HUBDOT – EY EVENT

Hubdot is a phenomenal networking organisation, founded by Simona Bunting, which brings together women from all kinds of backgrounds to engage with each other and share stories. Stories about life, challenges and stories about aspirations which leave you feeling inspired and uplifted.

Hubdot events not only connect women through story telling but also give them the opportunity to meet and socialise, discuss ideas. No one is labelled by what they do but by the dots they select to wear on the night which represent their mindset. Red for “I’m established”, green for “I’m here to be inspired”, blue “I’m here to socialise”, purple “I’m here to tell you about…” and yellow “I have an idea can anyone help..”

Last Thursday I was kindly invited by my wonderful and genius friend Simona to give a talk at the first Dot Corporate event the Hubdot was hosting with EY on “empowering and helping women to feel confident and good about themselves through photography”.

As a portrait photographer I am not a natural public speaker so I was taken out of my comfort zone. I am, however, passionate about the work I do with women so despite being nervous I soon found my confidence and was surprised that I actually enjoyed being on stage and talking about what I love doing most – inspiring women to feel good about themselves. I would now love to do this more often and to continue the work that I do with women in the hope that it may make a difference to their lives.

 

My portrait work was displayed against a stunning London backdrop. I had selected a variety of portraits to illustrate some of the labels and aspects in a woman’s life:

MOTHERHOOD, SENSUALITY, PASSION, WORK & LOVE

 

 

On the night there was an eclectic and interesting variety of speakers including life coaches, stand up comedians, morning glory ravers, literacy advisers, jewellers, designers which instigated dynamic discussions and created a fantastic, inspirational and amazing evening.

and here is what I spoke about

“As women, we all operate under many labels: mother, sister, daughter, friend, our jobs, our looks, shape and age. If you look around the room you will see a selection of portraits I have chosen to illustrate some of the labels and aspects in a woman’s life: work, motherhood, sensuality, passion and love!

My name is Serena and I am a wife and mother of two teenage boys. I am also a portrait photographer and founder of my own business.

Do you like having your photograph taken or do you dread the prospect of a photo shoot? It’s about how you feel about yourself more often than not.

As women we are not always confident about being photographed – we often tend to be self-critical and shy away from the camera. “My bum is too big, but my double chin will show, I look exhausted look at my bags, my teeth are crooked, I need to lose weight first” – an endless list of imperfections and excuses! These concerns are often our own invention and as a photographer, I just don’t see them – I simply see beauty, personality and uniqueness!

A photograph captures a moment in time and in turn creates a story, but the camera is also an amazing tool to bring out the honesty of the relationship we have with oneself.  

My goal is to help the women I work with feel comfortable and good about themselves, to help them look past their perceived flaws and see their true beauty. A beautiful image of oneself can be liberating and uplifting, leaving you feeling fabulous, confident and empowered.

But imagine if you could feel that all the time then you would really able to celebrate yourself for who you are, not only in body but also in mind, thoughts and dreams. Capturing the best version of my clients has really inspired me to live life to the full, to achieve my goals and try to be the best version of myself – practice what you preach hey!….. Anything is possible!

THANK YOU







”