Meet Mariela Henriquez | Fashion Photographer, Creative Director

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

Hi Mariela, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
How many emotions you’ll go through as a freelance photographer. Everyone says it’s hard, but you can’t even imagine the situations and life changing events that will happen. The amount of preparation that goes into planning and delivering a project is difficult to imagine if you’ve never experienced it before. I’m lucky I can devote all my time to my clients and that they trust in my creative vision.

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 would say what sets me apart is how meticulous and organized I am. I’m always ahead of the curve, and arrive at any photoshoot or event 10 minutes early (I even schedule my naps). I was lucky I had the opportunity to go to school full time, and those years spent in art school even changed the way I see color (especially cyan). For us artists we run into the special challenge of wanting to say something specific with your work, but having it understood in a completely different way. At this moment I’m working on developing my voice and style as a business owning photographer. Every day is a surprise and a new lesson comes along with it. I’m not that great at talking about myself either, but if I had to pick one thing for the WORLD to know about me is that if you treat me with respect and are honest, you will see the best side of me.

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?
I have a bit of a different perspective on Miami because I lived here before it all happened: Wynwood, Midtown, etc. I was gone for 13 years and the city transformed into something unrecognizable. I’m still getting to know this new Miami that didn’t exist in my past, but I’ve come to enjoy spending time in Edgewater, Coconut Grove and North Miami Beach. The best food I’ve had thus far is at Planta, both South Beach and Coconut Grove locations. Casa Florida has one of the most interesting menus I’ve come across, and the cutest drinks. And finally one of my favorite things to do is go to Proper Studios on Fridays. Doyin and Devin and two of the most genuine and awesome guys I’ve met. They run a studio out of Wynwood where every Friday they open up the space for creatives and enthusiasts to hang out, meet other local photographers and create a community which is what I’m all about.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
All my friends and family who have put up with my photoshoot ideas haha. My story is still developing, but in large my community has helped get to where I am today. When it comes to the current state of my life/business, I have my friends Jackie and Christelyn to thank. They both have been running their own photography businesses for several years, both part and full time. Now that I’ve dedicated my life to, for lack of sounding cheesy, making my dreams come true they both have been there for me to ask any questions and share any wild theories and ideas that I have about owning a photography business.

Website: https://www.marielahqz.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryellow/

Image Credits
All images are photographed by me. My personal photo was photographed by Gabriel Jordan