Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lori Bezerra. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Lori thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I work full-time in NYC, on my own creative business, for 5 years now. But I’ve been working with photography for a little over 12 years. I started working with photography back in Brazil, since I graduated from fashion design school.

Back in Brazil I had my business, I was starting to get a little bit famous in the area, working with a lot of famous fashion brands in my town. But when I decided to move to NYC, 10 years ago, I had to start my business from scratch again. Had zero connections, zero networking, didn’t know anyone in the field so for the first 5 years, I had to work part-time with other things (I’ve done a little bit of everything: cleaning, bartending, graphic designer, dog walker..) while I was building my business and putting myself out there.

It was really hard in the beginning, especially because it’s a whole different language, different people, and the way people consume photography here is completely different from my Brazil.

One of the things that helped me the most was building connections. I remember downloading apps like Thumbtack and Fiverr, I was photographing friends to create a portfolio to upload to those platforms, and I was posting every day on Facebook groups and forums about my work. I worked for free in the first year, doing collabs with fashion influencers and bloggers, just to build connections. You gotta be resilient but if you work hard, eventually it pays off.

Lori, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Lori Bezerra, I’m a fashion and lifestyle photographer from Brazil, but based in NY. I do fashion editorials, portraits, couple’s photography, intimate weddings and branding photoshoots. I love to work with creative people and I feel like real connections are the ones that stand out the most. I love to capture the essence of the moment and the beauty of life as it happens. I want to show people the world the way I see it: full of colors, happiness and beauty!

I think what makes my work different is that I bring an editorial – cinematic vibe to our daily lives, and a touch of real life to fashion editorials. I love art and cinema, so I’m always trying to incorporate those elements into our day to day life. I feel I portray a lot better someone when the person is being who they are, and I love to capture their essence. I want people to know that they can be whoever they want and feel whatever they wanna feel, and I’ll be by their side to translate in pictures their best version.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Is to look into people’s eyes and see how happy they get when they see themselves on the photos and they love what they see. They see how pretty they are and this just brings me so much joy. In the end is all about making people see how beautiful they are.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to bring more joy to the world. The planet is already so full of hate and problems, that whenever I start a session, I want to make sure the person that is being photographed will forget about their problems and, at least for an hour, they will step into a world full of joy and creativity. They will remember who they are and their power to conquer whatever they want. Sounds silly when I say that I can change the world with photography, but if I can change at least someone’s day with a photo, then I feel complete.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.loribphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fotografany/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-bezerra-19a80a34/