Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Ramos.
Christina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Since the age of nine, I always enjoyed taking pictures, but I never thought it was going to be my career. However, around 2002, I purchased my first DSLR camera and I fell in love with photography more. Being able to see my images and correct my exposures right than and there helped improve my photos and gain more confidence. In 2003, I got married to my high school sweetheart (we were 21 yrs old at the time). A year later had our first son, a few months after he was born we moved to Kauai, Hawaii and gave birth to our daughter there. We lived on Kauai for a year and my photography hobby was put on hold being a new mommy. When we moved back to the AV (in 2005) I picked back up in photography and started my photo journey.
My husband suggested I should learn more and even consider having photography as my profession. We both began to learn the fundamentals through a home course we took through the New York Institute of Photography. The course covered portraits, photojournalism, weddings, fine art, food photography, landscape. I loved it all because I pretty much enjoyed taking pictures of almost everything! After receiving a certificate through the course, I knew photography was my choice in my career. I contacted a local photographer/videographer named, Les Teal, who worked for NASA and had his own wedding photography business.
He took me under his wing and guided me showing me the ropes of the wedding industry. I started off as a second shooter and ended up being his main wedding photographer. I adored capturing everything about weddings! It’s a mixture of portraits, landscapes, food photography, macro (close-ups), photojournalism, etc. It was around late 2007 when I started getting hired to shoot weddings on my own. During that time I decided to go back to college to finish my degree. I completed most of my general education and only had the photo department to finish.
In 2008, I attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco (online photography courses) & a year later transferred to Antelope Valley College. I was juggling being a wife, mommy to two toddlers close in age, going to college, plus wedding photography on the side. Then in 2010, I finally received my AA degree in Commerical Photography. Three days after I graduated, the Antelope Valley Press was hiring for a photojournalist. I applied, was hired and worked there for a total of seven years & gained so much experience.
I met so many interesting and amazing people! Plus every day was totally different & I loved that! It helped me stay on my game! I would cover high school sports, environmental portraits, press conferences with the mayor, breaking news such as fires, traffic collisions, homicides, etc. I would be on photo assignment covering soccer and then all of a sudden I get a call for breaking news of a high-speed pursuit or fire. But in 2017, the publisher sold the newspaper and new owners came in and laid off over a dozen people and I was one of them. It was heartbreaking but a blessing in disguise because that helped push me to start my photography business back up again as full time.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There were definitely some bumps in the road, especially after I left the newspaper. It took about a good year trying to get my business out there in social media and word of mouth. 3 months before I got laid off, my husband decided to rent out a small photo studio for me to slowly get my business started. Little did I know I would be using it full time. He helped me grow my business and turn us into a full-time photo + video service.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
We specialize in weddings, engagements, Quinceañeras, family, children, maternity photography. But we pretty much do it all! Our clients have a choice of either studio portraits or on location. I truly love capturing a mixture of candid & posed images for my clients. Let them have a variety of styles to choose from.
What sets us aside from others is we offer photo + video in our packages for special events. Not too many photographers out there offer both. My husband and I are both photographers/videographers and our son is our drone pilot. I feel really blessed I’m able to spend time with my family covering an event together. It really is a family business!
What were you like growing up?
I was raised in Bandini (City of Commerce), but when I was 4 years old (1986) we moved to Lake Los Angeles with my family. Growing up I felt like I was always independent. I come from a family of seven and it was hard on my parents to always have money for us. I didn’t want to bother them for money, so at the age of 14 yrs old, I started working at a fast-food restaurant until I was 18. Juggled going to school, playing sports and working two days out of the week. Career-wise, I had an interest in becoming an RN, but photography was something that was always a part of me. My so thankful my husband guided me in that direction.
Contact Info:
- Address: 37824 5th Street East
Suite A2
Palmdale, CA 93550 - Website: www.ChristinaRamosPhoto.com
- Phone: (661) 435-9617
- Email: Christinaramosphotography@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @ChristinaRamosPhoto
- Facebook: Christina Ramos Photography
Image Credit:
Felipe Ramos Sr.
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