The Mental Health Photographer

23/07/2024

LAST CHANCE!!!
20% OFF Competition Entries & last chance to vote!
Add code ART20 at payment. With your purchase, we can earn 100 points.
With each like and share of the original post, we earn 2 points. 🙏

21/07/2024

Last chance peeps - the exhibition will come off this coming Thursday 🙂 you can still find them and many other photos of mine at We Are Super in The Sovereign, Weston-super-Mare 🖤

04/07/2024

Ladies and Gentlemen,

My project website has arrived. Hope you’ll enjoy it.

Some of the images can be triggering to the eyes an through them, to the soul. Be gentle to yourself and have a break. They’ll be here, waiting for your return when you are ready.

11/04/2024

Can’t wait to open Saturday (13th) by the The Mayor of Weston-super-Mare at 10am please do come and see us!

Weston Artspace aims to bring creative members of the local community together, whether it be painters, photographers, film-makers, and everyone…

24/03/2024

J U S T D O I T

“One lesser-known aspect of ADHD that many individuals struggle with is ADHD paralysis.

ADHD paralysis, also known as executive dysfunction or task paralysis, refers to the inability to initiate, complete, or sustain tasks due to overwhelming feelings of anxiety, stress, or mental fatigue. This can be a debilitating experience for those with ADHD, as it can lead to procrastination, low self-esteem, and a sense of failure.

Types of ADHD Paralysis

ADHD paralysis can be classified into three distinct types: mental paralysis, task paralysis, and choice paralysis. These classifications correspond to specific areas of executive functioning that are impacted by ADHD symptoms. Individuals with ADHD may experience difficulties in one or multiple of these categories over the course of their lives, influenced by the stressors they encounter during episodes...”

Read more here: https://mypsychiatrist.com/blog/what-is-adhd-paralysis/ #:~:text=One%20lesser%2Dknown%20aspect%20of,%2C%20stress%2C%20or%20mental%20fatigue.

😬

16/08/2023

The Climate Carnival is approaching people, I hope to seeing you there ☺️ I’m sure you’ll find me if you see this image 😉
9th of September peeps!

14/08/2023

Someone saw my images in a group and even though I’ve highlighted that they’re photographs and digitaly retouched by me, someone messaged me and invited me to their AI group… here’s my answer and I hope you take a minute to read and understand it.

“Also AI isn’t photography, mixing the two is misleading.
AI uses existing photographs from the internet or (if it’s legit like Adobe Firefly) a stock database. If it’s an illegitimate AI app, then it’s breaching the International Copyright Law, which means you’re stealing however unconsciously using such app and what you create cannot go under your name. When it’s legit, then the app should use a stock database where all the photographers whom images you used being compensated as per usage or in a one-time payment.
But AI is never photography even if you use photos that you have taken and composed with AI, that is your composition work but not photograph. Part of it photography and part of it artificial intelligence. If you compose with AI from you own images that isn’t your digital work, it’s your photographs generated to a composition by AI. And that’s why so many photographers including myself are upset. Because of the massive misleading and miscommunication behind AI. Just because it looks like a photo it isn’t a photo just as a photorealistic drawing isn’t a photograph.
If I took a photo of my husband’s paintings and made an exhibition exclaiming that they’re my paintings, I’d be a crazy laugh-stock. Yet AI artists apply to photography competitions and win without the skill set that makes a photographer a photographer.
That’s why people are nasty in the comments. Because they’re hurt and their hurt is real and legit.
AI art can be art but it’s a digital art form and calling it photography is a disgrace and disrespectful to real photographers. It doesn’t show the years and years of learning to control and understand lighting techniques, retouching skills, posing and composition skills and the rules of photography.

I’m not looking down on people who use AI, who am I to do that. But I despise people who call AI photography because they’re the reason for a lot of client loss, they’re the reason for businesses shutting down because they’ve been called too expensive.
I’m angry and hurt because whenever I created digital backgrounds those took me a lot of planning, and work yet now I couldn’t sell them because there are AI generated backdrops for waaay much cheaper simply because they are two seconds to create.
I hurt because my value as a professional being questioned due to the stupid misleading about AI being photography.

So please just re-consider getting rid of photography from your group name, and think for a second how many people are actually hurting because of the incorrect information. I understand that people are unreasonably rude on social media groups, that’s why I’m not doing it. But it really stings when I see XYZ sharing an image that looks so painfully real and turns out that they’ve only shoved in a couple of words to a generator that has done the job that would take me hours with my quite advanced skill set. It hurts that I have to prove people that what I have created is not AI, but my own hard work.”

31/07/2023

B U R N O U T
The whole image as promised

29/07/2023

B U R N O U T

We all experience it sometimes, but as a photographer, who is constantly being questioned about their prices, this is my point of view.

It is very hard nowadays to be a creative, because thanks to technology, a lot of people has got a misconception that photography is just “pressing a button”. Believe me or not, there was a time I thought something similar (not the same though). Since I’m a so-called professional with actual skills, knowledge and value I came to the conclusion how much actual learning and failure needed to get somewhere.

I’m photographing for over 15 years, I’m called a professional for two years. I’m calling myself a digital artist since my first award around this time last year.

Photography is a service. A picture service. As you save up for a holiday, you can save up for a photoshoot. As you value the good running shoes that will protect your feet for £££, getting your photos taken by a professional photographer is also a long-term investment.
When people ask me why I’m charging what I charge for a photoshoot, that reflects all my work I put into my business. It’s not just the incredibly expensive gear, not just the time I’m spending on taking your photos and not just the editing time. I’m also my bookkeeper, accountant, manager, marketing personnel, admin, and more often than not I’m the legal team in one person just as the trained first aider, the mental health first aider, creative director, editor etc
I’m a human who creates true experience to other humans. There have never been a too big request and I don’t know the word ‘impossible’.

I was able to learn skills within two years that takes tens of years to others.
So as a human I really hurt when people questioning my prices, my packages, trick me and not paying etc. when you questioning and tricking me you send the message that I have no value in your eyes.

And that’s okay, but if that’s the case don’t praise my work. Don’t tell me how amazing I am but wait for the free model calls. Don’t hurt my and my fellow photographers’ self-esteem.

01/12/2022

Midnight is the deadline for donations. Even £5 is a great help to the charity that supports mental health. ❤️

Help Hajni Petrof raise money to support Mind

30/11/2022

WE NEED A TITLE!

I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who supported Mind Charity during my live streams throughout November.
It was indeed a journey of its own.
And here is the result of our work - subject: DV/DA.

We need a title, and I'd be grateful if you'd threw your ideas to the comment section. :)

You still aren't late to donate if you didn't already, all money will go to support Mind (my chosen mental health charity): https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hajni

Huge thank you to Niki Ayers for modelling to this piece. :)