We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bambi Torres. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bambi below.
Hi Bambi, thanks for joining us 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?
A big risk from the beginning was going into an industry “Photography” that at the time was male dominated. I was actually told I would never make it in this industry.
That, just didn’t sit right with me! Leaving my job of 10 years wanting to go into what I studied in college, I started to look for a position as an Assistant Photographer. I found an ad for a catalog company Avanti Press, not knowing it was one of the largest in the Nation. They did catalogs from conception to final product. When I applied for this position, I didn’t hear back from them. Several weeks later the ad was still there so, I took myself to the office and fought to get in without an appointment. I said, “you need an assistant photographer, I can do this job”. Right away they took me to the studios, there were 10 studios and yes, all men. I had to prove myself by carrying two heavy lighting power packs one in each hand down the hallway and put a painted wood background on a clothing rack to transport. I have to say I did that quite well. They hired me right there.
The Creative Director, Efrain Mendoza saw some of my fashion work I was shooting on my own. He asked me if I had more of this, if so to bring it to his office the next day. When looking through my work he said I have a special sensitivity and if I can learn how to hand hold up to a 300mm lens I would be wonderful fashion photographer. Even though I wasn’t there very long he started sending me out on fashion shoots. I had no clue what it was like to be on a fashion shoot, and the rest is history. After working at Avanti Press 2 1/2 years, I went out on my own. Another risk but beneficial. I owe my career of over 20 years to this man. So, Thank You Efrain.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I grew up in an artsy family, my mother was a blues singer who started singing at the age of 3 and never stopped. She had an amazing voice. My dad was a pianist and painter. When my parents, my mother and stepfather asked me what I wanted to study in college, they were thinking some type of painting and drawing since I started to draw at the age of 6 with my dad. When I said “Photography” they had no idea where that came from. It came from me wanted to photograph musicians for album covers. Then I took a little curve into the fashion world. I began to work in fashion photographing the Super Model of the Year, for Ford Agency and photographing and judging for the Miss Universe Pageant. My images have been published in magazines such as, Editorial America, SA, Glamour, Buenhogar, Tu, and special supplements in Spanish Harper’s Bazaar, Vanidades, Cosmopolitan, and Hombre International. Also, in popular South Florida magazines Ocean Drive, Fashion Spectrum, Channel and Florida International. I have photographed many Advertisements, Catalogs, plus Editorials & Billboards for Vertigo Paris. I photographed models for many agencies, Ford, Elite, Click, Karin, Michele Pommier, Irene Marie, Page Parks, Mary Keating, Hart, Posh, Marrianne Models, Green & Green, Act One and more.
I have also worked on Movie and Television Sets as Unit Still Photographer.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I have always advertised in local magazines. Networking & now Social Media. The secret is connecting with people. You never know where that connection will lead you.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In 2007 I lost my wonderful husband, my best friend since I was 18 years old. He passed from brain cancer within 10 days of diagnosis. My whole world fell apart. A lifetime gone in days. It took me more than 6 months to be able to even think about working. I was a freelance photographer, you have a job one day and you may not have another for weeks. I needed a weekly paycheck now and took a job as an Activity Director for Senior Living. Years into a new job then Covid happened and put a halt on everything. Being the determined woman that I am, it was time to go back to my passion, Photography. I had to reinvent myself in a photographic world that had totally changed.. I have had some disappointments on this reinvention road, but as the old adage goes, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” I have started photographing Editorials and Advertisements once again. When people ask me why I chose photography. I didn’t choose photography, it chose me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bambi.photo/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/bambi.torres1/