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

Natalie, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

People come to me when they want to be seen. My collaborations with others result from them wanting to express what is unique about them and remember who they are at a moment in time. I’ve worked with all sorts of people who desire to leave a legacy for their loved ones. From cancer patients to people who want to feel beautiful, to parents who wish for gorgeous art of their children. Each client comes to me in a moment with the need to keep that moment forever.

Natalie, 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?

I have always been a creative person but it took me a long time to figure out how to best express my creativity. I am not just a photographer. I am a librarian and theatre teacher. I love knowing things. I’m obsessed with history, with fashion, with performing arts. When my son was born I wanted to document every single moment. My historian’s heart imagined him looking back and remembering our family history. I guess I have been that way my entire life. I have tons of photo albums from my childhood and early adulthood. I just never thought of photography as a career. I learned that you can make photography a career. As I started down that path I discovered an entire community of creative photographers and the need to document life morphed into storytelling. That’s where I am now. I’m a storyteller through creative photography. Much of my work feels like it is from a different time and place. I’m inspired by history and fantasy.

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

It took me way too many years to realize that I was good enough. There were so many moments in my life where I could have taken a chance, but I never did. I didn’t believe I was capable. It was when I discovered photography competitions and began to enter my work that I learned to treat myself better. My first competition I didn’t receive any sort of award. I didn’t expect to either. I was entering because I wanted to try. The first time I was disappointed but not enough to stop entering my work. Just like that, I discovered that trying and failing wasn’t going to kill me. In fact, I could learn and grow and get better. All these years I had been holding myself back out of fear of not being good enough but, I was missing the point. It’s not about being good enough, it’s about growing and changing. It’s about not being afraid to put yourself out there and if people don’t like or understand your work, that is perfectly fine!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

It’s been said before but it cannot be said enough. Artists deserve to be compensated for their work. In the photography world, this is especially true. Too many times people tell me I am too expensive. That used to hurt a bit. It doesn’t now. What I do, the time it takes to photograph people and create artwork for them is worth more than what they can take on their camera phone. That is not to say that their own photos should be undervalued. They are just different. If you want to hire a photographer you are doing so with the understanding they are going to be an expert, guiding you, posing you, framing the shot, and editing the photo in ways that you cannot. Their time and expertise are worth so much more than many people are willing to recognize.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bugandbirdphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bugandbirdphotography/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramireznatalie/

Image Credits
Bug and Bird Photography