For 20 years, Lucy DeSilva has been capturing golden moments for the Island's residents from The Mall Passport and Portrait Studio in Washington Mall.

Now in partnership with her husband of 25 years, Lucy and David DeSilva are celebrating the company's 20 years in business in a profession they both love.

The Studio opened in 1981, and Mrs. Desilva came to work for the owners Kenneth and Rosalyn Hubbard shortly after.

"I have always loved photography and never thought it would be something I could make a living doing it," said Mrs. DeSilva looking back at how she got started and how far she has come.

She said when she first started 20 years ago, she had no idea that she would still be there and said: "I fell into something that I loved and I became successful in it."

While she didn't set out to do baby photographs, a large part of the Studio's business, she said she got a reputation for doing them.

And she has seen families grow, as well as the family members themselves as many come in every year for a new photograph.

Mrs. DeSilva couldn't heap enough praises and thanks to her loyal customers, many of whom have become her friends.

"Its nice to have this kind of rapport with people," she said, but added: "After a while you feel like you are dealing with friends, but you have to remember that they are customers."

She has also been photographing some of the same nursery schools for 20 years.

While Mrs. DeSilva does the majority of the still work in the Studio, husband David does more of the location photography which includes weddings and so on.

Speaking about his memories of how the businesses became the couple's vocation, Mr. DeSilva said his wife had been behind the camera for 20 years and that she had always had a passion for photography, and has been collecting photographs since she was a little girl. "She came to Bermuda when she was nine years old from the Azores and with her came lots of childhood photos which she still cherishes to this day," he said.

The husband and wife team met 25 years ago, became friends and started dating. That was when Mr. DeSilva bought his future wife her first ever 35mm camera which she still has today.

Mr. DeSilva said the two used to traverse the Island taking pictures of each other and getting passers by to take pictures of them.

"The one thing that really impressed me was how organised she was with photographs," said Mr. DeSilva who gave the example of a recent Mediterranean Cruise the couple took, along with more than 1,000 pictures.

Mrs. DeSilva spent hours sorting, labelling and putting them in albums. The couple were married in 1982, and Mrs. DeSilva soon after started working for the Mall Studios. Mr. DeSilva said: "Her success is really owed to Ken and Ross Hubbard, the former owners. They are the one's who gave Lucy the opportunity. They also shared with her the knowledge they had about professional photography."

Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard were keen on training and sent Mrs. DeSilva to the School of Photography in Winoma, in the US, which was operated by the Professional Photographers of America, an organisation of which both Mr. and Mrs. DeSilva are members.

The Hubbards sold the business to the DeSilva's in 1993, around the same time Mr. DeSilva left his job of 19 years at the Elbow Beach Hotel. Mr. DeSilva said of their taking over the business: "Prior to us taking over the Studio, the Hubbards made sure we knew how to run the studio, aspects such as accounting and ordering, all the business aspects. They really set us up for success."

Mr. DeSilva said: "Lucy would agree that some of her better professional working days in this studio were with Ross Hubbard. When they used to go out to do nursery schools, Lucy would be behind the camera and Ross would always make the kids laugh. He was very good at getting expressions out of children."

Mr. DeSilva said of his entry into the world of photography: "After we took over the business in 1993 - I had always had an interest in photography - and I decided it would be an opportunity for me to do something other than the hospitality industry."

In January 1994, he took his first photography course with his wife, again at Winoma. There he learned basic posing and lighting techniques. He said they both enjoyed it so much that they decided to go back and do an advanced course, but it was fully booked.

However, Mr. DeSilva remembered a conversation he had with a professor at Winoma about a school in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, the Triangle Institute of Professional Photography, called them and was admitted to one of their courses.

Mr. DeSilva went to the institute by himself in early 1995 and found it so incredible, he has been going every year since, often accompanied by Mrs. DeSilva. The two would go to refresh their skills and learn new ones, and they recently completed a course in digital photography. The couple expect to offer digital photography services soon, and expect to do all passport photos digitally. The Institute even presented the two with a "Nice Persons Award" for their enthusiasm and continued patronage of the school, an award that means very much to the husband and wife team. Both are also members of the Triangle Institute.

The two only started working together last year, a decision not taken lightly, but one which Mr. DeSilva said worked out well.

He also said: "It wasn't until I came into the studio that I realised ho hard Lucy worked for 20 years."

Mr. DeSilva's full time involvement with the business also gave them more opportunities. The Studio concentrated on being a full service portrait studio while Mr. DeSilva was able to do much more location photography for weddings, conventions and so on.

The Studio has also undergone several changes over the years, including taking over the adjacent space to make a larger studio, leaving the old smaller one for just passport photos. Equipment has also evolved and the Studio now uses top of the line cameras and lighting to get the perfect shot.

Both Mr. and Mrs. DeSilva also thanked their assistant, Rosalie Rewan, who has been with them for five years. Mrs. DeSilva said the customers loved her, and she was so reliable that she had not missed a day in five years.

"We love her to death really," said Mr. DeSilva.

Again commenting that she never though she would be able to make a living out of photography, Mrs. DeSilva said her customers were her inspiration and again added: "I would like to thank everybody for being so supportive through the years."