We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yolanda Perez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Yolanda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
My passion for photography stemmed from a hobby that dates back to as long as I can remember. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to ultimately work for myself and so when I was approached by a model scout and recruited to one of the top modeling agencies in New York, I was very interested to learn the industry from a models point of view.
When work started to fizzle out, I knew that I needed to transition to a more lucrative career and having had hands on training by some of the best photographers, I decided to take the plunge and embark on my original passion of being behind the camera.
So I purchased my first camera and started by photographing my model girlfriends.
I’ve always had an interest in fashion as well as hair and makeup and decided that if I can incorporate these 3 and document my work by then taking a picture of it, that I could be a one stop shopping for anyone wanting to record the best version of themselves.
Hence, Yolanda Perez Photography was born!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Having come from a background of modeling really helped me to understand and relate to my subjects. I had worked with a slew of photographers and the best images I found were from the photographers that were the most encouraging and directed the shoot as if it were a feature film.
While my business embodies everything from event photography to real estate photography and still life, the main crux of my photography business is young children and teens who are breaking into acting or modeling and need guidance.
My years of modeling and acting specifically with so many different photographers and directors have helped my develop my own method of getting the ultimate images from my talent.
How’d you meet your business partner?
While I always loved taking pictures as a hobby, I never thought that it would be a feasible career. That is of course, until I met my husband and business partner almost 30 yrs ago. Having been exposed to some extremely talented photographers and huge productions, I was a bit intimidated and hesitant to invest the time and money needed to explore this new career path.
A few months into dating my now husband, he bought me my first camera outfit complete with the most practical lens and of course, good old fashioned film!
Have you ever had to pivot?
One one particular photo shoot where I was the model, the photographer took my out onto the street in New York City and just clicked away with absolutely no direction for me and complete disregard for backgrounds or lighting. Needless to say, the pictures were god awful and my overall look was uncomfortable.
That was probably the pivotal moment when I decided I needed to fix this business.
If it taught me one lesson, it is to always remember that one of the most important things in getting natural, candid shots, is to always make your subject feel comfortable and beautiful!
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: @yperezphoto
- Facebook: yperezphoto
Image Credits
all images Yolanda Perez photography LLC