We recently connected with Isabella Cendan and have shared our conversation below.
Isabella, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Throughout my time as a storyteller and exploring my passion for both photo and video, I have had many opportunities to work on meaningful projects. The tagline for my small business, Bella Rosa Productions, is to “capture your story for a lifetime,” because I have a deep passion for telling stories that deserve to be told. Every person in front of my camera has a unique story, and it is always my goal to make sure that story is told as authentically as possible. I have worked with incredible people in this field and been a part of countless projects I am very proud of, but the most meaningful project I have been a part of is when I have documented Kesem.
Kesem is a nationwide non-profit organization run by passionate college students to provide support for children impacted by a caregiver’s cancer. I joined Kesem’s chapter at my alma mater, the University of Miami, in the fall of 2016, and my life has been positively changed ever since. As someone who understands the complex emotions and experiences that come from experiencing a caregiver’s cancer, I am so grateful that an organization like Kesem, which provides year-round support and services for children going through so much — with their keystone event being a week-long summer camp, Camp Kesem, which is completely cost-free to the families — exists.
In August 2017, I served as a counselor and had my first experience interacting with Kesem campers. I will never forget the experiences I had that week and the incredible strength and fortitude these children have.
I knew I wanted to do as much as I possibly could to serve this organization. I am so grateful to have been able to combine my passion for storytelling with the mission of Kesem since then. I served on the executive board from 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 as one of the Alumni, Marketing, and Public Relations coordinators. In the summer of 2018, I served as photographer and videographer on the administration team for my chapter’s two sessions of Camp Kesem, where I sent newsletters to caregivers uploaded albums to Facebook each night, and at the end of the summer, created the recap video. From there, I have created countless projects for Kesem as both a photographer and videographer. Outside of Miami’s chapter, I have traveled to Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania to document the Kesem magic as a photographer and videographer at other chapters serving this community across the country. The photos I capture preserve the pure joy experienced at Kesem, allowing campers (and volunteers) to relive the memories they made while at Kesem for years to come. The recap videos I create provide insight for others who do not know about Kesem and are able to learn about its invaluable impact through footage of Kesem and through interviews of campers and counselors sharing how much Kesem has changed their lives.
Personally, my projects with Kesem are the most meaningful to me because it gives me the unique opportunity to show Kesem through my lens. There is no place in the world where I am happier or most at peace than when I am at Kesem. I have never taken for granted the responsibility and opportunity to interview others while they exemplify their strength through their vulnerability and share their unique stories about their experiences with a caregiver’s cancer in front of my camera. Each interview is proof how Kesem allows campers to escape from hardship and be a kid again, and the videos I create give outside viewers a chance to see how that is possible. People as young as six years old have become my role models, reminding me of the strength we all have within us. Outside of the recap videos I have created from years of summer and fall weekend sessions of Kesem, I have been able to create in-depth videos to be shown at the annual Make the Magic gala for my alma mater, my favorite one so far being “Kicks: A Camp Kesem Story,” which was an in-depth profile story of a camper-turned-counselor in South Florida.
I am so grateful that my experiences with Kesem have gone past my time at the University of Miami as a student. Outside of documenting the magic, I have served on the Advisory Board for two chapters, I have spoken as an Alumni Speaker Panelist for Kesem’s National Summit this past year, and I am now a Founding Member of the Alumni Membership Program representing the Class of 2019. I am humbled every day by the opportunity to grow in my field as a photographer and videographer through my work with Kesem, but mostly through the chance to interact with such strong and inspiring people. I cannot wait for more years to come documenting the true magic that is Kesem.
(If you or someone you know could benefit from Kesem’s services, please visit https://www.kesem.org to find a chapter near you!)
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 am the owner of Bella Rosa Productions, my small business where I serve as a lifestyle photographer and freelance videographer in South Florida.
I studied Electronic Media at the University of Miami (with one of my minors being Art with a Concentration in Photography). I have a passion for telling stories that deserve to be told, and have worked with non-profits that do incredible work. The world has become a very media-driven place, and I am grateful for every opportunity I have to document something unique and beautiful, helping to capture it for years to come.
I am most proud of my ability to help people feel comfortable. Whether it be coworkers or clients, I always make it my goal for others to leave interactions with me feeling happy and excited to see the final product. Consistent feedback I get from photography clients is that I help them feel so comfortable when in front of my camera, never forcing them to be or do anything, but instead, allowing them to be themselves.
From freelancing as a crew member or editor with various production companies in Miami, to documenting life’s sweetest moments through photography (including, but not limited to, proposals, engagement photos, family portraits, maternity photos, graduate shoots, non-profits, and more), I am very grateful to do what I love every day and to capture stories for a lifetime.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
It may sound cheesy, but I think remaining true to myself and my morals has helped me to build my reputation within my market the best.
It is very hard to combat imposter syndrome and to not compare yourself to others in the field, especially with the growth of social media. Whether they be strangers I do not know on Instagram that I see doing things a certain way that seem to work really well for them, or others in the industry I see in-person, it is easy to compare and wonder if there are things I should be doing differently. While it is important to be open to growth and change in positive ways (for example, I love to encourage community over competition, fostering the opportunity to learn from each other and serve as cheerleaders that encourage each other’s growth), it is more important to stay true to who you are and remember why you specifically wanted to follow this passion.
Allowing myself to be me – the girl who has always loved making other people smile – has resulted in the most sincere and effortless work I have created. Instead of comparing my chapter 20 with someone else’s chapter 40, I have focused on setting small and large goals for my small business, and tackling them year-by-year, month-by-month, day-by-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute. Holding myself accountable and being my own boss can be harder than others would expect, but it provides so much opportunity to really focus on areas of growth and prioritizing fostering true connections with my clients.
I am grateful for the reputation I have built within my market, and for all of the kind words clients have shared with me once I send their final products. I cannot wait for all the projects to come.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Aside from courses I took at my university and mentors I met through there, the biggest impact I have had with my management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy has been signing up for The Photo Major course through The Heart University, which is run by Evie Rupp and Lindsey Roman. I have filled up entire journals full of tips from this course, along with their podcast, Heart & Hustle. Evie and Lindsey share advice, tips, stories, and knowledge for all creatives, and I am really grateful to have found them early in my business career. I recommend The Heart University to any creative trying to turn their passion into their source of income!
Along with The Heart University, I learned a lot from my mentorship call with a photographer in 2020 (I spoke with Megan of Megan Aaron Photography). Megan answered so many of my questions on our two-hour long call and gave me a long list of tasks to accomplish in order to create a more solid foundation for my business, and she has been someone I can still contact to this day for specific questions I have. If you are a photographer just starting out, or have been working for awhile and need a refresher, I recommend finding a photographer to have a mentorship session with – Megan was awesome!
If you are on a budget and looking for another resource to help your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy, find others in your community who are doing what you are doing. Foster community over competition. Find colleagues who can become friends that you can share ideas with, ask questions to, and encourage consistently. I am grateful for my photographer friends that I am in regular contact with, and I love supporting them as we both chase our dreams.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bellarosaproductions.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellarosaproductions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brosaproductions
- Other: Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Headshot: AKouri Photography Kesem Photos: First taken by Luis Gonzalez, second and third taken by Cameron Tavakoly