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

Alright, Chanel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I never meant to be a portrait photographer.

An artist, always; a writer, most of the time…
But a photographer?

This was not on my radar as an artistic medium, let alone a career path. And yet, looking back, it all feels so organic and almost inevitable.

My pursuit of portrait photography began as a means to an end. Many years ago- a decade or more now- I was still creating graphite drawings on a semi-regular basis. Using magazine ads as reference photos, my fascination with women’s portraits (mixed with an interest in editorial and fashion perspectives) had me constantly sketching eyes, faces, and compelling expressions. Over time I realized that I desired to create my own imagery from “scratch”, and drawing from magazine clippings began to lack important elements for me, such as creative authenticity or artistic integrity. It had been a great place to start; but I was ready for more freedom.

I decided it was time to try my hand at capturing my own reference photos, recruiting friends and most often my younger sister as my Muses. The moment of falling in love with photography was all but instantaneous, or at least that’s what my memories tell me. In fact, I can’t recall a time of not loving the process itself. It was a short leap from creating images as reference photos, to completely committing myself to improving my portrait photography as its own artistic outlet.

I dove devotedly into bringing my own visions and concepts to life, often inspired by pieces of my own writing. I used any resources I could get my hands on, expanding my connections past friends and family to begin building community with models, makeup artists, designers, and even personally dabbling in jewelry design to execute my visions.

Intuitively I felt called to this work of creating beautiful, story-driven imagery featuring powerful yet ethereal female subjects, but still lacked clarity for how this could become a business.

Then I discovered the genre of boudoir.

This romantic, intimate, and empowering form of portraiture spoke to all the elements I strove to evoke in my work, while also feeling accessible and approachable for every woman, as long as I helped her to bridge that gap between fantasy and reality.

Boudoir photography was the sweet spot where my own creative freedom and passion intersected with providing a luxury service to a client base that valued art, creative expression, and space for self-love and empowerment.

While “boudoir” was a good starting point for the genre I began to pursue, my work evolved into something far beyond and more nuanced than a category that is quite narrowly known for its “sexy” nature. Several things happened — both seemingly organically and simultaneously — that allowed my version of “boudoir” to blossom into the beautifully layered, versatile, transformative, and powerful realm of women’s portraits it is today.

I knew that in order for my photography to succeed as a business, women of all shapes, sizes, and walks of life had to be able to see themselves in my images.

I also knew that my photography had to remain authentic to what I myself valued as an artist and a creative woman.

So, I built my portfolio and brand by hosting “Muse Calls” which invited the “everyday woman” to work with me to experience a fine art portrait session, in exchange for an image release that showcased my unique visions and artistic eye.

Not only did this allow my portfolio to diversify in the most beautiful and refreshing way, but I was able to showcase my artistic voice in a way that would resonate with my ideal client.

The more I showed up as myself in my work and my brand messaging, the more in alignment my clientele became.

I moved almost effortlessly (albeit nervously) away from the expected “sex appeal” of traditional boudoir, and began to center women as the heroines and goddesses of their own stories. I leaned in to the female gaze, the way a woman desired to see herself; not the way that society desired to see her.

It’s been a journey of constant evolution, of introspection, of learning to recognize my intuition at work and trust it. Even now, approaching year 6 as a business, the journey is constantly evolving and I lean harder than ever on the love and support from my existing clients, as well as my own self-love and self-trust to guide me into future chapters.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I’m Chanel, the owner and artist behind Chanel Fernandez Photography. I was born and raised in South Jersey, I’m half Cuban, and my move to Florida 8 years ago has been one of the greatest “Aha!” decisions of my life thus far.

For the past 5 and a half years I’ve built a career out of a skill I never saw coming.

Not at first.

At first, I picked up my camera over a decade ago as a means to an end.

I never intended to fall in love with the process of portrait photography itself, but I did.

I fell in love with light, with motion, with raw human expression borne from the eyes in a way that’s nearly impossible to replicate on paper. I learned to make art with this medium I hadn’t expected to understand, let alone become enamored with.

But the journey didn’t stop there.

Once I decided I could actually turn this newly developed skill into a career, the next leg of the journey began.

Shoot by shoot, I invited women to celebrate themselves, their own unique power and beauty, through a fine art portrait experience.

