Today we’d like to introduce you to Luisa Renay Diaz.
Luisa Renay, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started photography about 7 years ago, in high school. I didn’t think too much of it at the time, it was another way I can leave the house and just wonder like any other teenager. I would take pictures of my friends and random objects, I really put no effort in it…until I stumbled on Francesca Woodman, my senior year in high school. I fell in love with her work, she demonstrated drama and conflict. I had no idea that photography was an actual art form, the things I learned in school were to be posed and happy, from there I went to San Francisco to study fine art and photography. San Francisco really opened my mind to new things, I went to a person who would take pictures for no meaning no purpose, to wanting each image to have emotion and depth. Now, I have a passion to present genuine love and joy in my own way.
Has it been a smooth road?
I haven’t had the smoothest road, I have a few friends that will say my life sounds like a TV show or that I am just unlucky. I went to college the moment I graduated from high school in 2011, since then I have been up and down. The first semester of college was probably the toughest, I was on my own for the first time trying to find myself in some sort of art world that didn’t make sense. I had instructors tell me to maybe study something else, which I took really to heart. I left the following year back home and started to study art history in 2012, that summer I got into a crazy car accident. I remember laying on the floor next to the highway, thinking what the hell am I doing with my life. That following winter I went straight back to San Francisco and continued my studies. During my time there, I traveled to the east coast and southern California to showcase my art work. A lot was looking up, until I lost my job and had to move back home in 2015. I fell into a manic depression, anxiety, and body dysmorphia my life went from being under my control to completely upside down. I tried doctors after doctors, several different types of medications that just left me numb and I realized I need art in my life again. I began to document my mental illness and I was able to stand tall again. Now, I am free of medications, living my life day by day and taking capturing beautiful real moments.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My business is Luisa Renay Photo, I am the creator, I am known for how loud my images speak. I don’t want things to seem posed or unreal, I want a couple who is weird or awkward to be just that. I am not going to make them seem any different. I am most proud of how much I have stood by my work and been real with my clients or following. I want them to look at the work I’ve done and feel an emotion.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I believe LA is a great place to start a business, there are so many people who want to help each other out and build a portfolio. In LA, it is all about knowing people, and everyone wants to be known. I love LA, it has truly been a great help for me to meet people who want to be their very best and themselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: Luisarenayphoto.com
- Phone: 951-475-9907
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luisarenay/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luisarenayphoto/
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.
