PROOF OF LIFE – EP 12: Take Up Space. You Were Never Meant to Be Small ft Seona Misumi
Lessons on creativity, parenting, and not shrinking to fit someone else’s comfort.
I’ve followed Seona’s work since way back—Instagram, 2018. One of those creatives you silently learn from without ever meeting. Her advice on printing and preserving memories shaped how I thought about photography back when I still called myself a photographer. Quietly, she helped me see the value in turning moments into something tangible.
Now, years later, it feels right to feature her on Proof of Life.
She’s a mother of three, a portrait photographer with two decades of global recognition, and a woman who still lags behind the group because she had to frame that one shot.
In this episode, Seona takes us from the windswept edge of Loch Lomond to the salty calm of Dar es Salaam. She reflects on motherhood, procrastination, and the strange magic of standing in a 400-year-old castle wondering who came before. Her version of Proof of Life is rooted in noticing—the in-between, the imperfect, the unfiltered.
And her reminder to women creatives?
“Don’t shrink yourself to make others comfortable.”
We couldn’t agree more.
What does Proof of Life mean to you right now—as a photographer, a mum, and a woman who’s lived so many lives in one?
Proof of Life is an everyday reminder that being here, really here, is enough. It’s my kids being excited to see new places, but at the same time arguing over who sits in the middle or the front seat. It’s standing at the edge of Loch Lomond, my home, on a quiet morning when there’s no one else around. It’s the moments I photograph so I have them to keep, so I can say: Look. We were here. We lived.
You’ve been a professional photographer for 20 years, featured on Sky Arts, recognised internationally—what keeps the fire burning after all this time?
Curiosity, mostly. I’m curious about how we live different lives, hold different expectations, grow up in different cultures, and yet, in the everydayness of it all, we still share the same basic needs and wants as human beings on this planet. Photography never stays the same. The light changes, my subjects grow up, my own story shifts. The fire keeps burning because it’s never finished, it’s always asking for more.
You’ve spoken about photography being more than a job—it’s a passion. What moment or project in your career reminded you of why you started?
Oh, there are so many. Honestly, it’s when I shoot for myself - faces, landscapes, little details that catch my eye. It’s my constant reminder that this is my passion, not just my job. I’m always the one lagging behind the group because I spotted a shot and just had to stop, everyone’s halfway up the road and I’m still framing the shot. There’s nothing worse for a photographer than seeing the perfect shot and not being able to take it — those anxiety inducing memes about photographers missing that shot opportunity - I relate to every single one.
We all need that gentle nudge about why we started in the first place, especially in an industry that can be tough and competitive. When you’re shooting for your main gig, whether it’s families, branding, or commercial, whatever, you have to keep a personal project on the side. Even one image a month for yourself is twelve images a year that actually mean something to you, and that’s priceless.
And luckily for me, one of my main gigs is photographing families and seeing them come back year after year. Some for over a decade now, that’s pretty special too. It’s the best reminder of why I love what I do: giving people their family story, chapter by chapter. That’s a gift worth showing up for, every time.
You run a studio, raise three kids, and still make time to explore travel and nature—how do you stay grounded in the chaos of it all?
Honestly? I don’t always! But nature does the heavy lifting. A walk under Scottish pines or a salty blast of Dar es Salaam’s ocean wind reminds me I’m just a tiny dot in something much bigger. That helps. Also: coffee. Lots of it.
From Kenya to countryside escapes, your love for travel runs deep. What’s one travel moment that changed your perspective on life or creativity forever?
Honestly? After five days road-tripping Loch Lomond, Culzean Castle, Oban, Mull and Edinburgh, I’m officially travelled out today! But if I think bigger, moving from Glasgow to Dar es Salaam has probably changed my perspective the most. It gave me a new sense of freedom with my personal photography. I suddenly had more time on my hands, a new city to explore, and I started experimenting and connecting with my new environment.
It’s felt like a whole new chapter. Two years of connecting with my new life through photography helped me feel more at home, helped me see the beauty in the everyday bits of Dar. I think that’s the magic of travel, sometimes the biggest journey is just learning to see the place you’re standing in, with fresh eyes.
