Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Valencia.
Stephanie, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Born and raised in the Valley, City of Granada Hills, I’ve always loved to be behind the lens. Growing up, my dad would film everything! Every event, whether it be my brother’s soccer games, or us playing in the front yard with the neighbors, every holiday, you’d see my dad with his camcorder and camera- capturing every moment for us. My interest in Photography, began with him, definitely.
I love photos! I love well-edited videos-Anything that truly tells a story with good lighting will grab my attention.
I got my very first camera, around the age of 9-10. My dad bought me a Polaroid, and I used up all of the films on the very first day. Infatuated by it, I thought I was pro. Taking photos of BUGs! And flowers, up-close, not knowingly this had ZERO focus or zoom on it. But my dad allowed me to learn, kept restocking my film, and eventually for Christmas, he got me my first point and shoot, digital camera with my own memory cards, (I was beginning to take over his digital camera, so this was a BIG deal to me. All of my cousins wanted their photos taken, and this is when MySpace was becoming popular. I became everyone’s go-to person, “Take my photo, Edit it All funky on Photoshop, and send it through MySpace. I’d fix up friends and families profile- Don’t know why coding seemed SO easy back then.
Eventually, in High school, I began to take it more serious, took a film photography course. (BTW that class was the “do nothing and talk for an hour class”, until the teacher had some serious meeting and suddenly, we got our seats changed, placed in a group of 5 girls, I HAD NO contact with ever, We were forced to work together and create content. This was my first time working with a group, and I loved photography SO much more. We were all VERY different girls. Different visions. Each took turns shooting, and we learned to develop our photos. I continued and took more courses in Community College. Video Production, Stop Motion Courses, Digital Photography, etc.
Today, I try to be like my dad- take my camera to every family event. Everyone comes to me now, when they want their photo taken, family portraits, birthdays, weddings…
I made business cards, to give out to friends, or people I’d meet along the way. My love for photography has never changed. My goal today is to shoot more often. I like joining other photographers and seeing how they work, build their clientele, and book models, to create their visions. I take a lot more family-based photos, portraits, events, but I’d definitely love to put more energy into creating a name for myself as a Photographer.
I go by @Anieva- Steph(ANIE VA)lencia.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a photographer. I enjoy taking portraits of people. I love to capture people in the moment. Candid shots are my favorite, although, on my profile, you’d see a lot of Portrait shots.
My biggest inspiration are the people around me. I love that I am now that person, that people remember to go to when they want a photo taken. A photo is a captured memory. It takes you back to a moment in life. I never delete photos. Even if they’re blurry, or the person ‘dislikes’ the shot. I love to keep it all- to have Proofs of that exact moment. Good or bad. Start or Finish, I love that no two photos are the exact same. So to have multiples is ALWAYS a good thing.
I want to be that person for years to come.. to give others a LASTING Memory.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
Reach out to people. No one person can DO it all themselves. Networking is huge, the fact that we can reach out to people in this Social Media Era. It’s amazing. Blessings can be found, wherever.
I recently reached out to one photographer online, send a DM, he had 10K+ followers, had a grant with VSCO, Never thought he’d read MY message.. turns out my brother went to school with him. Met up, we chatted about goals, invited me to join his following two photo shoots. Just like that, I got to be a part of something, because I reached out and asked. I had never done anything where I worked +12 hours on set, So this was definitely a learning experience for me, but had I not reached out… I probably would’ve just been home. Waiting onto a “Dream” to come to me?… NO! Just ask! Trust me, it’s worth it.
My boyfriend’s brother, He’s a photographer himself, I never in a million years thought I’d shoot with him. He reached out on my behalf.. and again, just like that, He had me shooting models in a DTLA studio with him. Never thought I’d be given that chance, to have photos, taken by me, of subjects that are out of MY NORM.. but all it took, was to reach out and ASK.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I have two Instagram Accounts, one personal, and one dedicated to my work.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/anieva.jpg
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anievaphotography
Image Credit:
Images all shot by:
anieva photography: instagram.com/anieva.jpg
Artists Included:
Jasmine Alvarado- Singer – Instagram.com/@jsmnalvarado
Prolific Seven- Producer- instagram.com/prolificseven
Kiera Smith- Model- instagram.com/thekierasmith
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