With every woman that stepped in front of my camera, the power of portraiture revealed itself to me in a completely different light. Without fully realizing it, my “job” was so much bigger than the narrow scope of simply taking pictures in exchange for money. My responsibility was so much heavier than a monetary transaction between photographer and client.

It became about so much more than “just” making art. It became about celebrating a woman’s story with an approach as unique as her.

The truth is: Portrait photography is still not my goal. Making art out of your journey, your victory and your struggle, your singularly powerful voice. That’s what I’ve come here to do.

…

I provide a full service photoshoot experience for women at any and all points of their personal journeys. The only qualification is that they must be READY to stand in their power and celebrate, whatever that may look like for them!

“Full service” means that I guide your entire shoot experience from beginning to end, which includes: thorough consultation, fully styled and expertly posed photo shoot, personalized gallery reveal and ordering appointment, and concluding with delivering beautiful digital and printed artwork directly to you!

My areas of expertise include traditional in-studio boudoir, “Nature Goddess” Outdoor Portraits, personal branding portraits, editorial fashion photography, and any combination of these genres that support you in your goal of celebrating your power as a woman!

The clients who choose me as their photographer are not looking for “just” a photoshoot or “just” a photographer. They are looking for an artist who will partner with them to bring a unique, exquisitely executed vision to life. Whether they bring me a specific idea or whether they trust me to curate one for them, my clients and I collaborate to bring that vision to life, all while celebrating what makes them uniquely powerful and beautiful through the process. I create a space where women can freely and comfortably center themselves in their own story and own the power that comes with doing so.

While I do provide Digital Images as part of my offerings, most of my clients love that I expertly handle the printing of their favorite images so that they can experience their portraits as high-quality, gallery-standard printed artwork.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’d like to start this one off by saying that “to be in business” is often synonymous with the ability “to pivot”. If eras like the Pandemic have taught us one thing, it’s that we can never predict what will happen next and that we must live constantly prepared to adapt to that unknown.

And now let’s get more specific.

While I have pivoted many times in life, there is one life event where pivoting became the most vital.

Around the time I launched my business, I had already begun co-running a wedding photography business with my then-boyfriend. Co-running this business meant two things for my own business: 1.) My initial focus was almost strictly bridal boudoir and 2.) My business was treated more as a side hustle while the wedding photography business flourished unexpectedly quickly.

In late 2020 I decided that both the wedding photography business as well as the relationship were no longer serving me. I had sacrificed and lost too much of myself to continue down that path.

Enter: The Big Pivot.

Not only did I have to pivot my attention to my own business as a main source of income, the entire direction of my life was now drastically pivoting as well.

There was so much work to do to re-establish my identity in the photography world, not only disassociating from the wedding industry but learning to speak to an audience of women who were not brides-to-be, but rather the “everyday woman” who deserved a luxury portrait experience whether she had a partner or not.

Meanwhile, in my personal life, I was re-discovering what it meant and felt like to answer only to myself. I was leaning in to prioritizing my own needs and trusting my intuition to guide me into the new life I imagined for myself.

It was challenging. It was daunting. There were times where it felt like more than I could handle. But I knew that I could. Because this was not my first attempt at “rebirth”.

Ultimately, this multi-faceted “Big Pivot” was one that brought more fulfillment than I could have imagined and set me up on the trajectory to the “dream path” I now walk. And make no mistake, the dream path is not automatically easy; but it’s easier to walk than the wrong path entirely.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

If I had to narrow it down, I would credit 2 things for the reputation within my market.

1.) Authenticity (and trust built through it). I’ve never tried to show up as anyone or anything that I wasn’t. I’ve been abundantly clear from the start of my business about who I am, what I do, my core values, and what I bring to the table. I am also transparent when changes or new elements arise, so my audience and my clients walk my journey with me.

2.) An exceptional client experience. Any one of my clients can attest to the fact that I go above and beyond to serve them. Their needs are my top priority, and I deliver quality attention and execution throughout every step of the process. The fact that more than 10 of my clients are multi-time clients is a testament to this, along with the fact that I can call many of my clients friends. It’s the foundation of trust built through authenticity that leads to truly impactful connection and client experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chanelfernandezphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/chanel_fernandez_photography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChanelFernandezPhotography
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Regina Rached (DBA Regina as The Photographer)