Instructor Spotlight: Aliya Gollom

At the heart of our camps for kids and teens are passionate and knowledgeable instructors who share their love of photography with our campers each year. One of our Teen Camp 1 instructors in Toronto, Aliya Gollom, has expertise in both event and street photography. Her portfolio showcases her love for people and telling stories. Aliya holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Ryerson University.

She shared with us her passion for photography and travel, why she loves GTA Photography Camps, advice for amateur photographers and much more!

When and how did you fall in love with photography?

I fell in love with photography because my uncle Jay was traveling all over the world and would always come home and show us his work. He inspired me to start photographing what I love and it was a huge influence on my drive to be a photographer.

How would you define your photography style?

What was your most memorable photoshoot or photograph?

My most memorable photo shoot was of my friend Moya and her two daughters, Egypt & Naiyah. She had them young and inspires me every day on what it means to work hard and fight for what you believe.

Which piece of gear (lens, tripod etc.) is your favourite?

I love my medium format camera which is a Mamiya 645AF, and for digital photography my go to has always been my 35mm 1.4 sigma lens, it’s super versatile and sharp!

What’s your next photography purchase?

My next photo purchase will definitely be a 50mm 1.2 canon prime lens!

What advice would you give to amateur photographers?

Start by photographing your friends and family, and whatever is really meaningful and special to you. When you start by photographing the people you care about, you’ll be able to transfer those skills over to future clients.

What do you love about working at GTA Photography Classes?

This is my third year working for GTA and it is my second home. I cannot imagine working anywhere else because I work with the best people ever. We all look out for each other and lift each other up so we can help one another to do the best job we can do.

Just so we can find out a bit more about the person behind the lens, could you tell us…

Who is your favourite photographer past or present?  One of my all time favourite photographers is Taryn Simon.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? It would be London, England!

What’s your favourite Movie? I absolutely love The Secret Life of Walter Mitty!

What would you do if you won the lottery? I would donate half of it to CAMH, help get my friends and family out of debt, put a chunk of it into savings and then buy myself a cute little house.

What’s your favourite hobby outside of photography? I love musical theatre, I miss acting so much! I love going to performances!