The moment I was plucked out of my native Old Europe at the tender age of 12 and dropped into a new contemporary North American society I became an instant illiterate overnight. Speaking or writing in either official language in Canada was not an option so I began to focus on the visual world around me. So much so that years later I became a professional graphic designer, illustrator, and photographer.
Fast forward 37 years, and now, freed from the necessity of earning a living, I am focusing all my efforts on my passion for photography. I shoot what intrigues me daily and enjoy the process of editing as much as the act of seeking my subjects and shooting them. My graphic design training and experience naturally infuse my images. My focus is primarily on macro photography because it reveals what we usually miss when observing the grand landscape and/or wildlife around us. Having retained the curiosity of a child, my biggest thrill is to discover something new and share it with stunning clarity and artistic interpretation with the world through my photography. By doing this I hope to instil an understanding and raise awareness that all creatures, even the tiniest ones, are interconnected, are entangled with nature, and that in fact, together we are One. I hope this basic understanding will result in respect for each other, which will lead to protecting all of the small parts that make up the Big Picture.
I am pleased to receive international recognition for my work and to have been honoured by CAPA with several merit awards and medals.
Awards
2024: 1st Merit Award in CAPA (Canadian Association for Photographic Arts Club) Quebec Zone Competition
2024: 2nd Merit Award in CAPA BW Competition
2024: 3rd Merit Award in CAPA Man-Made Macro Competition
2022: 1st Place Outstanding Achievement in International Color Awards Competition "Still Life" Category
2022: Honorable Mention for International Color Awards Competition's Portrait, Wildlife, Still Life, Architecture, and Abstract categories
2022: 1st Merit Award in CAPA Monochrome Competition
2021: Gold Medal for CAPA Audio Visual Individual competition for "Macro Aliens"
2021: Gold Medal for CAPA Series of Four Photos in the Individual competition
2021: Silver Medal for CAPA for entries in the Annual Photo Challenge Competition themed "Red and White"
2021: Honourable Mention for the Creative, Fine Art, and Canada, my Country Individual competitions (and 2nd place Merit Award)
2021: Won 11 awards including "Photographer of the Year" for the highest overall score in Lakeshore Camera Club
2020: 2 Honourable Mentions in Still Life, Nominee in Architecture, Nature, and Still Life from the International Color Awards
2020: 1st Place awarded by CAPA for the smartphone competition in the Individual category
2020: LCC 2nd & 3rd place win in People: the New Normal competition.
2020: LCC 2nd & 3rd place win in their Landscape competition.
2020: B&W Spider Awards: 2nd Place Merit of Excellence in the People category. HM in Silhouette, HM in Architecture,
Nominee in Nature categories.
Nominee in Nature categories.
2019: Gold Medal for CAPA Audio Visual Individual competition for "Bus Stop"
2019: Gold Medal for CAPA Open Theme Individual Competition
2019: Silver Medal for CAPA Fine Art Individual Competition
2019: Gold Medal for CAPA Audio Visual competition for "SHELLS", entered on behalf of
the Lakeshore Camera Club.
the Lakeshore Camera Club.
2019: Honourable Mention in the 14th Annual Black & White Spider Awards in Silhouette and Still Life categories
2018: Honourable Mention in the 11th International Color Award competition in Fine Art and Nature
2018: Gold Medal and "Best of Show" at 2018 CAPA Audio Visual competition for "PAPER",
entered on behalf of the Lakeshore Camera Club
entered on behalf of the Lakeshore Camera Club
2018: Winner of 11 Lakeshore Camera Club competition awards
2018: 11th Annual International Color Awards: Honourable Mention in Fine Art and Nature categories (the only macro there!),
and Nominee in Abstract
and Nominee in Abstract
2019: Honourable Mention in the 13th Annual Black & White Spider Awards in Children of the World and People categories
2017: 12th Annual B/W Spider Award Competition: Honorable Mention in Nature & Silhouette, Nominee in People categories
2017: Nominee in 10th Annual International Color Awards
2016: 11th Annual B/W Spider Award Competition: Nominee in Architecture, Silhouette, and People categories
2015: 1st Place Winner of 2015 The Face Contest
2015: 2nd place in the Moscow International Foto Awards for "Glass Works" Portrait series
2014: Winner of the 7th Annual International Color Award in Architecture and Silhouette categories
2014: Award of Excellence in Communication Arts Illustration Competition
2013: Finalist in the Fine Art Category in One Eyeland Photo Competition
2013: 2 Nominee in Fine Art & in Still Life in Black & White Spider Awards
2012: 2nd Place "Merit of Excellence" in the Portrait category in Master's Cup photo contest
2012: 1st Place in Flora category of “Reflections on Nature” photo competition Canadian Wildlife Federation
2010: 1st place Winner of Montreal Mycological Society's 60th Anniversary photo competition, creative category
2009 - 2012 Finalist in the SPPQ Interclub photo competitions
Exhibitions
2018: Architecture Exhibition at Bunker 56 located in Montreal's trendy Mile EX area. Features Architecture from around the World.
2016: Marianna's Macro World print exhibition was held in the Beaconsfield Library, and the second in Villa Beaurepaire, later the same year.
2015: Marianna has participated in a group exhibition Lakeshore Camera Club in Dollard des Ormeaux Gallery. The theme of the exhibition of Black and White photo prints was "Impregnable".
2014: Marianna has participated in a group exhibition with Lakeshore Camera Club in Kirkland Library. The theme of this exhibit was "Water".