We were lucky to catch up with Maria Alejandra Mata recently and have shared our conversation below.

Maria Alejandra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was always drawn to different forms of creation since I was little, but I didn’t get into photography until my last couple years in college, back home in Caracas. I wasn’t very good at the time, but my photography instructor encouraged me to keep going, so I did. Music photography specifically was something I stumbled upon, when a good friend asked me to come over and shoot his band’s concert when the photographer called in sick. As I began working in music, that’s when I knew this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life, which led me to move to the US and continue my education, and here we are.

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?

Like many music photographers, I sort of just walked into it; I started working with friends, then moved on to cold calling production companies in my home country, Venezuela. After working with Guataca Producciones as a staff photographer, I decided to continue on this path once I moved to the US. I find that resilience and willingness to continue to learn are the main qualities that have gotten me to where I am. As a press photographer, I have covered some of my favorite bands, like Iron Maiden, Queen, Anthrax, and so many more. I focus on a mix of capturing the environment and performance, and the emotions involved. Every show is a new opportunity to find more hidden details, all while keeping a vibrant rock & roll style.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As an immigrant, I’m constantly on high alert and ready to pivot. The main moment for me was deciding to move to the United States. The second I got my first official concert gig in Boston, I knew there was a world of possibilities that was about to open up, so making a life changing decision came with plenty of rewarding moments. I would have never had the chance to photograph any of these artists if I had stayed in my home country. And even right now, as I work through life as an immigrant and try to find stability, the concept of pivoting and changing plans is more prevalent than ever. Sometimes you need to do that one really scary thing in order to find the success you crave.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I believe society tends to underestimate the importance of the arts in daily life. Music photographers aren’t really taken as seriously, and our work is overused, stolen without credit, not to mention the large amount of people who refuse to pay for services. I think society needs to respect artists, the numerous hours of work, study and practice that are invested in creating the content you consume.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mariamataphoto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariamataphoto

Image Credits
Maria Alejandra Mata