We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Claudia Segui a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Claudia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

The short answer is love. I’ve always been love. Out of all the topics that seemed very interesting to talk about this one specifically stood out for me because it really made me who I am.

As a child, born in Cuba, on an island where there isn’t much to give I had it all, my parent’s love. This sounds so cliche but as I got older I didn’t really realize how much that actually meant. It was the difference of never having to sneak out of the house or keep secrets from them. I knew I was their life, their little girl, and they took the time to teach me that. If I was out with friends and I needed for them to pick me up, I wouldn’t think about it twice and the time didn’t matter. I knew they would be there when I needed them and I wouldn’t get a “lesson” on it. Whatever life decisions I made, I knew they were one step behind me, supporting me. You almost feel unstoppable. In those years as I built friendships and understood other families, I knew I was raised differently, for the most part.

Now as an adult I strive to give the same to my children. I realize that while I am way more capable of giving them all the toys and material things I didn’t necessarily have growing up, love is at the top of my priorities. And yes, they can probably recite my “when I was in Cuba speech” better than I can but the world needs more hugs, more forgiveness, more empathy, more love. That is priceless.

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

Hi, my name is Claudia Segui. I am an elopement and wedding photographer based in South Florida. I got into photography unexpectedly. From being a fly on the wall as a stenographer working in a very serious setting to now traveling with my couples and enjoying the best day of their life. I feel alive again. It wasn’t until December of 2021 when my husband gave me a camera for Christmas that it all began. Without the slightest idea of this becoming a career, I took pictures of everything I could and realized I needed help, immediately. I signed up for an all-encompassing course in March 2022, did over 55 shoots within 9 months and the rest is history.

I offer a variety of packages for couples, starting from from engagements, elopements, weddings, to anniversary sessions. Aside from photography, both digital and more recently, film, I design wedding albums as requested. No one wants their photos forgotten on a drive, right?

I believe what sets me apart from others is, more than just amazing photos, I like to provide a great experience. I want my clients to feel loved from the moment we meet. I don’t want nothing to do with superficial, black and white, rubber stamp photo routine. I want to hear it all. I take the time to get to know them, their story, family dynamics, sentimental wedding details, you name it. I feel these things make a world of a difference when photographing my couples. The more I know about them, the better the experience. One of my main goal is for them to feel relief when they see me on their wedding day, rather than nervous or awkward. I want them to see me more like a friend ready to document memories that’ll last a lifetime, which more often than not, that’s exactly what we walk away with, a friendship.

I am proud of the way I’ve adapted and accepted the growing pains that come with switching to an entire different career in my mid-thirties. One that comes with a lot of pushing myself to be active on different social media platforms, creating content, showing up regularly, wearing a lot of different hats that I did not expect while maintaining my family at the core of it all.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Being in the creative field can feel extremely scary. The art you make is like an added limb of your body, it is part of you and who you are. And when you finally gather up the courage to show the world, you are hoping and closing your eyes with your hands and at the same time peeking through hoping others will connect with it. The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the love I get in return from my clients. Their responses, comments from them and their family members about their photos and from people I’ve never met before, their reviews and their willingness to recommend my work to others when the time comes.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

There are a million ways you can support artists you love and all it will take from you is a little bit of your time. For example, you can like their posts, comment on your favorite work from them, give them credit when you share their work, recommend to a friend, leave a detailed review about your experience from beginning to end to help other couples that are thinking of hiring them, chat with them directly when something took your breath away. You can be the reason they post more of that kind of work or make their entire day!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.claudiasegui.com
• Instagram: @claudiaseguiphotography

Image Credits
Claudia Segui