We recently connected with Soraya & Mark Ramirez and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Soraya & Mark, thanks for joining us today. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?
Soraya: Vacations are an absolute must for us! A trip to a new and different places is often the source of inspiration. It is so easy to be consumed in your work to the point where you forget about self care. We have all been there. For me for example i have a hectic work life with being a emergency/operating nurse. So a vacation every now and then is a refreshing way to leave all of the stress and come back centered. Luckily for us, vacations can even be profitable if they are done right.
Soraya & Mark, 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?
Mark: Growing up I wasn’t the biggest photography/videographer fan until I met one of my best friends, Bryce Horne. My family didn’t have much money so, we didn’t have access to cameras. Once I met Bryce, we started making YouTube videos and creating content before we even knew what creating content was. After high school, it took me about 7 years to pick up a camera and I fell in love with it all over again. At the beginning, I didn’t know what I was doing but, after a few years of practicing and watching hours and hours of videos, I still didn’t know anything! Maybe I’m being a little hard on myself. I knew how to work a camera to get great shots but I didn’t understand the most important part: The BUSINESS. Even now, I’m still learning and I think may be the best part.
My favorite aspect of this profession is being able to capture natural moments that my clients have with themselves and each other. It is an honor to be given trust from clients to provide pictures that they can look back on years from now and still feel the joy of the moment. As photographers, our goal is to capture those moments in time that cant be replicated; the joy of a newly weds kiss, the first steps of a newborn, or capturing the emotion and grace from a dancer’s performance.
Soraya and I are so grateful for all the opportunities our clients have entrusted us with. To our future clients, who might be reading this, we hope to be given the chance to capture your moments as well.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Soraya: Achieving a shared vision is what comes to mind when thinking about the most rewarding aspect of being an artist. Closing in on our clients desired look and combining it with our style is the pinnacle of creative expertise. I like to think of our photoshoots as a combined form of self expression; our goal behind the camera is to capture each others legacy. It gives us a sense of accomplishment when we see that our photos connect people.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Mark: Starting our business earlier is one of the only resources that I wish I knew about earlier in my creative journey. I was always so hesitant to start the business just because of the fear of not being “good enough”. I feel like a lot of photographers/artists can relate to that. Now that we started our LLC and looking back on what we’ve been able to accomplish is so fulfilling. We haven’t learned everything yet but, we are still trying new ways to market our business to work with new clientele.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.somarcollective.com/
- Instagram: Somarcollective
- Facebook: SomarCollective
Image Credits
Photographed by Soraya & Mark Ramirez of SOMAR Collective