Meet Hero of the Week Dominika Roseclay

Welcome to Hero of the Week, an ongoing series sharing stories from some of the best photographers in the Pexels community.

From perfectly arranged interiors to scenic landscape shots, Dominika Roseclay’s photography is a minimalist dream. We chatted with the Poland-based photographer to get a window into her world.

“I took my first pictures as a teenager, with a very simple camera without manual functions,” Dominika says. “I paid attention to the composition and what kind of story the photo tells. My daddy always belittled this hobby; that’s why the real adventure with photography began many years later when my husband gave me a Canon reflex camera.” She now shoots with a Canon 70D.

“My favorite type of photography is artistic photography,” says Dominika. “I love to do reportages and portraits, catch a moment and details, but everything ends with the creation of a story or moment presented in one picture. I also love to create patterns by using everyday things.”

A multi-talented creative, Dominika currently works creating content for bloggers: from graphics and photos to articles and social media assistance. In addition to photography, she’s also passionate about art and design.

Dominika finds inspiration in a meditative way, by simply walking around and looking for possible shoots. “The moments that inspire me the most are those lonely walks without a camera. I go for a walk, or just down the street, listen to music, and the images are created in my head. Then I would like to have a camera with me so much. But nothing is lost. I return to the same place with the camera and try to reproduce what was previously created in my head.”

She has a lot planned for the future—in the next few months Dominika aims to invest in new photographic equipment and also begin exploring some new genres of work. “I would like to take a closer look at portrait photography and learn to make better contact with the photographed person,” she says. “In a short time I am also going to start photographing with a drone. It will be a completely new adventure for me because I’ve never done it before.” And as for the future? “My dream has always been photography studies. If not studies, then a collaboration with someone from whom I could learn a lot.”

Dominika’s advice for other photographers is to get motivated, rather than discouraged, by the success of other creatives. If you find yourself worrying that your work doesn’t measure up, channel that energy into practicing your craft. “Sometimes I feel my pictures are not suitable for showing to anybody else,” she admits. “Maybe it would be better to put them in a box under the bed? But then I take up the camera again and take more and more pictures.”

“Do not be discouraged by stagnation in the quality of your photos, because it will be better next year,” she adds. Another practical piece of advice that’s well worth remembering: hang on to your work. You never know when you might want to revisit it. “Always keep the RAW files of your best photos, because you may find yourself doing something wonderful with them in a few years!”

Follow Dominika on Pexels and on Instagram at @dominika_roseclay.

Pexels Heroes is our invite-only community of the top photographers on Pexels. Find out more and apply to join here.