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

Hi Mar , thanks for joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

Prior to becoming a photographer, I worked in banking for almost nine years! I was a customer service representative and although, it has nothing to do with photography, the people skills I learned at the bank have come a long way. A key word from the bank I used to work for was, INTEGRITY . While dealing with people’s money, you must have integrity. It is imperative that you are an honest person. This word has stuck with me all through the years because it describes the kind of person I aim to be every day of my life. Whether it’s my personal or my business life. It’s extremely important that I treat others the way I’d like to get treated. This means I have to be very intentional with my relationships both personal and professional. This has helped my photography business tremendously. Before a wedding or a photo session, I always ask myself, “how would I like to be treated if I were in front of the camera? What kind of direction and feedback would I appreciate to look my best and get amazing shots.” I want to do all the right things for my clients and be able to provide them the best experience with my services. I like to be transparent because at the end of the day it’s not about me, it’s about them.

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?

Hello! My name is Mar Alvarado, I am 32 years old and have been a resident of Los Angeles my whole life! I have been married for 11 years and have two amazing sons who keep me running around when photography isn’t! I started photography as a hobby back at the end of 2013, but didn’t really start taking it seriously until about 2 years after that. That’s when I really became invested in learning the craft. I was working at a bank at the time so it wasn’t my main source of income, therefore I didn’t invest many resources into growing my business. It wasn’t until 2018 when I started shooting more weddings that I decided I wanted to fully immerse myself in photography and go all in! This was great timing because my oldest son was a year old and this meant I could have a flexible schedule and spend more time raising him as opposed to working a regular 9-5 job. Being able to spend more time with my family has truly been my motor.

I am now a full time wedding and portrait photographer. I love being able to capture love on camera! Whether it’s during a wedding surrounded by all your loved ones or whether it’s during an intimate engagement session, maternity session or family session with me! Just being able to freeze those moments for generations to see, is everything to me! It is truly such a joy being able to serve my clients. There are many amazing photographers out there no doubt, but from what I’ve been told, what sets me apart is my personality. I like to think I’m easy going and do a good job at getting my clients to relax in front of the camera and not make them feel so nervous. I constantly communicate with my clients at any time of day to make sure their needs are being met for their upcoming wedding or photo session, almost like an “open door policy” for my clients, which I personally love that they feel the freedom to reach out to me with any questions or concerns they may have.

If you are considering booking me for any of my photography services please please please don’t hesitate to each out with any questions you may have! I know being in front of the camera can be intimidating ( I get shy too when in front of it!) but I promise, my goal is to help you feel at ease and make this an enjoyable experience for you. I will be your number one hype woman!

I appreciate my past & future clients so much for trusting me with capturing some of the biggest moments of their lives! I promise you, I don’t take any of this for granted!

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

My first camera was a Christmas gift from my husband. It was a starter kit, back then I knew almost nothing about photography besides being able to push a button and an image would be captured. I didn’t know about exposure, aperture, shutter speed, nothing! When I received this camera, I thought it was top of the line, I mean, I never had a more expensive camera in my life before. That didn’t stop me from trying to pursue this new idea of becoming a “photographer.” I offered my friends and family free photo sessions so I could practice and when I felt I had something going, I started charging a relatively cheap price, but hey, to me, it felt like I was earning six figures! As the years went by and I started learning more about photography and started to know more about gear, I started to invest the money I would earn into more sophisticated gear! I will dare to say that the latest gear is not what makes a great photographer, but it definitely helps to have great gear for certain lighting situations and that’s what would motivate me to invest in my business. Thankfully I am at the point in my business where all of my gear has “paid itself off.” Of course there are other business expenses I have on a monthly basis which are covered by the capital that comes in from my jobs.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is being able to create memories for others. Yes, we hold great memories in our minds, but there is something beautiful about looking at an image and just reliving the moment. Photography is such a beautiful art form and I’m thankful to belong to a community where we get to create amazing images for our clients to look back on many years from now.

Contact Info:

• Website: maralvarado.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/mar_photoswithlove
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maralvaradophotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mar-s-539499281

Image Credits
Mar Alvarado Photography