We were lucky to catch up with Virginia Roberts recently and have shared our conversation below.

Virginia , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I started as a digital photographer and soon realized that all of my favorite photographers shot on film. Without knowing anyone personally that could teach me the specifics of film photography, I watched countless youtube videos, read articles from film labs and just started taking photos on my first film camera. Nothing was great at the beginning…my image scans would come back from the lab blurry or the exposure was way off. But I decided just to fail faster and take more images while writing down my settings for each image in a journal. Later, I reviewed my notes after receiving my next set of scans. I also joined any photo outing offered from my local film lab to have the opportunity to ask questions. As far as film photography goes, the most essential skills are patience and perseverance. When you receive those scans that are perfectly exposed and your subject is sharp…it is so worth it. Film is gorgeous!

Virginia , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was a team leader in sales for the skincare industry and always wondered what I should really be doing. As time went on, I recognized that my favorite activities all centered around being creative, especially taking beautiful photos. If I really go back to my childhood, all the signs were there…I studied National Geographic and photography magazines and was constantly taking photos of friends and landscapes with my little film camera. I lived in Spain at the age of 21 as a missionary for a year and a half, and had more photos than any of my fellow missionaries and was sending more home every week.

My photography career started with family shoots, weddings, some fashion photography for local boutiques (I really enjoyed that)…then a brief stint with a radio station photographing music events for different artists. I also did many high school senior shoots as well.

My husband, Brian is a designer and I help run his residential space planning business (a sophisticated version of interior architecture). I started shooting his projects which led to being hired by other designers and I discovered my love of capturing beautiful spaces in photos.

After a good amount of time in photography, I know what I enjoy, what I’m good at, and also which types of photography I should never attempt. What brings me the most joy is creating art, whether that comes from a beautiful portrait, landscape or an interior space.

Most of my work is on film which I feel has a beauty and depth that surpasses digital photos. My daughter Bay is a talented film photographer and we have just started a new venture together shooting portraits and we especially love capturing images of creatives.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Shooting for the last 16 years, I would often recruit my daughter Belén (we call her Bay) to assist. She developed an interest in photography early in her life and I even discovered some images she had taken on my digital camera when she was 6 of naked Barbies in the snow…it was very artistic.

Now as a 23 year old Bay is an incredibly talented film photographer. She and I realized we have similar artistic taste, following the same photographers and we strive for kindred creative styles. It just made sense to combine our talents and complement the other with our best skills.

We have just started shooting portraits together as partners and I’m currently working on our new site…Belén and Virginia.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Creating something gives me a sense of freedom that nothing else does. Working for myself, deciding how to spend my time, getting lost in a project that lets me participate in something beautiful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://virginiarobertsstudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virginiaroberts/
• Other: https://www.behance.net/virginiarobertsphoto