Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Bravo.
Hi Michelle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Where did it all get started, that is so funny to me because growing up, I wanted to be an Astronaut! My earliest memory of how I got started is the year my parents gave me a plastic digital camera, I think I was like 13 years old. That tiny camera fit in my pocket and I’d just keep it on me all the time. It wasn’t until at the age of 15 I discovered America’s next top model that was the moment I was intrigued with photography.
I would watch that show religiously and would have a journal where I’d write ideas for shoots and where I’d shoot and what they would wear, I liked drawing outfits and sets, not at all good at it but it all looked and sounded better in my head then on paper. Throughout high school, I started getting into media and art classes. Taking any class that would allow the usage of a DSLR camera, and THANK YOU YAHOO Flickr for teaching me the basics of how to use a camera. I would get on Flickr look at photographs and a lot of them specified settings so I tried to mimic them whenever I had a camera. I’ve always like photographing people but I also love art and paintings one of my biggest influences was Frida Khalo. Her paintings were so extreme but a lot told stories and that’s what I wanted to do with photography.
I liked the idea of being creative and photographing people that told a story. A long time friend and mentor of my father’s gifted me my first Digital DSLR camera as a graduation gift and started mentoring me on camera basics as he was also a photographer as a hobby. I enrolled in ACC and decided fashion photography is where I could express myself artistically. I wanted to not only learn about shooting outdoors but also what it was like to be in a studio, learning what all the lights were and how to use them. This was the time that Austin Fashion week was slowly becoming a things so I started signing up for shoots, trying to network asking friends to do shoots with me.
While in college, I found out that I was pregnant with my now 9 year old daughter Zophie. I had to make the hard decision of not returning to college because I was working to pay for my education and now way would I be able to pay for that and a newborn baby. I was still shooting and getting as much practice in and I had friends that would pay me to photograph them. Once Zophie was born, ugh I hate to admit it but I was that mom, you know the mom who’d dress up their babies and buy expensive bows that were way bigger than her head and I’d photograph her in them a few of those photos I printed and gifted to her grandparents and it was there where I found out, geez photos like these are so important.
I mean not only do they look pretty on a wall but every time I go to her grandma’s house and I see the photo of her in her cute little sailor swimsuit and big floppy hat I remember that day like it just happened and my heart feels so warm because that was my baby I have that memory of watching her splash around in her kiddie pool having the time of her life and I got to enjoy and share it with her. I switched my focus on to portraiture, family pictures, baby photos, maternity and I shot a few weddings and quinceañeras. I loved all of it and how my clients felt when getting their photos. So I been shooting portraiture for a little over 10 years now and each time I get to learn new ways of shooting I get to meet new people that now have become a part of my life cause they’ll invite me to their baby showers or their children’s bday a few of them have even invited me over for dinner and it’s been so enjoyable and such and honor that they feel like friends and not just clients.
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?
Oh lord, not at all! The struggle has definitely been real. First was quitting college and being a young mother, a single parent at that. Not only was I learning to be a good mom, working to support us but also pursuing photography in the hopes that I can run it as a business. It didn’t help that I didn’t feel like I had the support at first and in no way am I throwing my parents under the buss, I love them to death and it took them a while but they are now my biggest fans, but you know being the oldest of three and being the first to graduate high school and being Mexican, it’s a lot of pressure.
Everything just feels like it falls back on you and you know your parents don’t understand it at first that you want to be a business women they see it as oh your just taking photos anyone can do that, go back to school “your aunt’s daughter already graduated and is a nurse” “friend so and so son is studying to become a lawyer” and so on and so on. I had to push through all the comparisons and why I wasn’t doing more with my life. But again they see it now for what it is and they have been my support system and I am so grateful for that.
There was definitely times I was so ready to give up and sell my equipment and just go back to waitressing, as a photographer I like to express myself like I mentioned I needed an outlet to let all my creative energy out and it was so hard at a point because the people who would hire me were not very open minded about certain poses or they wanted studio photos, you know like JC penny style and the ones that I could get creative with weren’t paid so I wasn’t making an income and it felt like I was just being a hobby photographer and there was a lot of self doubt about if I was going to make it or if Picture people was going to be the end of me cause they had great prices and people would rather go there.
I pushed through it I continued to do photos my way less posed, few detail shots and some people actually liked it and I started getting bookings again. That’s what I feel as a business person and a photographer is what’s going to set you apart, your individuality. So now for the event that has been the most challenging and I felt that that was it I would quit, 2 months ago, July 4th at roughly around 3 am I was coming home from my bartending job, I was rear ended by a drunk driver going over 90mph on IH-35. He was switching in and out of lanes on trying to switch to a different lane he managed to hit me cause my car to flip over twice before hitting the side wall on the highway.
My car landed on its side so the only thing holding me on my seat was my seat belt. My car landed facing incoming traffic so I was so quick to try to get myself to safety and away from cars that were coming towards me. With a sprained knee I crawled out of the sunroof which was the only available opening. After being rushed to the hospital and being heavily medicated I didn’t realize how bad the accident was until two days later that I went to the wrecker and saw what was left of my new car. My car and everything in it including my camera and equipment were destroyed.
I was so depressed for a few days and nervous on how I’d take care of my daughter I knew that I had no source of income not being able to go back to work, no car, no camera to shoot out of my house at least. A month I to fighting this case I was able to get just enough to pay my bills that I got behind on and a new camera that same day that I got my new camera I booked a maternity session, soon after more started coming in slowly but surely I have been getting back on my feet with even more opportunities that have opened for me. Everyone tells me how it was definitely not my time to go, that God gave me a second chance at fulfilling what I meant to do here on earth and strongly believe in it. My dear friend once told me “Photos are memories, you legit give people memories” and I live by that and happy to do what I do with my God given talents.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Michelle B. Photography ?
Over the years, I’ve practiced and dipped my toes in all sort of photography from, landscapes to portraiture and even played with film cameras for a while so I like to put some elements together and create my shots. I like to say I’m very versatile and will shoot family portraits, headshots, recently have been getting into product and branding photos and also have over 100 weddings under my belt. Known for my editing and angles, I like to play with different angles and a lot of the time you will find me climbing something or on the ground, maybe in between the bushes!
I also like to use what is around me to create framing work. I want readers and hopefully, future clients, insert wink here, that not only will you have memories to keep for a long time but you’ll also be making memories with me, I don’t treat people like just clients so I try to get to know them a bit better so while we are shooting they don’t feel nervous and by the end of the shoot they feel confident that they came out great in their photos!
What matters most to you?
As a business person what matters to me most is creating value rather than making money, I value my clients to the point I don’t ever want them to feel like they are clients, at the end of their experience I want them to feel like we have been long time friends, not only do they enjoy the work that I do but also because they felt comfortable and respected that it genuinely show in their photos.
If you’re rude and give an all around bad vibe, you pass that on to them and their experience is negative and it does show in photos! That’s where you get clients that say they didn’t like how they came out and if they say that they more likely will not come back nor recommend you and I feel like word of mouth is the best form of marketing. Value your work, value your clients and value yourself!
Pricing:
- Portrait session start at $250
- Wedding/events start at $950
Contact Info:
- Email: mchellebphtgrphy11@gmail.com
- Instagram: @michellebeephtgrphy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellebeephtgrphy/
Image Credits
Barreraphotography
Michelle B. Photography
