Today we’d like to introduce you to Felicidad De Lucas.
Felicidad, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I spent most of my childhood in Madrid, Spain. Growing up, both my parents were film directors and loved visual arts, literature, and music, which influenced my passion for all kinds of art. They were also bohemian, travelers, and from different countries, and I became familiar with the road and curious about exploring other cultures very early on.
My mum gave me my first camera, her old Polaroid, when I was 6 or 7 years old, and it quickly became my favorite toy. I would pretend to shoot even when I had no film to load, which was most of the time, of course.
But it wasn’t until I was preparing to enroll in a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Madrid, at age 18, that I realized how much interest I had in photography. As I was drawing live models, I couldn’t stop imagining that I was photographing them instead. Suddenly, my sketchbooks felt limiting. I decided to keep my drawing and painting as a hobby and enroll in the closest thing I found to a photography school; an Advertising and Communications bachelor’s degree in Madrid.
Madrid is a big city with busy streets, far from the ocean. It is fun, and even though I love it there and it has one of the best cultural offers on the planet, I never stopped yearning for a life closer to nature; My mum is Cuban, and I always felt most inspired whenever we spent time in the island.
My University had great international programs, and it didn’t take too long until I decided to study abroad. The decision to move to California shifted everything for me.
When I moved here, the fantastic combination of ocean, desert, and mountains that I suddenly had access to, all within minutes from my home, instantly stimulated me. The local lifestyle and people I met were a big inspiration, too. California seemed to be igniting a new creative flame within me.
As soon as I finished my English, Marketing, and Business studies at UCI, I enrolled in the School of Photography of OCC to further deepen my photography knowledge and access a photo lab and darkroom to develop and print my film rolls. Over the years, I transferred my interests from Fine Arts towards a professional photography career.
I started to use photography as a story-telling tool to document my new day to day life in the US and my travels. I fell in love with Street photography and documentary for that reason. Before long, I began to shoot portraits and fashion editorials, which eventually led to campaign shoots and commissions. A lot of exciting things started happening. I began traveling internationally for work in New York, France, Italy, Spain, and more. I shot for brands and public figures, and I was fortunate to make many good friends and connections along the way.
Over the years, my photography has started to grow into a conversation and dialogue tool about the topics that interest me or I find essential. I’ve grown intrigued by the mental processes that bond us with or separate us from our environment and natural habitat, and how it relates to a particular place and moment in time. I try to convey these sentiments in my Fine art photography work.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely no. The life of a professional photographer seems more glamourous than it is. But it is not easy, and it takes a lot of determination and thick skin to get past the innumerable obstacles you might face as time goes by. Tough competition, rejection, and price-haggling are just some of them. And in my case, I was also an immigrant and not legally allowed to work during the years I was a student.
Full-time photographers are business owners paying for licenses, insurance, bills, management, marketing, gear, printing, packaging, and more. A lot of effort goes into developing our craft and vision and giving our clients a very personal and customized experience. As creative professionals, we get paid for our unique concepts and ideas (our vision). But clients rarely, if ever, see the work and time that goes into producing a final quality product before and beyond the shoot itself.
Self-confidence, effective lead management, and a thought-through pricing structure, as well as profitable business strategies, are essential to work your way up to consistent multi-thousand-dollar work.
There is a lot of trial and error in photography. It can take years to get to where you are going as an artist and as a professional. You also are dependent on many other persons such as editors, collectors, gallerists, etc.) and have to dedicate a large amount of time to planning, scheduling meetings, sending emails, etc. instead of actual shooting time.
As I said, it requires determination, but once you find your way past these difficulties, photography is a rewarding and exciting career, and there is nothing like getting paid to do what you love.
Alright – so let’s talk business. What else should we know about you and your career so far?
My work splits into different genres, including Fine Art, conceptual, street/documentary, portraiture, and fashion photography.
I work closely with clients and brands, directing and photographing private commissions, projects, and campaigns. I also participate in art fairs and exhibitions, selling both Limited and Open Edition Fine Art prints, which are also available through my website and online galleries such as Saatchi Art.
Some of my clients and publications I’ve worked with are: Angeleno Magazine, Farfetch, Harper’s Bazaar Magazine, and Kilometre.Paris, L’Officiel Magazine, Lucy’s Magazine, Luisa Via Roma, Nakid Magazine, NEXT Models, Normal Magazine, Rude Magazine, Stella McCartney Kids, Travelling Collective, Universal Moda Newspaper, Vulkan Magazine, Will Hanigan Jewelry, and many others.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memories from childhood are at my grandma’s house in La Habana, Cuba. I was usually running around barefooted, eating fresh mango and drinking Malta, collecting pretty flowers, and chasing bugs and lizards.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.felicidaddelucas.com
- Phone: 9498878045
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/felicidad
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/felicidadphotoart/
- Other: www.felicidadfineart.com
Image Credit:
Portraits of Felicidad De Lucas by Matt Doheny
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