Meet Olivia Rymkiewicz | Photographer & Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Olivia Rymkiewicz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Olivia, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I think my business started as a result of my desire to capture people, places and moments that were significant to me through photography. When I travelled with my family as a kid, I started to take pictures on a disposable film camera of things that stood out to me. I loved the way being limited to 24 exposures in a roll, forced attention to detail and value into every shot. Nothing tops the feeling of getting my developed film scans back after travel and receiving what feels like a highlight reel of my favourite experiences on the trip, immortalized as photographs. I remember a teacher of mine in high school who often talked about “the beauty of human experience”. The idea that every person around me had a different story and perspective on life enthralled me. I found street photography of people around the world gave me an outlet for that curiosity. Though I would share my photos on social media, I didn’t post them with the intention of capturing the attention of others. Posting my photos gave me a collection of my most significant memories to look back on and appreciate. Over time I started to develop a pattern in what I enjoyed shooting and eventually people started to notice me and my photography. It was very exciting for me to discover people appreciated the moments I captured, despite not having the same understanding of the significance and memories I had attached to each shot. It made me realize that we all like to wonder, take something like an image and let our own curiosities explore the stories behind them. One of my favourite parts of beginning photography was its community of very talented and generous people. Through the support and teachings of mentors, trial and error and experience, I began to develop my passion and curiosity into a career.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
“I am a 19-year-old Canadian photographer and creative and I mainly focus on 35mm film photography. I have always loved film photography because of the way limited exposures on a roll of film force attention to detail and value into every shot I take. When I began photography I used it as a way to capture people, places and moments that were significant to me. Over time I started to develop a pattern in what I enjoyed shooting and it mainly consisted of vintage cars and portraits. I think photography like many creative industries has degrees of success, measured through progression and experience. I have been very fortunate to have had the guidance and encouragement of some very talented and generous mentors throughout my career. The opportunities those mentors created for me allowed me to expand my portfolio and explore a personal style. The journey to my moments of success has been far from easy. I have had a life full of significant challenges and at times I felt like everything was working against me. I believe that my personal and professional development came as a result of my ability to see a negative circumstance as a lesson rather than a drawback. I think my ability to learn from mistakes and navigate adversity has contributed to moments I define as personal achievements. The first time I felt like I was successful as a photographer was the time a young girl told me I had inspired her to start photography. She told me she wanted to be able to notice beauty in more things around her, the way she thought I did. I think inspiring others to consider a new perspective and idea of beauty is one of the greatest markers of success for an artist or creative. A huge highlight for me recently has been the trust brands have shown in me and my work through granting me creative freedom when I work with them. I was also fortunate enough to work alongside Jason Momoa and his team at the Leica Camera HQ in Germany. I hope to keep finding success in working alongside and learning from other people I admire and inspiring those around me to take a chance on their passions.”

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to thank Damien for being the first person who took a chance on me and for giving me the tools and opportunities that have allowed me to progress as a creative.

Website: https://www.almostnostalgia-oliviarym.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviarym/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-rymkiewicz-911054232/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olivia.rymkiewicz.3

Other: Tiktok- https://www.tiktok.com/@oliviarym