We recently connected with Vanessa Medina and have shared our conversation below.

Vanessa, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

In order to be successful you need to put in the work. You have to go above and beyond expectations and really put in your best effort.

If you’re passionate about something you should strive to do what it takes and be consistent.

Success is different to everyone. So as long as you feel you’ve achieved your goal then you’re on the right track.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started pursuing an interest in photography when I was in high school. Then I got into college and realized I wanted to turn this passion into a career. I attended cal state Fullerton and graduated with a bachelors in fine arts with an emphasis in photography. Once I graduated I did random shoots here and there for family and friends but I wasn’t confident in my growth. Then I was offered an opportunity to move to Miami and while there I entered into fashion photography. It was a lot of fun and easy to shoot but it wasn’t fueling my passion.

Once I moved back home to California I shifted again. Living in miami I was exposed to more of the fashion industry but once I moved back to my hometown it was a totally different dynamic.

So I went back into family shoots. I had cut off weddings completely until my friend convinced me to help her shoot her sister-in-laws wedding. After that I was hooked. That was about 5 years ago. Since then I’ve been fine tuning my craft and building my skill set.

It started out as a hobby but blossomed into where I’m at now.

As a photographer I’m constantly learning and keeping up with new trends/styles. Things are constantly changing so it’s important to keep up to date.

When it comes to my clients I like to be hands on and offer as much service to them as needed. I’m flexible and reliable to each of one of them. It’s important that as a service provider I make my clients feel comfortable and confident when they decide to have me photograph their portraits/wedding. It’s a sense of security that they made the right choice.

Confident clients are key. So it’s my job during each session to make sure I bring that out of them. It’s important to have a good vibe and know how to invoke good feelings out of your client. The funny thing is almost 90% of the people I shoot with tell me the same thing, “I’m not good in front of the camera.” But once we start shooting it’s a whole different story. I love that I’m able to capture those moments.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I started out like most people and posted content related to the services I was offering. At first the growth was very low but once I started to narrow down my editing style and niche I started to see my IG numbers rising.

I would make sure to stay focused on your goal. Make sure you know what you want your brand to be and stay consistent. Posting is important.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients has been IG and word of mouth.

I’ve been lucky enough to have so many great referrals from past clients, family and friends.

Instagram has also gained me a lot of referrals. Simply from using hashtags, locations and constant posting.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vmedinaphoto.com
• Instagram: @vmedinaphoto