly what I was always meant to do. 💫

Love, Jo
~x~