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

Hi Mariela, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking is for sure scary sometimes. When we take a risk, we don’t know the outcome. We hope for the best but we can “fail” in the process. But if we never take risks, we can’t progress. We will stay where we are and always wonder what could have happened if the outcome was what we expected or even something better. It is hard to take risks but even if it doesn’t work out, we learn from those failures. At the end, success is the sum of all your failures. So I think we have to change our mindset towards failures. Failures are actually positive events when we learn from them. They will get us closer to where we want to be if we don’t give up. I’ve always taken risks in my life. I’m originally from Ecuador and decided to move by myself to the US at the age of 18 for a better future. It was scary not to be with my family at a young age, but everything worked out. I am where I am today for the risks that I have taken. Photography for me has been a career transition. It has not been easy. But it has been rewarding and I have accomplished so much in such a short time. I’m definitely still not close to where I want to be but also success is a moving target. I will always be improving and accomplishing my photography business goals and then new goals will come up. Now I have a baby girl who depends on me. So risk is even scarier than it was before. But I also want to teach her that everything is possible if you keep going and don’t give up. As a fellow talented photographer and mentor once said: “my purpose is bigger than my fear”. That is what I want to live up to and remind myself every time I’m scared to take the next risk.

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.
I think what sets me apart is the client experience. I believe photography is more than just providing high quality images. Clients have to be comfortable with the whole process since the moment they inquire. I want to make sure my clients get their high quality images that reflect their brand and their vision. But also to communicate with them clearly what to expect and help them with the end-to-end process. It is more than the day of the photoshoot. I guide them in the process prior to their session with shot ideas, location scouting, talent casting, prop selection (if applicable), etc. Additionally, I make sure they feel comfortable throughout the session and finally make sure to deliver their gallery on time! Every time I work with someone I reflect on what else can I do to make it easier and enjoyable for them. I’m always trying to find better ways to make their photoshoot a smooth and fun experience and delivering final edited images that they envisioned.
I’m very proud that in such a short time I have learned and grown so much. I’m proud to help local brands and business to showcase their products and services. It makes me happy to see my images in someone’s else website or social media profiles and that my work is being used to help other businesses.
It definitely has not been an easy path. Photography has been a career transition for me and I continuously have to find the time for it without compromising the quality of my services. I think good organization and time management skills have helped me a lot. There are always new challenges coming up, but that’s what everything is about. Overcoming challenges and try to find solutions that hopefully work best. And if it doesn’t work, pivot and try new solutions.
I want the world to know that my goal is to showcase each brand uniqueness through my images. I want them to know that I’m here to help them show their brand stories the way they want to tell it. I love to work with women-led business and make sure to capture the authenticity of the person running the business as well as the services/products they provide through lifestyle professional images.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So many places to take them! I truly enjoy the outdoors. So I would definitely take them to the beach… I mean it’s Miami, so it’s also kinda expected to go to the beach. My favorite beaches to go are South Pointe Beach, Crandon Beach Park and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. I would also take them to Vizcaya museum to see the lovely gardens with the amazing waterfront view. After visiting the Viscaya museum, I would hang out in Coconut Grove and get some ice cream at Salt & Straw! My favorite ice cream place.

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?
es, I want to dedicate my shoutout to FocuStudio photography academy. That’s the first photography education I invested in where I discovered my photography passion right after enrolling in their program. Since then, I have joined other courses and mentorship programs that have taught me so much. I’m grateful I joined the Photographer’s Path course, an online photography education program taught by a talented fashion photographer, Nicole Hill. Her coursework has not only been so impactful on my work but she also created an amazing community of female photographers who are available for support and encouragement. When I joined her program I didn’t know this community would be what I would value the most from her program. I also want to thank my husband, he has always been so supportive of me and my crazy ideas.

Website: https://www.marielaaphotography.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marielaa.photography/

Image Credits
personal photo credit to SarahMae Photography. All other images are part of my work.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.