Meet Melissa Vera | Photographer

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

Hi Melissa, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Growing up, I was always sheltered by my parents. They were very over protective of me being the youngest of three – making sure I was never in danger, rightfully so as parents but that unfortunately kept me in a bubble that halted my independence. With that said, as I grew older, I didn’t know anything else than to play it safe with everything I did in my life. The biggest risk I took was quitting my “safe”, stable 9-5 to follow my dream of becoming a freelance photographer. I knew that if I continued to stay in that bubble, that I would never grow as a person and as a professional. Fear of failure was also something I struggled with for a long time so taking that risk of pursuing my creative journey not knowing the outcome was the hardest pill to swallow. I don’t regret it one bit though because if I hadn’t taken that leap, I would’ve stayed stagnant. Now I’m a huge advocate of taking all the risks as long as they are beneficial to one’s growth.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I was little I would always receive art supplies as birthday or Christmas gifts. I’d ask my mom to put me in drawing lessons. Pottery classes. I knew the creative path was the road I wanted to take at a young age but I wholeheartedly believed I was supposed to, or needed to become a doctor or engineer or some profession of that sort to become “successful”. My whole life I was scared that I wasn’t smart enough to be any of those and that I would never find my path.

It wasn’t until last year that I decided to fully trust myself and go all in with making photography my career. My favorite part of being a photographer is the post process. Editing wise, I like my colors to stand out but not where it’s overwhelming. I also don’t do well with clutter so I try to make my photos look as clean and neat as possible whether that be with the composition, lighting or tones. Or all of it combined. That goes for both client work and passion projects. I wouldn’t say that I have one set style when it comes to my work because I like to experiment and branch out – feeling limited stresses me out. It really depends on what I get inspired by or my mood at that moment. Some of my inspiration comes at the most random times or places. I could look at a pile of trash and it spark a whole photo shoot in my head. Each model or brand brings a different vibe to the table and I tend to base my shoots or work off of that. I still have a lot to learn but luckily I have one of my best friends who is also a photographer who I run things by constantly and ask for help when I need it. He’s basically on speed dial. As for the future, I am happy, and extremely excited to see what it holds for me and my craft as I continue to work hard in it more and more each day.

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 think the Miami Design district would be a good place to start off. I would definitely take them to the Perez Art Museum in Miami for one of the days or the Institute of contemporary art. At night, we would probably go out to a cute dinner spot in downtown Wynwood like Manta. The next day, drive down to Fort Lauderdale, grab a pub sub and hit Las Olas for a full beach day. And repeat. I’m more of an introvert as well as some of my friends so I’m not too familiar with the clubs/nightlife scene.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shout out to one of my best friends and mentor Tuyen Le for believing in me, and not allowing me to give up on myself in doubtful moments. He was the first person I reached out to when I decided on starting my photography business since he has a photo business of his own. I continue to thank him for the countless vent sessions/letting me crash on his couch when my gigs were too far to drive back home on late nights, etc. Everyone needs a strong support system to stay sane, and I’m lucky to have found that!

Instagram: melissaveraa

Website: www.mvfotography.com