Daily Inspiration: Meet Andrea Oviedo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Oviedo.

Andrea, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My relationship with photography is deeply connected to my relationship with the body. I photograph to capture the essence of a person and a moment that can never be replicated. As women, we do not always fit or feel like we fit the conventions of what we are told is beautiful or sexy. The women I photograph are all different. Some are athletes, some are dancers, and some are simply women who want to be photographed. Regardless of what our bodies look like, so many of us struggle with how we see ourselves. I want someone to see themselves through my lens and perhaps recognize beauty, sensuality, strength, or form that they could not see themselves.

I believe every chapter of our lives deserves to be photographed. We should not have to wait until we reach some perfect version of ourselves to allow ourselves to be seen. There can be something healing about honoring who we are now while allowing ourselves to evolve. One day, we can look back at those photographs and remember every version of who we have been.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. I think one of my biggest struggles has been believing in myself and really trusting that I can do this. Photography is a huge responsibility to me because someone is trusting me to capture them—their moments, their expression, their body, their essence. I don’t take that lightly, and I’ve questioned myself a lot. Am I good enough? Can I really make something out of this?

And now, honestly, one of my biggest hurdles has been Instagram. My photography account currently has limited reach because several of my images have been categorized as sexually explicit or suggestive. A lot of the work being flagged involves dancers, bodies, movement, and sensuality, even though sexualizing those images was never my intention.

I think that opens up a much bigger conversation. Why is sensuality automatically sexual? Why does a woman moving her body, showing skin, or expressing herself sensually automatically have to be looked at sexually? I’ve already experienced this with my Kinky Legs account, and now I’m experiencing it again from behind the camera. Sometimes it feels like even these systems are looking at women through the male gaze.

Strangely enough, that hurdle has helped me understand my photography even more. I want women to see themselves as art. I believe sensuality is an energy. Movement is expression. Our bodies tell stories. A woman should be able to exist in her body without everything automatically being turned into something sexual or something for somebody else to consume.

I’m still building, learning, and getting my name out there, but I keep coming back to photography. I’m realizing I don’t just want to take beautiful photographs. I have something I want to say with them.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a photographer who captures people through portraits, movement, and milestones. Whether I’m photographing dancers, pregnancy, engagements, or personal portraits, my intention is the same: to capture the essence of the person and create something that feels uniquely theirs.

What sets me apart is that I am also a dancer, but I’m not your conventional dancer. I started five years ago, and that journey has taught me how to become more embodied, comfortable with myself, and accepting of my body as it is. I know what it feels like to not feel comfortable in front of a camera or even within yourself, and I think that has shaped the way I photograph others.

I’m very intentional with my work. I notice the little things: the hands, the eyes, the shape of the body, and the moments in between. I want people to see something in themselves that maybe they hadn’t seen before.

I’ve discovered so much of myself through this journey, and now I get to share that with others. To me, that’s kind of the purpose of life: you grow, you discover something within yourself, and then you pass it on.

What are your plans for the future?
My plan for the future is to continue building photographic experiences that have a purpose behind them. I don’t want to just create a photoshoot. I want there to be an idea, a feeling, or a question behind what we’re creating.

One experience I’m working on for October is called GLOSSED. Visually, it explores the body covered in oil and the way light, shape, and skin work together, but there’s a deeper question behind it: What have you been glossing over? What parts of yourself, your body, or even your life have you stopped seeing or appreciating?

That’s really where I want to take my photography—creating experiences that allow people to see themselves differently while still creating something beautiful. I don’t necessarily know exactly where it will all lead, and I think that’s part of what excites me. I just want to keep creating, experimenting, and giving my ideas somewhere to live.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.capturedbyandreanatalia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capturedbyandreanatalia?utm_source=qr