Another side of…

Orla Bakeberg,

Senior Account Manager, The Printed Image

What interests do you have outside of work? Photography is a lifelong passion of mine, with Natural Light Photography being my focus. Why does photography interest you? We are surrounded by amazing beauty, quirky sightings, colours and nature. What I enjoy most is seeking out the “photo within the photo”. Look for the moment and capture that forever. You can do this with your phone, camera, top-end equipment or the incredible bridging cameras now out there.

A photo by Orla in Khutse Reserve, Botswana

Do you have an interesting story about your hobby? One vulnerable moment comes to mind, when visiting the Khutse Reserve, Central Kalahari, Botswana. I was out of the vehicle, on a treeless, open plain, safe from all – right? Scene-change as “Simba”, one of the largest male lions I have photographed in the wild, saunters past, to visit the female lions, his hunters. Thankfully I survived unscathed. Are there any hobbies or challenges you would you like to try? I have started linking words to my photos and writing something which I (liberally) call poetry. Having moved back from Africa to Ireland a few years ago, there is an air of encouragement around, offering many open canvasses and platforms for one to show off such writings to a variety of audiences.

A series that highlights the lives and interests of ISME members. In this edition, The bISME talks to Orla Bakeberg, Senior Account Manager, The Printed Image about her hobby and work.

Talk to us about working in The Printed Image? I am part of a fantastic team across Sales, Marketing, Account Management and Production. The Printed Image are focused on building “The Home of Sustainability” with our design, print and branded promotional goods offering. We are proud to be ISO 9001 and FSC® certified, ensuring all of our paper is sourced from FSC® certified mills promoting good forest management which ties back to my love of nature. We recycle everything; wastepaper and board, ink tins, LDPE, HDPE, wooden pallets and plastic wrap and are an effluent free site. We are all so proud to be 100% Irish owned and in business for over 30 years. How has the last 21 months been for you and how have you coped? Having lived for many years of my life in different African countries, I learnt over those years how easy it is to adapt to what you need in order to make life work for me, my team and my family. We are all flexible and we all have an end game in sight – sometimes, like with events such as the pandemic which started in 2020, we need a push for us to open our minds to realise it’s easier than we thought. How important do you think it is to have a hobby outside work and how do you think it can benefit your business? I live for work more than work to live. Building relationships is what I enjoy most about life, including work life. Having a creative type of job allows for my photography imagination to creep in, for my writing moments to step up as well. Yes, always have something to drive your passion – in and out of work. How important is work life balance and do you think this balance is something individuals need in life to have a successful career? Absolutely, it is up to each of us to work out what is best for ourselves, our careers and our families. Don’t push it back to a company to be responsible, we all need to make the most of work so we can feel fulfilled when we are at home as well as at work. Visit The Printed Image here.