Meet Crystal Edivan of Pure Images Photography in Downtown Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Edivan.

Crystal, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I wasn’t the type of photographer that was born with a camera in my hand. My passion for photography came in my tween years. My mom was taking photography classes at a local college. She would have me pose for her for her homework assignments. I didn’t care much for modeling but it was interesting for me to hear her talk about the different lighting and shadows that would hit my face. Sometimes she would have to move the lights around to get a different effect and it got my curiosity going. Her lab hours were at night and having a single parent, I would find myself in the darkroom with her watching her process the film. It was so exciting to me and I told myself I would learn to do everything that she was doing one day. I began taking friends photos in 2000 after I graduated high school. I started taking classes and workshops as often as I could to learn what photography was all about. I started on an old Nikon and as the photography world switched over to digital I found myself loving Canon cameras. I have been doing photography for about 17 years now. It is such a blessing to be able to be a part of these amazing moments that most people will never experience. Being present while a bride walks down the aisle to the love of her life, or watching a baby come into the world and taking his first breath, or even seeing the face of a new graduate is such a great experience. I am continually amazed that I am lucky enough to be a part of these milestones in people’s lives.

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?
The biggest struggle I faced throughout my career was converting from film to digital. When digital cameras first came out, the quality of the photographs weren’t what I was used to so I refused to change over. As the quality became better, I saw how the industry was changing as well. It was a huge adjustment but after I made the switch, I realized it wasn’t as hard or different than I thought it would be.

About 8 years ago, I went through a pretty nasty divorce. It was a difficult time for me as a wedding photographer seeing all of these beautiful people having amazing love-filled moments as I am in and out of family-law court more times than I could count. I lost my faith in love and marriage so I scaled back on weddings for about a year. I didn’t think it was fair to my clients to have a photographer that didn’t completely believe in love anymore. I took some time to find myself again and learn new methods of photography.

Luckily, I fell in love with the love of my life and learned what true love is really about. I am now re-married and my husband has restored my faith in the meaning of love. Being a part of the wedding industry helps me to continuously fall in love with my husband with every moment I experience as a photographer.

Please tell us about Pure Images Photography.
I founded Pure Images Photography in 2001. We specialize in Natural Light Journalistic Photography. In short, we document real moments in real time. Personally, I am not a huge fan of a lot of posed portraits. We guide people into real moments that they themselves create and we are there to capture it. Most of our client base are return clients. We begin our journey with them during engagement sessions and continue with them year after year as their family grows. We are known for our beautiful maternity sessions and creative wedding portraits. Over the last year we have been lucky enough to showcase our unique timeless portraits to people across the country.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory is anytime I was on a boat in the water. The lady that babysat me as a child owned a boat and we would take rides out to the ocean frequently. I also spend some time in Colorado in the summers and we would go boating on the lake. I really loved sitting at the front of the boat. I loved feeling the air through my hair and the feeling as though I was completely free. Even now we own a boat and it is my absolute favorite thing to do. The sound of the engine and the air is so loud that it’s easy to get lost in the beauty around us without thinking of the things on our to-do list.

Pricing:

• Mini Session (30 Minute) Start at $95
• Full Session (1 Hour) Start 15 $195
• Wedding Packages Start at $1800

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pureimagesphotography.net
• Phone: 951-732-8711
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: pure_images_photography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/socalpureimagesphotography/

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