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

Marilyn, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I come from a traditional mexican household where I was the first to move out and venture on my own and pursue my dreams. My mother always allowed me to freely express myself through fashion, hair and makeup; My dad however had a hard time accepting that I was going to be moving out. Living within those strict traditions was always tough for me, I always felt like the black sheep in the family, which in this case made me stand out more. Growing up with mexican parents you are never going to get kicked out, actually it’s opposite of that, the parents don’t ever want you to leave. Everyone gets comfortable and no one really grasps the idea of wanting or needing to actually grow up and adult. I always had passion, drive and the independence to do things on my own, I always knew I wanted to leave once I graduated and branch out on my own, while that was hard for my parents to grasp, they supported me all the way and for that I will forever be grateful.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have always been into fashion, I was not exactly sure what I was going to do with that likeness (but according to my mom, she knew I was going to be a photographer).Once I picked up a professional camera my junior year of high school I was hooked. I signed up to some community college classes and took an intro to film class. I graduated high school and went straight to art school. I started shooting a bunch of fashion/lifestyle and gradually started entering into the world of entertainment and showbiz. I ended up not moving to NYC to pursue fashion/fashion photography and have been in the entertainment industry for over 9 years working for many companies and people and gaining experience and knowledge which has allowed me to grow and become great at what I do. I am a proud and experienced photo editor. With that being said, I am also a photographer. I do still find the time to shoot. My work has leaned more towards artsy fashion and less mainstream. I love working with natural light and earth elements with the human body. I really want to connect with a broader audience and figure out my next move. I am always trying to figure out ” what’s next” for me. I have gotten a bunch of sh**t from people who criticize me not using artificial lighting, although I studied it and know the appropriate setup that is not how I want my work to come across and is just not me. I love that I can get mad at the harsh shadows that the sun provides when I want something clean and then end up creating something amazing out of fighting with what the weather has to give me that day. I love the randomness in photos, I don’t like to set up poses, I usually tell my models to run, shake your hair, move around, walk. I like movement and I like realness. I hope that is what my viewers can convey through my work.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Don’t do what others are doing, don’t follow the trend. Stick to what you know, which is you. Your style should come out in your work and that is what’s going to set you apart. I always went back and forth and was consistently stuck with the mainstream and going with everybody else’s same aesthetic. I got out of that headspaced and tuned into what MY viewers would want to see, which is more of me, more of my style, more of MY vision.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

That you can literally do whatever the f**ck you want and get emotion out of people through your artwork whether they like it or not; either way you win, you created something that’s evoking emotion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marilynespitiaphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marilynespitiaphotography/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilyn-espitia-96104655
• Youtube: @marilynespitia6477

Image Credits
Models: Christina Elise Escobedo Jamila Wilkins Jasmonet L.