Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Bracco Biden.
Hi Amy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Ever Photos is the brainchild of Amy Bracco Biden and Rezeta Veliu Cook. We partnered up because we want to bring a fresh perspective to family portrait photography. Our mission is to capture raw emotion, real interactions, and document the in-between moments between loved ones. We want to deliver a more elevated, timeless aesthetic to the photographs as well, so the end result feels more like a Vanity Fair editorial piece, not a Sears family portrait session.
As a model who has worked with top art directors and fashion photographers from all over the world for the past 26 years, I (Amy) wanted to bring my onset experiences and knowledge to Ever. It is particularly important for me to cultivate the kind of environment that I love modeling in – a set where the music is pumping and everyone is bringing positive energy to the space so that you feel comfortable and confident. It’s my goal to make everybody who shoots with Ever Photos look and feel amazing.
Rezeta comes from an artist background, working with a mixture of traditional black and white film in both 35mm and medium format photography, along with digital. Born in Pristina, Kosovo, at the age of 14, she fled Kosovo with her family as a war refugee to New York City. Her curiosity for different cultures and passion for travel led her to live in Japan, China, Mexico City, Venice Beach, and Joshua Tree. This nomadic lifestyle fueled her creative journey as a photographer. She’s had her work exhibited in multiple galleries in Los Angeles and China and was recently awarded 1st Place at the International Photography Awards for her series “The Heartbeat of the City- Los Angeles.”
Currently, we’re focusing on shooting maternity, newborns, families, couples, weddings, and events.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a smooth road in terms of how well Rezeta and I work together. We really complement each other and respect what the other person brings to the partnership. We continually share the same vision on how we want a shot to look and feel. I think the biggest challenges have been the non-creative aspects of starting a business. For instance, we didn’t know how important keywords were throughout our website, so we’d show up in search results. If you asked me what an SEO was two years ago, I wouldn’t have had a clue. We’ve had to educate ourselves about backlinks, SEOs, etc.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At Ever Photos, we specialize in delivering raw and honest photos of you and your loved ones that have a timeless feel to them. I think we’ve been able to build a very unique portfolio of work in a short amount of time because Rezeta and I work so well together and have similar tastes. We both started traveling around the world in our teens, living and working in many different countries alongside people from all different backgrounds. This brings a unique perspective to our work that other family portrait photographers may not have.
What sets us apart from other portrait photographers is that we work as a duo. We have confidence that as a team, we’ll get the shot vs. hiring one photographer who’s going to disappear behind the lens the whole time and make you, the client, do all the work. Most people aren’t super comfortable being in front of the camera, so we’ve made it a priority to take the pressure off our clients. While Rezeta focuses on capturing beautiful images, I work with our clients on loosening up and forgetting the camera is even there. This is especially important when you’re working with kids. We don’t want parents to stress out and feel like they have to ensure their kids are going to be looking at the camera to get that perfect shot. We work with our clients and focus on creating a fun set so everyone can just be themselves. We feel like that’s when we get the best shots, and our clients get the best images.
We love what we do and have both been self-motivated workaholics since we were 14 years old. Our passion for our work has lead us to be recognized by multiple outlets for our portraits.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
It’s hard to predict what the future holds, but I think, in general, we are moving away from perfect imagery and moving towards embracing realness. Rezeta and I are drawn to capturing authentic moments. We love photographing our clients in their homes so that it’s a time stamp of where you were living and what your day-to-day life looked like. If we’re shooting a family and the kids are losing interest, we can move into the next room or onto the next activity. Tired of the front yard? Let’s go for a bike ride or jump on the trampoline for a minute. Is the baby fussing because they’re hungry? Take a feeding break. What does that look like? Does the family take turns making and prepping bottles? Does mom breastfeed? We can capture as much or as little as the family wants but I know that I treasure the images that feel the most real. That’s beauty to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ever-photos.com
- Instagram: @ever_photos
- Other: https://www.google.com/maps?q=Ever+Photos+Photography+and+Family+Portrait+Studio+in+Los+Angeles,+2425+Michigan+Ave,+Santa+Monica,+CA+90404&ftid=0xa9680c63342e1ef7:0xfd65201b57061995&entry=gps&lucs=,94211326,47071704,47069508,47084304,94206605&g_ep=CAISDTYuMTA0LjIuNDU1OTAYACDXggMqLSw5NDIxMTMyNiw0NzA3MTcwNCw0NzA2OTUwOCw0NzA4NDMwNCw5NDIwNjYwNUICVVM%3D&g_st=ia
Image Credits
Monika Sedziute
Ever Photos
