Local entrepreneur Puja Misra shares some information about herself and her business, Zoom Into Life Photography, in our Modern Entrepreneur profile. 

Explain what you do
I empower women, by capturing their inner light and beauty and gift it back to them. As a portrait photographer specializing in women’s portraiture, my passion and mission is to help women by giving them the confidence they deserve & the knowledge that they are beautiful & worthy, making them feel beautiful, confident and empowered both personally & professionally to say to themselves and to the world, I am Beautiful Now! I am Good Enough Now!

What drew you to open your own business?
I always wanted to create a difference in people's lives from the inside out & realized my passion through my own personal journey, where after gaining weight over the years I began avoiding the camera & saw a similar pattern in many women who did not feel good enough in their own skin. It was then that I decided to set out on a journey, on a mission, to change the perception of women feeling disconnected with their true beautiful soul. I wanted women to love themselves, no matter their body type & know that their true inner light and beauty shines from within. 

What did you do prior to your current profession?
I  worked in the apparel industry since the age of 18 with many international big-name export & retail brands in various creative & lead roles such as a merchandiser, graphic artist, product developer, cad/cam division manager, senior designer etc.

What's the most rewarding aspect of your career?
The most rewarding moment for me in my career was when I received 2 ‘Bronze Awards’ last year at the Portrait Master Awards, judged by industry’s top recognized portrait photographers. But on a weekly basis, they are when clients hug me with gratitude & tears of joy after seeing their portraits, because they see their soul shining through.

What are some common misconceptions about your industry?
The common misconception about the photography industry would be that people no longer want portraiture art prints or products, as everything is digital. The reality is that most people cherish & hold onto portraits of their loved ones & preserve them forever, for their future generations.

If I gave you a time machine, would you go forward or backward, to what year and why?
I think I would choose to not use the time machine, as I know that everything that has happened in my past was leading me to grow & become who I am today and I wouldn’t like to go forward in time as I know what I will find in the future is only going to be the fruits of my labour today, so as an example if I desire to sow the seeds of an apple plant today & nurture it well, I will harvest delicious apples in the future as opposed to anything else that I don’t desire. This tells me that my future is a reflection of what I desire, create & work towards today.

Where do you draw inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from women around me or through their stories, their journey, challenges and their victories. 

What's on the horizon for 2018?
I am truly excited for 2018, as I have been selected as one of the top finalists from all across Canada for  2018 Mompreneur Momentum Award. I am also working on a passion project where an ex-marine in the US felt invalidated & lost confidence when she doubled her weight due to an injury. I am helping her turn around her life through the gift of a makeover beauty photoshoot which will help her feel beautiful, confident and empowered from the inside out.

www.zoomintolife.com