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

Brianna, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Thank you, I appreciate being here with you guys! I’ve thankfully been a part of some truly meaningful projects, but if I had to talk about one that meant a lot to me, it would be when I had the opportunity to host an Indian Bridal Styled Shoot back in 2020. When I began planning for this styled shoot, the fatal shooting of George Floyd has just happened, and the Black Lives Matter movement was bringing much needed awareness to the racial disparity in our country. Being a person of color as a Latina creator in the American wedding industry, I have been familiar with the racial micro aggression that still exists today. I wanted to highlight how different cultures celebrate their weddings and how important this diversity is. Each vendor that helped pull together the Indian Bridal Shoot was a person of color. Highlighting our businesses and presence in this industry was important and impactful. The photos of this shoot remain one of my favorites to this day.

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

Well, I never imagined myself owning a professional camera, let alone a photography business. Great way to begin my story, huh? I have always been a creative with a good eye, but my story didn’t begin in a high school art classroom, and it wasn’t inspired by a creative moment where I had an epiphany that I’d be a photographer one day.

The first time I picked up my camera was during a time in my life where it felt like my whole world was crashing down around me. I was a victim of domestic violence, raising three small children, and facing the reality of becoming a single mom with not a penny to my name. So, when I picked up that camera and saw what I could create in the midst of such darkness in my life, a fierceness awakened in me. Friends and family rallied around me, helped me leave an abusive marriage and believed in my talent. They helped me bring to life what would become Brianna Elise Photography.

My work has been featured in online publications such as, The Knot “Real Weddings,” Orange Blossom Bride, Sunshine Bride, and Orlando Voyager Magazine. As a wedding and lifestyle photographer, I specialize in fine art, light focused photography where I maximize natural light to create uniquely artistic portraits. As someone who did not go to school for photography, I utilized everything within my capacity to hone my skills and become the professional I worked hard to become today. Through my lens I found my way back to myself and was able to build a thriving client base that I am so grateful for!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

The way I have approached my reputation within the market is by the quality of my work and maximizing the positive experience clients/vendors have with me. Each client that books with me, or each vendor that has worked with me, will remember their experience OF me. Because of my dedication to a personalized and positive client experience, I believe that is why I have had clients return and refer me year after year creating a reputable reputation that is just as valuable as my quality of work.

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.

I believe the greatest struggle non creatives have is understanding the amount of work that goes into being a creative and understanding its value. Art is like any other form of hard work and it takes dedication. However, because art is personal and undefined by rules, it cannot be calculated by convention, but rather its value is calculated by its emotional importance. I am the only artist in my family. Both my parents are business and medical professionals so I personally have dealt with people who could not understand why I would choose an unconventional path that presented as more risk than reward. It was a struggle for them to understand how I would find success in my world because theirs relied on logistics and numbers, rather than personal connections and emotions like mine did. I am proud to say that I showed my parents success can be found in creative pursuits and that utilizing artistic abilities while not always monetarily lucrative is just as worthy of a pursuit.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.briannaelisephotography.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/briannaeliseduvall
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannaelise/

Image Credits
Brianna Elise Photography