Today we’d like to introduce you to Celeste Guzman.
Celeste, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always been fascinated with photography but my interest in the craft started when I was 14. I was constantly on flickr.com admiring people’s work. I was going to turn 15 soon and in my culture, quinceañeras are a big thing, but instead, I asked for a DSLR camera. On my 15th birthday, I received my first DSLR camera. My brother and sisters rounded up some money and split the cost. Since the moment I received my first camera I couldn’t put it down. I would constantly try and create images.
That next summer my oldest sister sent me to a photography camp in New York called SOCAPA. SOCAPA is where I absolutely fell in love with photography! I learned about studio lighting, working with my camera, and photography software like Lightroom. Those three weeks at that photography camp changed my life. After that, I would constantly take photos of people (mostly my family).
My sophomore year of high school I joined the yearbook staff at my high school. I was constantly going to football games, soccer games, basketball games, and other events to capture photos for our high school yearbook and for the following years up until I graduated. Here I am ten years later still trying to keep photography in life by capturing memories for beautiful families in the DFW area.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not at all. When I first started photography was so competitive. Other photographers weren’t willing to help at all. No one liked talking about the equipment they used, locations they were going to, or just business tips to help you succeed. I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of photographers I reached out to for help and none of them replied. I didn’t let that discourage me nor did I hold it against them because no one said they had to help me. It wasn’t until the last couple of years where “community over competition” was becoming a thing and I have been lucky to find some other awesome photographers who have been willing to help along the way. I also have had to learn a lot about not letting clients “run all over you.” People will take advantage where they can if you are “too nice” it is all definitely a learning process.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Portraits By Celeste – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I photograph just about everything children, couples, maternity, families, seniors, you name it. I think as of now I have photographed mostly children and families. Like I said before, I would photograph my family members like my nephew and nieces and had plenty of practice with them. I’m most proud of making my clients happy. Anytime I get a message back from a client saying how much they love their photos it just brings me so much joy. My goal is to make my clients happy by delivering memories they are able to keep for a lifetime.
I think what sets me apart from others is my patience and I’m pretty easy to get along with. When photographing I feel that everyone needs to learn to be patient because not every session is going to go as planned. Some days a kid may be having an off day, other days you may have to deal with the weather. You never know what is going to happen so you just have to be prepared, learn to be patient and work with what you got.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
As of now Portraits by Celeste is my part-time job on the weekends and summers. As of now I’m a full-time teacher and hope to one day grow my photography business to my full-time job. I also want to eventually be able to have my own studio space, even if it’s a small one. I am planning some new things for high school senior sessions because I’d like to eventually specialize in senior sessions. There is something about senior sessions that I can’t quite explain, but it brings me so much joy and I want to make those sessions extra special for anyone who would like me to photograph their senior session.
Contact Info:
- Email: portraitsbyceleste@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portraitsbyceleste_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/portraitsbyceleste
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/portraitsbycel1
Image Credit:
Ordonezphoto, Portraits By Celeste
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