Meet Karalyn Ramirez of Ventura County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karalyn Ramirez.

Hi Karalyn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My photography story began over 10 years ago with me, my close friend and her camera. We had so much fun taking pictures and modeling, we would get all dressed up and go ALL OUT with props. I’m talking 1940’s retro fashion, fishing poles, trucks, you name it – we probably did it. After she moved out of state, I found myself longing to get out and “create” with a camera. I bought my first camera, a boxed Nikon camera kit from Costco, and asked my sister and close friends to model for me, and started posting on social media.

Since then, I’ve learned so much, and the more I learn, I realize the more there is to know. I’ve watched countless YouTube videos, second shot for numerous photographers, shot more myself, watched more YouTube, chatted with photo nerds, shot more…and the cycle continues. I love the constant challenge photography offers, and that elated feeling you get when you feel like you’ve created a masterpiece.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. As Kobe Bryant put it, “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” I couldn’t have put it better. There have been times I absolutely feel beat down about it. Maybe I failed to accomplish the vision in my mind, maybe I sent out a gallery to a client and don’t get a response (yes, I’m absolutely going to overthink it), maybe I’m not getting as many bookings as I’d like. The list could go on, there have been and will continue to be challenges. If it were not for my passion and the Lord allowing me to persevere, I wouldn’t be here. My husband is a huge encouragement to me. He’s my cheerleader, and my voice of reason to bring me back to gravity when I’m overthinking and my photography world seems to be imploding. I guess anything worth doing is going to be hard at times, and accepting that can help take the pressure off. I really couldn’t be doing what I’m doing today if it weren’t for my relationship with Jesus. When I get tempted to tie my identity to photography, I need a reminder that my identity is in The Lord, otherwise, I’d be at the mercy of me and my own overthinking.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a mix of a Lifestyle and Documentary photographer for couples, families and singles! Whether you find yourself planning an Elopement, full-sized Wedding, or want to update those family photos, I’m here for it. I have a really easy going personality and such passion for capturing candid moments and bringing them to life through the editing process. I aim for telling a story with moments over perfection. No moment is perfect – yet seeing them in a quality photo can bring on so much nostalgia.

How do you define success?
Success is staying with something you love and not giving up when people don’t appreciate you, or even when you fail. When we fall, we get back up, try again – isn’t that what we tell our kids?

Pricing:

• $300 per hour

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.photoswithkaralyn.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photoswith_karalyn/

Image Credits
All photos were taken and edited by myself (other than the photo of me which was taken by my husband and edited by me).