Meet: Our photographer Stephanie Florentina
Behind every good website or social media account is usually an EXTREMELY talented photographer. That is definitely the case with Nova Box. The wildly talented Stephanie Florentina captures the essence of our brand using beautiful imagery and perfectly styled products.
Stephanie, a born and raised ‘Bluenoser’, has an eye for capturing beautiful moments. An adventurous soul, Stephanie is currently enjoying the sights and sounds of Nova Scotia, but can often be found travelling the world in her retrofitted van camper with her dog Zoey and partner Devon.
I recently asked Stephanie to share her thoughts on photography, nature, and the magic of Nova Scotia.
How did you get into photography? It’s tough to look back and find the beginning of my photographic journey; but my passion for photography was discovered from a young age when I was traveling around Europe with my two best friends. We snapped photos endlessly across many countries and I loved every minute of creatively documenting my life. I have always loved traveling to new locations, but I had no idea that this lifestyle would segue into a career in photography. As a child I spent many hours outdoors exploring and falling in love with the world. When I reached my mid teenage years my dad bought me my first DSLR film camera as a birthday gift, and that’s when the journey truly began.
Nature inspired me to be creative with my natural surroundings and I had a constant need to want to save every memory and beautiful sunset I saw. Nova Scotia was the ultimate photographer’s playground, not only did I have access to a dreamy stretch of coastline, I also had the forests and country side at my doorstep. These places kept my passion alive and motivated me to learn photography and give back what I was fortunate enough to experience in my childhood. Through trial and error, I slowly taught myself how to shoot and edit. I kept it as a hobby during that time but after a while, I realized it was all I wanted to do. I worked my arse’ off balancing photography and waitressing, and now I get to work as a photographer full time!
I know you are very adventurous and love to travel, what brings you back to Nova Scotia? I absolutely love traveling. The second I get home from one trip, I’m fantasizing about the next. I love exploring unfamiliar places, meeting new and exciting people and breaking away from everything I know as “normal” in my life. There is just something so amazing about the rush you feel when you are outside your comfort zone and learning about someone else’s. However, one of the best feelings in the world for a traveler, or at for least me, is coming home. Everything from my favorite restaurants, home cooked meals, long, hot showers, my own bed, daily routines, and my beautiful family & friends are all what makes home so special. No matter where you travel, there is no place like home. One of my favorite parts about Nova Scotia is that you can travel to any one of the beaches on the coast throughout the week or during the early morning and find that you have the whole place to yourself. There’s magic in the air surrounding Nova Scotia and I could never imagine leaving here for too long - I’d miss it too much. You can’t help but fall in love with that warm and fuzzy feeling of living on the East Coast. Everything from the culture, scenery and creative people living in this province have completely won my heart and I am very proud to call this place home.
What is your mantra? ”Love what you do”
Stephanie has an amazing creative energy about her. When I asked her to be my photographer, she was quick to say yes. I loved her photographic style and the fact that she loved what we were doing with Nova Box made us a perfect match! I would highly recommend investing in a photography partner (especially Stephanie) because it truly has brought our brand and ability to tell our story to the next level!