Amelia Troubridge is an English-Maltese photographer. Her worked has spanned the worlds of Film, Fashion, Politics, Music, The Arts & Society. Amelia has been consulted on visual content for a number of commercial clients including De Beers, The British Tea Council, Jimmy Choo & LK Bennett.

My mother left Malta when she was 18 years old, in 1960. She found love in London and never left. I still have a lot of extended family on the island and many cousins who are still a part of my life. My father who was English had served in Malta with the forces. He had a great love for the island and his family served there for generations.

When I was 18, I had an epiphany. I was watching the sun rise in Ramla bay with friends and taking photographs with a Pentax camera my father had given me, and I realised this is what I should do with my life.

"Looking for Castro" by Amelia Troubridge

I started to photograph the world around me. I would get it wrong, but that's how you learn. I would go to galleries and look at the work of other photographers. I became obsessed with Photography books, I learnt so much from them. The life of a photographer represented freedom, creativity and the ability to live out of the box.

My photographic style is cinematic, strong and chaotic sometimes. Chaos is a beautiful tool to work with creatively. I also like to work with humour. 

I am proud of still loving what I do for work. After 25 years as a photographer I still love the process of creating an image. 

My piece of advice is for people to find time to go inwards and evolve. Be honest with yourself. Give back. That’s the cycle of life. 

Do your bit for the environment. I think it needs our help right now. Be it banning plastic bags, plastic straws, electric cars, less construction, more trees. We can all do that!

I was broken hearted by the murder of Daphne. I worked with her and knew her. It’s an unjust world. I would advise Malta to come together to find positive healing ways to honour her life. 

I look for a challenge in my personal work. The ideas of what I want to shoot next comes instinctively. It becomes a reflection of what’s going on for me. And what I am thinking about. 

I'm interested in capturing the human story. Be it love, honesty, rage, peace, power, pleasure, beauty. Inspiration is all around me. Taking photos is about looking and seeing. You go in, it forces you to see. 

"Malta Diaries" by Amelia Troubridge

All people are fascinating as subjects. We all have a story. The act of taking photographs for me is one of hope. I found photography out of loss and grief. It helped me to move on from those feelings & be grateful for life. 

I miss Malta a lot, the land and the sea mostly. Swimming in the sea off the rocks at any time of year. One of my favourite spots is Delimara in the south at dusk. The air that hits you when you come off the plane in summer and it fills you with so many happy memories. The light in winter. Night drives from Gudja to Gozo, I love the Gozo boat. The Marsa horse races on a Sunday with my camera. Being out on the water, jumping off the cliffs with my son. Scraping a lemon granita. Maltese chips. The tomatoes & bread. Walking on Sannat cliffs. My friends and my family. 

Maybe one day I’ll move to the islands. When I’m old you'll find me in Gozo having siestas in my hammock under the trees. 

Are you a Maltese person living abroad? Contact malteseabroad@timesofmalta.com