We caught up with Mallorca/Ibiza-based photographer and Luupe member Ana Lui. Her photography journey spans over a decade, capturing the essence of beauty across the globe. From shooting hundreds of weddings to gracing the cover of Condé Nast Traveller, her career reflects her dedication to storytelling and creativity. In this interview, Ana opens up about overcoming creative burnout, rediscovering the magic of film, and incorporating holistic practices like yoga to stay balanced. She also highlights the importance of building passive income — whether through licensing images or selling prints — and how it has helped her maintain a thriving business. Ana reminds us that creativity and smart business choices can go hand in hand.

Ana Lui: I graduated from the University of Plymouth in the UK back in 2007 studying Media Arts which allowed me to experiment with both moving and still images. A month before my graduation I was already shooting commercial jobs in Ibiza and since then I pretty much have not stopped.

I think I have shot more than 300 weddings, I must have shot over 100 or more properties and in 2016 I joined the Condé Nast Traveller UK masthead team after shooting a commissioned story in the Canary Islands and getting my first cover.

Every few years I have a creative burnout and I think this is totally normal as we creatives strive for perfection and usually get bored very quickly.

My first burnout was after shooting 45 weddings the summer of 2016. I felt depleted, anxious and not very inspired. What worked for me was doing lots of workshops with the creatives and the photographers I admired such as Jose Villa, Jonathan Canlas, Joy Thigpen and the Carmencita Film Lab team - thanks to these incredible artists I have ditched my digital camera and started to shoot on medium format film again. It was fun, it was challenging and most importantly shooting film allowed me to be more in the moment and not look back at my camera. What was shot was shot and there was no room left for reminiscing, overthinking or worrying. Film made me appreciate each frame to the maximum.

I also had my second burnout a few years ago when I turned 39 and the answer to this one was simply taking some time off and doing yoga, breath work and somatic healing workshops. I think the most important is to listen to what you need and follow your gut instinct.

Lui: Thank you! I still remember the moment that CNTraveller asked all their contributing photographers to start shooting / producing video content to accompany the images from each commissioned job. We had to switch really quickly to thinking about the moving image and thanks to my Media Arts background this was quite natural for me (I wanted to be a documentary filmmaker at the University). For me moving image is all about the storytelling - you have to think about the movement, sound, sequence and most importantly create a flow with the editing of the frames. I like to keep it pretty simple. I like when the movement comes from whatever I film instead of moving the camera. I love using music and introducing very simple cuts. For me less is always more. Video can express so much more than stills but adding movement and sound to the frame. I love both and I think you can flow effortlessly between both.

Lui: I think the biggest lesson I have learned in the last 15 years of shooting is that being kind, flexible and helpful is the key to any job and any situation. When you travel you are faced with unpredictable factors from the weather, delays, places not being ready to shoot when you arrive, people being stressed, time management, tight schedules, checking in and out of places, being on the road etc. Sometimes in the midst of chaos, it’s important to remind yourself that everything passes - even the biggest storm. I love bringing a bit of quantum healing into my daily routine, especially when on the road, this involves writing down or saying 10 things I am grateful for and saying: I come from love / I come with love. This way even the most stressful task or moment feels a little less overwhelming.

Lui: I am a big believer in working with energy (everything is energy and frequency) and I am totally blown away but how powerful the law of attraction or daily gratitude and action/vision boards are. I have been practicing working with energy since 2017 and it seriously changed my life and my business in the most unique ways.

I will talk a bit more about this in my upcoming workshops, bringing more holistic approach to photography and sharing with everyone my daily affirmations, visualizations and manifesting techniques which helped to elevate my business and my well-being to the next level.

Lui: I think passive income is great and it’s something that all creatives should be focusing on.

For me offering prints on my website was not profitable but at the same time, I haven’t really pushed or promoted this service properly.

What was really a game changer for me was re-selling my images and existing content. I remember photographing a well-known restaurant in Ibiza called La Paloma years ago while having lunch with my friends and selling these images over and over to various publications and magazines. It was the most profitable lunch I have ever had. I shot 16 frames only, this was during my medium format craze, and these 16 frames made me more money than a few months of work. I encourage everyone to shoot even 10-12 images from their favourite places and post them on social media/ blog - this way if anyone is looking for them they will find you.

Lui: Made In Ibiza book was a fantastic experience. I have lived on Ibiza for over 12 years and what was really surprising was that I didn’t even know half of the people we have been photographing. Getting to know all of these creatives and artisans made me fall in love with the island all over again. I really enjoyed the whole process and I am manifesting more beautiful publications about Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera.

Lui: Thank you so much! I am so intuitive when I shoot. I always used natural light only and I don’t really know if there is any strategy behind my way of shooting apart from the profound appreciation for natural sunlight. I love coming back to each space (if time allows) during different times of the day. It’s so wonderful seeing a room or a space during the early morning hours when the warm sunlight sneaks into the bedroom or living room, then the midday strong light fills the whole space in a unique way, ending with the sunset light touching gently and bringing the sense of magic into the areas you haven’t even noticed before. I think watching and feeling is the most amazing way to discover what you really like or are attracted to visually. Simply fall in love with each place or even subject.

Lui: Try new things and don’t be afraid of being out of your comfort zone. When we are out of our comfort zone we are in the process of creating and learning.

Lui: Currently I am waking up each day and doing my Pranayama breath work which helps me to connect with my body and ground myself every day. I have my morning coffee and I get on with answering the emails or doing online calls with my clients. I have ADHD so 2 hours in front of the computer feels like a week for me. After a few hours I go for a walk, stretch or cook something healthy for myself.

When I am not shooting I focus my energy on connecting with new clients, making plans of action and to do list for the week ahead or researching something that I am interested in. At the moment there is a lot of research going into my interior design company which will be launched next month and my online photography workshops. I have been working on my ultimate masterclass for a year now and I cannot wait to launch my holistic photography online classes. They will cover everything from shooting interiors, doing action boards and daily manifestations to interviewing key people in the travel and lifestyle industry.

My brain is like a squirrel, I have to be excited about something otherwise I lose the joy.

Lui: The subject of sustainability is quite present in our conversations each and every time we travel. I personally think you just have to focus on what feels right for you and aim to do the best you can every time you are on the road. I used to drive myself crazy with not buying plastic, not drinking from plastic, bringing my own utensils, cleaning beaches in every place I went to or trying to get involved in local initiatives to help local economies. While I still focus on helping whenever I can I really believe it's the big businesses that have an impact - huge hotel chains, powerful local businesses and restaurants - should commit to giving back more by making better choices. Either by reducing waste, reusing as much as they can, buying locally, sourcing produce locally and recycling.

Being conscious on an individual level helps but having big brands contributing to the protection of the environment and growing the local economy is always so wonderful to see and encourage. So speak up and give feedback. Sometimes changing one little habit goes a long way. And we as travelers are responsible for starting with ourselves but also inspiring others and speaking up for the planet.

Lui: I think every single place I have traveled to was unique. Each place has a story to tell, each person has a story to share. I can’t really say which place was the most amazing to photograph. I think every experience is absolutely unique.

Next on my list to visit this year is Menorca, Formentera, Sicily and hopefully Mexico. I am definitely manifesting Japan and California before the end of this year. Let’s see what happens :)

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