Meet Angelina Santiago | Photographer & Videographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angelina Santiago and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angelina, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

I wanted to do something that I loved and was passionate about. I also wanted to work for myself and be my own boss so that I can set my own schedule and be able to make time for my personal life and my family. With a traditional job and being bind to someone else’s business demands, it’s hard to have that flexibility whenever you want or need it. I’ve worked the 9-5 life for a long time and did lots of overtime in my particular career, so when I came home I was just always tired and burnt out. I knew I needed to do something different. I wanted to be there for my kids and my family more, and not only that, but I wanted to be happy with the work that I do. Now I work for myself and I’m doing what I love. Although it’s still a lot of work, I have the freedom to set my schedule around whatever I have going on, and spend more time with my family. I’ve truly never been more happy.
 

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It was a long road to get to where I am today, and even now I still have more to go. I don’t think any business startup is ever easy, especially at first, but hard work and dedication can come a long way. I think my biggest challenge I have faced with this business was having a solid portfolio to showcase my work abilities to others. So I started with friends and family, not only to practice, but to also be able to use the work in my professional portfolio as well. I even occasionally did free work for local businesses so that I could build my work portfolio up and try to gain a little exposure at the same time. It’s very time consuming to shoot photos and videos and then edit them (especially for free), but that was just the reality and I had to dedicate a lot of time just towards building my portfolio. However, since I have successfully put all the months of time and energy into it, I now have something to show to other potential clients. In the end it most definitely paid off having something for my prospective clients to see, because now I get a lot more bookings, and as a result, I have been able to invest in some of the best gear (in my opinion) to be able to provide my clients with very professional high-quality photos and video, and add a lot more value into my work. I have also recently studied to become a licensed Remote Pilot which I don’t think most people realize is actually a legal requirement to have if you want to fly and use drones for business purposes. You really have to learn and understand controlled airspace for the safety of others especially for other aircrafts in the sky. My Remote Pilot license also gives me the ability to request access to fly drones in controlled airspaces or other restricted areas. So I have really done my research in making sure that everything I do as a business is all legal and that any and all other requirements are met.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If we were staying local, I’d have to say Hollywood Beach is one of my favorite spots. There is a little something of everything to do so it’s usually always a good time. The people there are definitely interesting and entertaining. There are so many good places to eat and drink up and down the boardwalk, but if you want a good view of the beach from a higher spot, then Land Shark at Margaritaville is a good place. There is so much to do, from shopping, surfing simulators, bike rentals, and other interesting forms of getting around. It’s also a great spot for photography and I have done numerous photo shoots there! Oh, and let’s not forget the beautiful beach!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout has to go to my family. They have always been so supportive of any decision I make and I think that really helps a lot, especially coming from my parents. My dad has also always been the entrepreneur type so I also think I get a little bit of that mentality from him. He definitely understands and gets it when it comes to wanting to build your own business and always has the best advice for me. My family in general always voice how proud they are of me and it encourages me to keep going and keep doing better. I just want to build something successful so that my kids can have a good life.

Website: www.angelinaarabellaphotography.com

Instagram: @angelinaarabellaphotography

Facebook: www.facebook.com/angelinaarabellaphotography

Other: My personal instagram @angelina.arabella

Image Credits
Angelina Arabella Photography