Meet Lourdes Velez | Event photography

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

Hi Lourdes, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
At 18, I decided to turn my passion for Photography into a business a decision that had been building for years. I still remember when my parents gave me my first film camera. It marked the start of a transformative journey. From that moment I recognize my unique ability to capture light and motion in a single frame. I was risking my happiness, my potential, and even my family’s future by not taking a chance on myself, but not embracing my photography as more than just a hobby. It wasn’t fully committed to the life I had dreamed for us. I was spending my time working for someone else not putting in the effort to create something lasting with my own hands as I began to transition from hobbies to professional I took small risks at first I started by taking, more page shoes, setting aside time to work on my outside of my regular job. Eventually, I built enough confidence to move beyond just weekend projects and make photography my full-time career. It was a leap, but it was also a realization that the risk of not pursuing my passion was greater than the risk of taking my first step taking the risk to turn. My Photography into business wasn’t easy it meant stepping out of my comfort zone, where I had always found safety in a sure thing it meant acknowledging that there would be uncertainty, setbacks, and fear of failure, but over time I realized that the greatest risk wasn’t going after my passion it was not doing it at all

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The most important decision I made that contributed to my success in photography was the choice to never give up on building meaningful connections within my community early on I realized that photography wasn’t just about taking great pictures. It was about connecting with people understanding their needs and offering services. They might not know what I needed when I started. I focused not only on improving my technical skills but also on becoming an active part of the community I would like, I would accept invitations to events as a guest whether it was family gatherings a celebration, or a local event, and I made it a point to be more than just a spectator. I took the opportunity to ask questions. Listen to people and understand their experiences. more importantly, I asked the right questions about what their value in photography what matters most to them, and what they were looking for in photography often they didn’t even realize they needed my service until we had that connection or conversation, but it wasn’t just about making a sale or offering a service at that moment I understand we’ll success in this business comes from being part of peoples lives over the long-term as families grow as people move and as life involved there to capture those transitions, makes the lasting impression that’s why I always try to connect with my clients not just as a photographer, but as someone trusted and considered a part of their family

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Wynwood
Frost Museum
Downtown Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale for restaurants
Doral city walk

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?
I want to give a heartfelt shout-out to my family, my husband, daughter, and son-in-law who inspired me every day to pursue my passion. I’m especially grateful to my pastor and his wife, Henry and Sandra Alonso at our church rise-up outreach for the recognition of me a decade ago during their wedding and the opportunity to capture our journey of faith through my photography. I have been, truly meaningful thank you to all for your unwavering support and encouragement in my life with my photography

Website: https://www.photosbyluly.com

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Image Credits
Jessica Marroquin Taveras