Nairobi or Dar es Salaam? Which city stole your heart—and why?
Cheeky! They both did, just in different ways. Nairobi is a rush of energy, experiences, some of my favourite restaurants, new ideas everywhere. Dar es Salaam is slow coastal mornings, Swahili vibes, sea air that sticks to your skin. I need both: the rush and the calm.
“My children remind me that the days can feel long, but the years are very, very short.”
“You can be a brilliant mum and still crave adventure and your own spotlight. Don’t shrink yourself to make others comfortable.”
“Sometimes the biggest journey is just learning to see the place you’re standing in, with fresh eyes.”
Have you ever visited Nigeria? If not, is it on your list—and what would you most love to photograph if you did?
Not yet, but absolutely, Nigeria’s on my list. Nigeria just feels electric from afar, so much colour, life, and movement. I’d love to photograph the markets at dusk or early morning, the stories in people’s faces, everyday life. Although I’ll admit: I don’t handle too much heat in my food! So I’d be the cautious one at the food stalls, asking for the mildest option and still ending up with my mouth on fire, probably…haha!
You’ve described yourself as a “baby whisperer” and a lover of kids’ movies—what have your children taught you about slowing down or seeing life differently?
My children, little and not-so-little anymore, remind me daily that the days can feel long but the years are very, very short. They show me that life really is in the in-between bits: late-night chats, muddy shoes in the hallway, noise echoing from another room. They remind me to look up, take it all in, and not wish the ordinary moments away, because they’re gone far too fast.
Let’s talk about procrastination. What’s your favourite creative distraction, and how do you get back on track when motivation disappears?
I give myself permission to walk away. A slow morning, a coffee at a favourite spot, hang out with the kids, a bit of travel search, browse the book shop, or maybe even none of those - there’s no secret to it, but the trick is to stop forcing it. It always circles back when I’m relaxed.
Your work is rooted in emotion, memory, and storytelling. What do you think makes a photograph truly timeless—and what makes it personal?
A timeless photograph isn’t perfect, it’s real. The imperfections are what make it honest. It becomes personal when you can feel the story behind it, when it holds a slice of truth. But more than that, it needs humanity. Something universal that connects us all. Whether it’s a smile, a tear, a tiny gesture, there has to be a thread that says, “I’ve felt that too” or “I understand that”
What’s a piece of advice you would give to women creatives who are trying to balance passion, parenting, and personal ambition?
The path isn’t straight - ever. It’s different for everyone. It peaks and troughs, stay with it. You’re allowed to be messy. You’re allowed to want more. You can be a brilliant mum and still crave adventure and your own spotlight. Don’t shrink yourself to make others comfortable. Take up space, you were never meant to be small.
Finally, what’s one random thought or guilty pleasure that makes you feel unmistakably alive these days?
Proof of Life for me is a connection to life, to experiences, to my environment. It’s feeling something deeply human that we so often rush past in the chaos of everyday life. It’s about slowing down, usually (but not always) in nature and looking at my surroundings differently.
It’s standing in a 400-year-old castle and wondering who stood here centuries before me. And in this week’s case, at Culzean Castle, seeing a painted portrait of someone who once called it home and imagining their life, their worries, their dreams, how they’d never know I’d be standing here now, looking back at them.
It’s the reminder that for all our modern noise, we’re not that different from the people who came before us. We’ve learned, evolved, we’ve found ways to be kinder, more open, more understanding, but we are still not there yet, we can always do better. That shared human thread, the small ways we’re all connected, that’s what makes me feel alive. And it humbles me every time.
You can enjoy all of Seona’s photography genius here
Random Thoughts because I can…
Think about it, we are quick to pick sides just because we know who is good and the other bad. Have we ever stopped to think about what led the bad dude to go bad?
Lagos, Nigeria. The gift that keeps giving.
I have my little altars scattered all over the internet. How about you?
Maybe life would have been better if it was Adultcity instead of Adulthood… Oh well!
And with that, we close for the week.
Cheers!
This was such an insightful read! ❤️
Seona’s words are a great reminder to slow down, look closer, and feel more deeply. Thank you for sharing this perspective—it truly resonated with me.