We recently connected with Gianina Naghavian and have shared our conversation below.

Gianina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

My goal first and foremost is to connect with my clients. I make the extra effort to get to know them and their families so that they are comfortable when it comes time for their photo session. That is done through an initial questionnaire and followed up by further communications and a lot of talking and laughing together during our session. Another just as important goal is customer satisfaction of their final gallery product. My post production editing consist of many days and hours of editing each individual photo in their gallery. I fine tune every single photo to ensure it is the best quality possible. Being on the other side of the lens I have experienced other photographers not taking the time to get to know me and most importantly not providing a great final product that then feels overpriced and has you searching for another photographer on a rush to hopefully do it right.

For example, many photographers will just throw on a filter/present on all your photos and be done with the post production process. They don’t edit each individual photo or review them to ensure they are providing the best quality. With my many years of experience and extensive learning and development hours I feel it is absolutely disappointing when you get photos done and are unhappy with the final product. It’s a big investment for a family to get photos done that will last a lifetime and people deserve only the best quality to capture such milestones in life. A photo is freezing those moments to remember forever and to be passed down from generation to generation.

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 back background and context?

I’m a professional Lifetime Photographer. I capture colourful moments of everyday life, bringing into focus the raw emotions that come with every milestone, and at any age. My services include but are not limited to; family portraits, couples, elopements, intimate weddings, and professional lifestyle sessions. My busiest time of the year is in the fall when families get together for holiday portraits.

My passion for creative arts began at an early age, and I can’t remember a time that I didn’t have an artistic tool in hand, whether it was a paintbrush, a disposable camera, or even my first camera flip phone! Largely self-taught, I have successfully showcased my work as a painter in several art shows, and have developed my portfolio as a photographer since 2009. While I do still paint, I fulfill most of my creative cravings behind the camera. I’m a San Diego native though my family is Costa Rican, and our culture has greatly influenced my passion for life. ¡Pura vida! – It’s a simple and happy way of living, being thankful for what you have instead of dwelling on what you don’t. My desire as a photographer is to capture those happy, often understated moments in life that make our hearts beat.

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

My business is heavy on referrals and repeat loyal clients. When a client is satisfied with my services they are happy to write a 5 star review and inclined to refer my services to other families. The most rewarding part of my job is seeing families grow year after year. From engagements to baby announcements and then annual family portraits.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Knowing my camera can document a feeling and make it tangible is so rewarding! When I hit “send” to deliver a Final gallery to a client my heart races because I am so excited for them to see their photos and hear their response. There has been a number of times I’ve had clients with happy tears which melts my heart and makes all the hours of work worth it!

The passion I have for my craft is what I strive to cultivate in each session, and that’s what truly brings life and color to my photographs!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lifelovebygia.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifelove_bygia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifeLoveByGia
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LifeLoveByGia
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SanDiego_Photographer/featured
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/life-and-love-by-gia-san-diego

Image Credits
Life & Love By Gia