kidsinibiza

Mamas in Ibiza

Gypsy Westwood

Kids in Ibiza are proud to showcase a series of hard working Ibiza Mamas who have built their own business empire here in Ibiza. This week we present you with Gypsy Westwood who is a professional Wedding & Family photographer.

Gypsy loves capturing moments at weddings and photographing family and children’s portraits for both residents and holiday makers alike.

What brought you to Ibiza?

Both my parents are British and first visited Ibiza in 1969. I was born here in 1975 and have spent most of my life living here since.

Tell us about your children:

I have one son Lucas, who is now 10 years old. He speaks English at home as his native language and Catalan and Castellano at school.

Nurseries and schools in Ibiza

Although we live in Santa Eulalia, I chose to send my son to the school in San Lorenzo due to its small size and teaching ethos. Many of the teachers are trained to teach using the Montessori approach and there is a strong emphasis on project based work versus a rigid curriculum. There are just 60 pupils at the school, which are spread across 4 classes, combining 2 year and age groups at a time. Not only do the children learn from their peers every day, they also begin to understand roles of responsibility and values of care and respect for others.

Tell us about your work:

I run my own photography business here on the island. I spent 12 years in the UK completing my secondary and university education. I studied at Art College, specialising in photography and my father is also a photographer, so I guess it is in the blood.
I arrived back on the island with my now husband in 2001 after completing my studies and a period of overseas travel. At first, I began working as a portrait photographer in restaurants and on the beaches, which was a great way to earn summer money.

As the wedding industry expanded on the island and new photography trends swept in from the US, I began offering my art influenced documentary style photography at the weddings taking place on Ibiza. In fact I was the photographer at the first ever wedding at Atzaro in 2004 and my business developed from then onwards. In addition to capturing moments at weddings, I also love photographing family and children’s portrait, whether locals or holiday makers.

What’s your mama trick to manage work and family life?

It’s a struggle at times that’s for sure. Lucas is at school until 14.00 Monday to Friday so am able to use this time to work. I also tend to grab those in between moments, such as waiting for my son to finish basketball training. As we now live in an age of social media and being ‘online’ 24/7, it is sometimes hard to switch off, however as a rule, always try not to work in the evenings. Fortunately my husband has a flexible workload and my mum is also on hand to help juggle things.

What’s your favourite day out with your family?
My husband owns a water sports boat and each year at the end of October, we treat ourselves to a couple of days in Formentera. We cruise over there, stay in a hotel and practically have S’Espalmador to ourselves, it’s bliss.

What’s your best day and night spent on the island when not working and off mama duty:

A fave daytime hang out as I was growing up and then as Lucas was growing up too was Cala Nova or EsFigueral  beach. I much prefer visiting the authentic Spanish owned chiringuitos and restaurants.  There is nothing better than delicious freshly cooked sardines and chips and a glass of fine Spanish wine whilst having your feet in the sand.

I am not much of an Ibiza raver, going out out is not my thing. Instead I recently enjoyed an evening out at the cinema with my husband watching the new Star Wars movie in English with a quick bite at Casa Thai restaurant near San Antonio after.  It has been cooking great simple Thai food for well over 25 years now.

Contact

For her comprehensive portfolio please visit Gypsy’s website http://www.gypsywestwood.com/

This post is also available in: Spanish