Nice to Meet You!

I am so excited to be here and to be writing my very first blog post for my very first attempt at running a photography business.

A little bit about me… I am Venezuelan-American and bilingual in Spanish and English. I was born in Caracas, Venezuela and raised in Houston. Growing up, I wanted to be a singer, actress, model, photographer, writer, painter, zoologist/veterinarian, marine biologist, and, of course, a mom. I just wanted a cool job, man! Can anyone blame me?

I was the stereotypical camera girl. I brought my camera to high school parties (ugh it hurts just thinking about it), I would convince my friends and family to have photo shoots with me, I was the photographer of my family vacations and documented every bug, animal, and building we came across on our travels. My favorite electives in high school were Digital Photography and Advanced Digital Photography and I took it extremely seriously. I also gained ALL of my confidence in those classes because my teacher loved my work and even blew up a portrait I took of a friend of mine to like 6 feet tall for a showcase we had (sorry Allison, I did not know it would be that big).

I have this thing where my eyes get all melty when I see something beautiful in gorgeous lighting. I’ve noticed that not everybody sees that and immediately thinks “THIS MUST BE DOCUMENTED AND MADE PERMANENT IMMEDIATELY”. It’s like my eyes go into cinematic mode and suddenly everything looks so nostalgic and romantic and I cannot think of a future where this moment doesn’t exist for my eyes to drink up over and over again.

And that, my friends, is what I have realized is my main purpose with the camera. I absolutely adore beauty, but not in the vain materialistic way that society tends to skew beauty in. I mean the beauty of life that shines in every moment and person and living being that exists on this planet. The beauty I’m drawn to is the type that melts your eyeballs out of your face because it’s just so absolutely stunning.

Golden light shining behind your baby’s giggly face. And then, wait! His older brother rushes up behind him and tickles him! The giggles ring in the air and hug your ears. They fall to the grass, giggles ringing louder, and the texture of the grass glows under the setting sun. Their father rushes in and everything shifts! The movement! The depth of the father’s tickle monster voice! The… oh no the moment is over because they all knocked into each other’s heads, camera down!

But for a minute there, everything was perfect. The light was glorious. The sound of laughter rang through the air as everything else on the planet went quiet for this moment that was begging to be made eternal. The grass whispering comfort and serving as a gentle landing pad for the sweet cuddles… THAT is what I mean. Those moments where it all just feels like a movie because it’s happening so perfectly and, well, beautifully.

What else do I find beautiful? Well, when you are someone who loves beautiful moments and people so much, you kind of find everything AND everyone beautiful. Your hair blowing gently in the breeze and covering your eye just slightly so. Your pregnant belly - painted with marks that look like a sparkling spider’s web all over your skin, a reminder that you are a weaver of life, a soul carrier, a map of the home you’ve become. The lines on your face that write the story of everything you’ve experienced, each one intentional, some over-used, and all autobiographical. Their tiny hands in yours, in their grandparents’, and all of you smooshed together in a multigenerational now-eternal hug. IT IS ALL SO BEAUTIFUL!! I can’t take it!

When I decided to do this, I was brainstorming why I really wanted this. I was struggling with the term family photographer because I don’t want to focus on only families, I want to focus on people. Whether you have a huge family or you’re single and want a photo shoot of yourself to memorialize who you are right now, I want to be there for you. I had an epiphany that night and said out loud (like a lunatic), “I want to photograph anyone who wants to feel seen.” I see you. So my photographs are you, they are your beauty, they are your radiance, they are a piece of you that will live on forever and ever. Your legacy.

And so here I am, fast forward to me right now. I have three kids. A 5 year old, a 3 year old, and a 1 year old. I have two large pups and two very fluffy cats. Oh! And I have the most supportive and wonderful husband on the planet - he is my biggest crush of all time and inspires me to be the best version of myself. I live in Austin because it is one of my favorite cities ever! I love the lakes, the hills, the music, the art, the people, the everything. It makes sense to me that it’s here in Austin that I’ve become whole enough and inspired enough to delve into this for the first time. I want to photograph my beautiful people in my beautiful city in this crazy, beautiful speck of time that we are all floating along on.

Thank you for being here <3