We recently connected with Wendy Faz and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Wendy, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I am self-taught. With the love and support of my husband, a used camera, and a book from Half Priced Books, I set out to teach myself as much as I could learn. When I started, I was still teaching high school French and felt a determination to use my own teacher skills to create a curriculum and hold myself accountable in the same way I would any student in my classes. I photographed everything I could, at times requesting the model assistance of friends and strangers alike.

Then as well as now, most of my money and free time went to attending concerts, and in this emboldened, camera-slinging headspace, I took my Canon into as many concerts as I could get it into. I practiced a combination of concert and portraiture photography as a hobby while maintaining my French teacher job, eventually taking up analog and learning to both develop and make prints in a darkroom. Although I was falling deeper in love with the craft, I was far from conceptualizing a path towards being a professional photographer. It can be challenging to dream that big, especially with intrusive feelings of “having to pay your dues” as though saying, “who am I to compete for a place along others who have probably been doing this longer”. Knowing what I know now, I definitely wouldn’t have been that cruel to myself. There’s no doubt it stunted my growth as an artist. What I feel could’ve helped would’ve been to find a way to build a community and seek out the advice of those that were already doing what I felt I wanted to do. I wish I hadn’t waited until this semester to formally go back to school or to take steps towards getting to know creative resources available to me in town. I’m certain this would’ve guided me in immeasurable ways, but I suppose call it a first-gen trope: we don’t know another way except to carve our own path.

In this field, there are technical and mental skills that I feel are essential. There is becoming so familiar with your camera that it becomes an extension of yourself, of course, but on a conceptual level, 1. learn what niche of photography you feel is your forte and 2. establish the terms of this niche for yourself. It took 5 years for me to find the terms that defined the sort of photographer I am: a digital and film Concert and Portraiture photographer with an editorial, candid and eccentric/dreamy edge. Having insight of this level grants a focus, and through this focus a specialization can evolve. The obstacles that stand in the way of arriving to this point are vast and varied. The principle ones for me were, and truly at times continue to be, self-doubt and imposter syndrome. Something makes me feel like I don’t belong or deserve to be here, even still. If you resonate with that, all I can say is, “You absolutely do deserve it. Learn who you are and what you want to do, and then do it unapologetically”.

Wendy, 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 am a first generation Latina born in Mexico and raised in Houston, TX. During the soul searching many of us experienced while in quarantine, my creative intrigue and photographic itch demanded an insatiable amount of attention. I began practicing photography more aggressively than ever, overcoming the shyness I once felt actually calling myself a photographer. I started to allow myself to dream up an unconventional life and to think abstractly, conceptualizing “What sort of marriage could exist between my creative brain and photography skills?”. I watched some of my favorite spots in town shut down in 2020 (RIP I <3 Video) igniting an understanding that homegrown heroes and strengthening our community are of great importance to me. And then, I had an epiphany: Integrating these two skills lends itself extremely well to producing content for social media. Thus, I arrived at the idea to offer my photography skills and the contents of my creative brain as a service to small businesses in Austin, predominantly those of marginalized communities and whose missions I believe in, in an effort to help them grow, seek their potential and reach a wider audience. The opportunities that have arisen from this idea have gifted me credentials like Chief Photographer, Creative Director and Social Media Manager, and have paved the way for me to be able to practice photography full-time, in portrait sessions and in creative freelance work, and I honestly can’t believe how lucky I am.

The vast majority of my photographic inspirations stem from music, and my musical-inclinations are vast, spanning Metal, Rap, French and Psychedelic to name a few. This aspect of my personality lends itself extremely well to brainstorming content such as Reels on IG and TikTok for the small business I currently create for, while also giving context, life and a narrative to my concert and portrait shoots. As I continue practicing and exploring photography, I hope to harness my strengths to produce commercial and editorial work. I aspire for my passion for fashion and music to lead me to dream projects, such as look-books or freelance for my favorite Austin vintage shops, musician features in local publications, and biggest of all, cover art for an artist’s album or EP.

I am proud of the traits that set me apart as a photographer : bold, creative, trend-setting, imaginative, personable and highly communicative. During shoots and photographic projects, my goal is to first and foremost make a connection, one that allows for trust to be created, ensuring clients feel heard and seen. In this space, the essence of the project is allowed to resonate brightly, resulting in what I feel is fun, intriguing and beautiful work.

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Firstly, recognize women who occupy this space and hire them often. Secondly, invest in art programs in underprivileged schools and communities. Showcase more art by people of color, and regularly. We need to see we too can find success in art and that our voices and perspectives matter. Lastly, value the artists you hire and pay them what they’re worth. Creating is challenging, from both a technical and mental standpoint. It is important to recognize that the air of effortlessness in art derives from an abundance of expertise not from a lack of effort.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I only recently learned about creative spaces in Austin such as Austin Cinemaker Space and Austin Creative Reuse. These seem like places where artists can truly explore their potential and create a community of like-minded creative individuals. I hope to be able to check them out soon!

Contact Info:

• Website: wildmarsco.wixsite.com
• Instagram: @__wildmars

Image Credits
All photos shot by Wendy Faz of wildmars Photography