Today we’d like to introduce you to Magdalena “Bleu” Briggs.
Hi Magdalena “Bleu”, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Growing up in Lynwood, CA, I was in love with everything glamour. I collected magazines and tried to emulate makeup and hair on anyone who would let me. My mom’s friends would come over to have me do their makeup and take their pictures before a wedding or Quinceañera while I was still a teenager living at home.
For a L.A. grown Latina growing up near Compton and later Rosemead in the 90’s, saying that I wanted to be an artist/photographer was laughable. It seemed to me the only dreams allowed were getting married, nursing school, technical college, or securing a good job at the post office. While in high school I enrolled in beauty school and that allowed me to be creative and dream. I soon began working as a makeup artist and hair stylist with a local photographer. However, when I told him I wanted to take pictures, he quickly told me to stick with makeup cause “women photographers don’t make it in this business.”
I enrolled in Pasadena Community College and took art and photography classes.
With makeup, I did everything from weddings to the red carpet to New York Fashion Week. It served me well and I was able to make a living, but the art of photography kept calling. I enrolled in Pasadena Community College and took art and photography classes. One day I took a friend’s picture and she made the comment that I made her feel and look beautiful. That was the incentive I needed to take on photography as a career.
Not only did I want to create beautiful pictures, I wanted the subject of my images to look and feel extraordinary. I still do makeup but I also work with superb makeup artists to create the looks I need.
I do weddings, headshots, family portraits, boudoir and fashion. I do it all because I love it all. People often ask me what I specialize in, I tell them; I specialize in making the person or persons in front of the camera look and feel as the best versions of themselves when they look at their images for ages to come.
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 hasn’t been a smooth road. I kept my photography a secret from my family until I felt comfortable to say it was my career. However, the biggest challenge was believing that I could be a professional and make a career out of art. I have had people telling me that a woman photographer couldn’t compete in this business (heard that from a photographer I worked with as a makeup artist) plus in the low socio/economic sector I grew up in, there was no one to look up to, no one I knew had achieved their dreams.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Burn It Bleu Photography?
I do weddings, headshots, family portraits, boudoir and fashion. I do it all because I love it all. People often ask me what I specialize in, I tell them; I specialize in making the person or persons in front of the camera look and feel as the best versions of themselves when they look at their images for ages to come.
When booking a client, I like to know their ideas and visions, I then send mood boards designed just for their shoot, along with wardrobe ideas. I work with professional makeup artists and hairstylists and I coach the clients on poses that best flatter their bodies. My main goal is to help the client(s) feel good, happy, gorgeous and most importantly comfortable.
After the shoot, I help them decide on the best images for their home or photo book. All of this is included in the price of the photo session to make it easy for the client. Photographs are tangible pieces of time not only should they look great, but they should evoke the memory of a wonderful experience.
What matters most to you?
The client and their experience matter most to me, especially when photographing women. Often, women see themselves through the eyes of their partners, friends, or children. My goal with women is for them to see themselves through their own eyes as beautiful as I see them through my lens.
I’ve had women cry after receiving their pictures because they didn’t believe they could look that beautiful. I’ve even had women credit me for getting their grove back. That makes me so happy.
Pricing:
- Headshots start at $300.00
- Maternity start at $350.00
- Family Portraits $350; Family minis $85 for 30 min (twice a year)
- Boudoir $550-$1500 (depends on package)
- Wedding Photography Starts at $1100.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.burnitbleuphotography.com
- Instagram: @burnitbleu
Image Credits
Personal portrait shot by Photographer Lisa Garret All other images shot by me, Magdalena “Bleu” Briggs
