We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ariane Reina. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ariane below.

Ariane, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

It happened after my third child was born; my husband was working as a floor installer for a company, and I was working at an office job as a bookkeeper/accountant and it was a good job, safe, comfortable and paying the bills but it was also making me extremely unhappy with each passing day. I was physically there but I was constantly dreaming of having my own photography business. Always planning photoshoots in my mind.
One day, I had a particularly bad day at work with my boss and I remember breaking down in tears and something screamed inside of me “Get out!”
And I did. I remember my heart beating so fast, and my hands were shaking but through the fear, it also felt so right.
I called my husband and told him I had just quit my job. To which he replied “Me too…”
Looking back, I know how it looks, we have 3 children, a mortgage, bills and we had just quit our jobs on the sole reason that we were unhappy there.
But maybe that’s why we understood each other and supported our decisions. Neither of us could continue to be at a place that was making us so miserable.
With about $1000 in our bank, I invested on a camera and decided it was time to start my photography business.
I had everything to lose, and that meant fear couldn’t win anymore. Doubt had to disappear. I had to believe in myself so fiercely, believe that I had the talent, the skills and the guts to turn my passion into a business.
There’s not an ounce of regret. I am so fulfilled by my job, my work, the people I met and the stories I get to be a part of.
I mentioned my husband’s business flourished quickly…mine took some time. The first year I was making barely enough to cover my photography expenses and nothing else. So, I do understand the privilege of having a supporting spouse that gave me time to pursuit my dream while he took care of the bills. Not everyone has that. But I have to say, the hardship we endured was 100% worth it. It opened our eyes to what we could achieve if we believed in the other and supported each other.
I have never been one to play it safe. I need thrill in my life, I need adventure and I need art. Art has been at the core of who I am since I have memory of myself and being in an office with the same four walls doing the same thing each day, it was killing me inside.
The hard work, tears and sweat I put into building my business has paid off.
Today I work successfully as a full-time photographer. I recently opened my home studio. And while I probably work harder than I ever did, I am so grateful I made that choice. The choice to believe in myself, to take a chance on myself and to have faith. I couldn’t imagine my life today if I was still stuck in those walls.
I feel like staying was a risk as well. Risking my mental health, my happiness, my future. At least this risk brought me joy, beyond anything I had imagined.
Ariane Reina Photography is on its 4th year and I’m very excited for what’s to come.

Ariane, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into photography when I was 13 years old. In the hopes of capturing as many memories as I could. It wasn’t until I was 25 that I started to see it as a way to express myself, as art and now I am a women’s portrait and Boudoir photographer, primarily, and my main focus is to empower women to embrace their uniqueness, to accept and love their bodies and discover that their beauty has nothing to do with what they look like.
When I started working mainly with women, I noticed something in all of my subjects, that none of them were 100% happy with themselves and how they looked. All of them shared an insecurity, something that made them feel like they were not good enough. Pretty enough, sexy enough, skinny enough, worthy enough. I made it a point to build my business in a way that every woman, regardless of their size, could feel comfortable in their skin. Could feel sexy and beautiful and powerful.
I offer an experience, because its more than just taking pretty pictures, it’s about healing your relationship with our body, it’s about giving yourself love, feeling great during your session and after you leave. I want to ignite a kind of self-love in my clients that continues to grow once they leave my presence.
I’m proud of the community we are building. I see it every day on my social media spaces. It’s a place where we can feel safe to be ourselves, where we are no longer hiding, we are challenging beauty standards and learning to empower one another.
It’s a beautiful thing.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Be genuine. I know it can be intimidating to show up on social media. Where everything is curated, and design to show perfection. It’s scary to put yourself out there, but, if you fall into the rabbit hole that is the algorithm, how many likes do I get, is my art not good enough if I don’t get enough likes…you’ll get burned out fast. Sharing your work should come from a genuine place of wanting to put something into the world because you believe in it. Because it brings you joy, or it can bring joy to someone else.
Create content from a place of inspiration, which means you have to give yourself time to get inspire. If you are putting content out there just for the sake of showing up, guess what, you’ll get burn out. Social media can be quite a time-consuming job. And it can feel overwhelming. Focus on growing a real community with your audience, not on attracting as many people as you can. You don’t have to be the biggest account, you just have to reach your ideal client and your ideal client will connect to a real person, with a real story, with real flaws. I think social media is growing tired of perfection. Be as real as you can be and watch your audience grow.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

It’s hard work. I work harder now, with longer hours, than in any job I’ve worked before. My mind is always thinking of my business. How can I serve my client better, or reach my ideal client, or provide an amazing experience. We are always working on our craft and improving ourselves and because this is something we love, it’s hard to set boundaries sometimes. I’ve had plenty of editing until the wee hours of the night, and we wear multiple hats, it can get overwhelming for sure.
We can be lifted by confidence one day and riddle with doubt the next. We love what we do, therefore if it’s not received well, its soul crushing.
It takes a special kind of person to venture out into the creative world. But would I change it for a secure, 9-5 job? Not in a million years.
Because when you find your people and what you create finds a loving audience, its magical. Our heart feels fulfilled. I do a little dance every time a client tells me they love their photos or that they felt confident and beautiful like they haven’t before. It makes all my hard work feel light and easy.

Contact Info:

• Website: arianereinaphotography.mypixieset.com
• Instagram: areinaphotography
• Facebook: Ariane Reina Photography