Today we’d like to introduce you to Karla Aguilar.
Karla, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story… hmm… it’s funny because I’ve been cleaning the house, purging stuff and I have come a cross ton of photographs. I guess you can say that I’ve always loved photography and document everything. I remember from such a young age, loving that shutter! I remember the exact time of the first photo I took. It was with my dad’s camera, a little 110 Kodak camera. I was eight years old. My dad and brother were working out in the yard, opening a new garden hose. I was so excited because my dad asked me to go grab the camera and snap some photos. From then on I went through multiple 35mm film cameras. I photographed everything! School, friends, football games, field trips, concerts, everything! The best part was taking the film to HEB (I grew up in South Texas) and waiting with anticipation for my photos to come back.
Fast forward to 2008, my now husband proposed that year and well, I like to document everything! I quickly found a photographer on Craigslist and booked our engagement session. We had a great time during our session. The photographer was very personable. I noticed her camera, so I asked about it. It was a Nikon D90, a DSLR. I fell in love with it, but instead, I bought a Nikon D60. I didn’t think I was that advanced. I took photos here and there, but I still wasn’t satisfied. I sold my D60 and bought the D90. I thought, this is it! Well, I had a full-time job at the time and would get home… exhausted. The D90 collected dust for a couple of years, only bringing it out during the holidays or if a friend/family member wanted photos done. Then, I got pregnant and didn’t pick up my camera at all. That was until my son was born… my muse. I wanted to take great photos of him and document his growth. I started reading books, taking online classes, editing classes, the works! I became familiar with my camera and more confident, people started booking me! Me!!!
I knew from then on. I wanted to perfect my craft and specialize in something close to my heart. Maternity and newborns… sigh. These are just so special to me, reason being I didn’t feel beautiful and glowy during my pregnancy and I wanted to give other women that feeling. I love getting messages from women telling me how beautiful they feel when they see their photos. Then we have newborns who don’t love to snuggle a brand new baby? I love babies! They are a challenge to work with but so worth it. When parents have a hard time choosing their images, I know I did something right. This is why I’ve started to lean more towards maternity and newborn sessions. These, I can honestly say, are my absolute favorite. I think these are such special moments to document and I love being the one to capture them.
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?
It’s been a little bumpy, to say the least. I’ve worked really hard to build my audience/clientele to be where I am now. But it seems like the competition seems to be growing rapidly. All I can do is focus on doing my best for my clients so they can have a positive experience.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
My business is Karla Aguilar Photography. I specialize in maternity and newborns, but I also photograph high school seniors, children and families. I’m very proud of my maternity portraits. I had Us Weekly Magazine feature some of my maternity work on their website and Facebook page. This was, by far one of the greatest moments ever! Another maternity image made it to Shutter Scene Magazine, totally wasn’t expecting that one either! Oh, and how could I forget my E.T. and Elliot image! This was an image on my son and French Bulldog last Halloween. I actually entered this in a contest earlier this year. Even though I didn’t win, I was surprised that out of 20,000 images, mine made the top 10%.
I feel like what sets me apart from others is that I really don’t do the editing trends. I want my clients to be able to have a timeless image that can be passed down from generation to generation. I also strive to give my clients the best experience and quality images. I listen to what they’ve envisioned their session to be and I try my very best to deliver.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Ahh, simpler times! Growing up in the ’80s was awesome! Playing out in the street with all the neighborhood kids until dark.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.karlaaguilarphotography.com
- Email: kaguilarphotography@gmail.com
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