We recently connected with Brianna Benitez and have shared our conversation below.

Brianna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

This was in the beginning of my photography business. During the spring, I took many photos and uploaded them on my Instagram and Facebook pages. One day I received an email from a local newspaper in California. The email stated that they wanted to interview me for their newspaper. At first, my reaction was crazy. I didn’t know then if it was a scam or real. It was a risky moment for me due to receiving scam emails. I had received emails from other small companies that wanted to work with me but, ended up not working out. When I did my research and looked at their website, I was impressed with the email I received. I couldn’t believe that a local newspaper wanted to interview me especially since I wasn’t as confident in my work. I had a big smile on my face. I was honored to accept the interview and began writing my story. After the interview was uploaded onto their website my expressions were off the roof! I wrote back an appreciated email for them and thanked them for taking the time to look into my work. In the end, more people began reaching out to me and a lot of my followers as well.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Brianna Benitez and I am a photographer. Ever since I was a little girl I fell in love with taking pictures of many different things, including people. I enjoyed capturing the moments and using my creative mind to make the photo look better. As time flew by, I kept practicing how to edit my photos and downloaded many apps to see which one I liked best. I started off with PicsArt and experimented with Photoshop. Later in 2019, I was given a camera that was a gift by my brother for my birthday. The camera is the same one I currently use which is a Canon EOS RP. The day I was given that camera was one of the happiest moments in my life due to always dreaming of having one. I began taking pictures of nature, cars, people, and the city. As my editing skills kept progressing I didn’t stop. I moved onto using AdobeLightroom which helped me understand more details in editing photos, Eventually, I got the idea of creating an Instagram page to share my creative photos with the world. Once I worked on my title, I kept practicing my angles and lighting. Later in 2019, I took a photography class in high school up until 2021. During the pandemic of 2020, I kept taking photos for my yearbook class which eventually ended up in the class of 2020 yearbook. I was presented with an award for photography as well. My teacher and a few of my friends had given me feedback about my photos which they loved. My confidence grew as the years passed and began offering myself by asking my friends if they wanted a photoshoot. My friends loved my work and were even more impressed after I showed them the comparison from the original to the edited ones. I’ve gotten many shoutouts in the past few years ever since I began and great feedback as well. I like to keep my clients happy and be sure to given them the best quality photos. Photography has always been something that I’ve always and will continue to enjoy doing.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to grow my business bigger and for my clients to spread the word when others may need a photographer. I plan on taking more family photos and posting them on my social media for my audience to see that individual photos aren’t the only type I take. My goal is to create my own website and possibly sell my photos online. As of right now, I don’t have a time limit but it needs to be done.

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

A lot of my friends and colleagues who know me have been promoting me on social media. Instagram has been the main source. When I post pictures of the city or seasonal photos of our daily life, they repost my photos which creates a bigger audience. I’ve made reels and posted stories of how it looks behind the scenes during a photoshoot or outdoors. I enjoy it when people reach out to me. Therefore, this is another reason why I created my own Gmail account. Instagram has helped me out a lot, especially with reels!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: benitezphotography31
• Facebook: benitezphotography31
• Gmail: benitezphotography31@gmail.com

Image Credits
benitezphotography