Today we’d like to introduce you to Regina Ortiz-Blancas.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was 6 when my parents gave me a Polaroid camera for Christmas and I went around for several years taking pictures of my family. As I got older, my dad let me have his old film camera. It was very old, even back then, but I loved taking photos of random things.
Fast forward to when I was a sophomore in High School, I had developed some-what of an eye for photography since I dabbled with the cameras my parents had given me up until then. One day in my art class, I took out a pack of pictures I had just gotten developed and was showing my two friends.
My art teacher happened to be walking by and noticed them. She picked them up and started looking at them and asked me if I was in the school photography class. I said no, but that I was curious about it. I was a very VERY shy kid and was too scared to ask any of the teachers for info on what was required to join.
So she took me into the photography classroom and showed the teacher some of the pictures, and she asked if I wanted to join. I said of course! However, they required a DSLR camera, and all I had was a film camera.
I knew there was no way my parents could buy me a brand new camera, so I waited until the following year. My mom saved up and we went into Best Buy before the year started and got me my first “real” camera, the Sony a33.
I quickly developed my skills in shooting and photoshop and would ask kids around my school if they’d be interested in being my models.
A lot of my shoots were fashion inspired, specifically inspired by Mario Testino (side-story: I emailed him a lot when I was little asking for his opinion on my photos lol), and although I was very shy and had just a handful of friends in high school, I developed a small reputation for myself. I never received a “no” from someone at my school who id ask to be my model. As a matter of fact, I had people reaching out to me on FB letting me know they’d love to be a part of one of my shoots someday!
I can’t emphasize how much that meant to me.
I finished high school and sadly, for about four years, I completely dropped my photography side.
At that time, my interests had changed. I was dating. I was going out with friends, and I was being a 17-20 year old.
But in 2015, after a very rough year in my personal life, I decided to go to college.
I applied to Texas State University and got accepted.
One day, as random as it sounds, I remember having meditated (I learned how to meditate really well) and when I woke up, I remember sitting in my living room, totally serene, and remembered that I used to love taking photos when I was in high school.
It was like I fell asleep for the past four years, woke up, and remembered- oh yea, I used to like doing that!
So I dug up my old Sony a33 and began reaching out to friends just like in high school to practice.
I tried it all, families, couples, babies, portraits, headshots, etc, letting people know I was a total newbie and that it was mere practice for me.
However, after lots of youtube learning, I could definitely see improvement in my work.
In October of 2015, thanks to the encouragement from my roommate and friends, I created my first website and Instagram.
During college, there were alot of moments where my bank account had just a few dollars.
But photography always, ALWAYS, came in when I most needed help and somehow, I’d have a friend who needed to hire a photographer.
The winter of 2015, I had my first student at TXST reach out to me for Graduation Pictures.
I was SO nervous. This was my first ever client that I didn’t know, and who had found me on her own through Instagram.
I will never forget how much fun we had that day. I still have her on Instagram and I see her engaging with my photos even now.
I remember her telling me how she had taken two extra years to graduate and how rough the journey had been but she was so excited to be done with this chapter.
I fell in love with her story. The perseverance in it, the dedication, the hard work, and the accomplishment.
For the first time, I realized how what I was doing was sooooo much more than just taking “cute pics” of her.
For the next two years, I juggled school full time, working at a bakery full time, and a part-time business that really should have been full time since editing takes hours.
Gradually my numbers went up. Followers, shoots, pricing all went up.
In July of 2018, I took the gut-wrenching decision to believe in myself and quit my job at the bakery.
It was very emotional for me. A big part of who I was came from having worked in the bakery at HEB for six years.
But I got to the point where I was having to turn down clients because I couldnt ask for days off.
I am not one who doesn’t like to NOT take chances, so I took that leap and quit.
In the past two years, I have seen photography take me in directions I never knew I could go.
I have created a brand for myself, a brand that has attracted hundreds of first-generation college graduates from all parts of the world to work with me.
I’ve heard stories of hard work and determination that have made me cry during shoots.
I’ve seen mothers who take up to 8 years to finish a 4-year degree take their whole family to their shoot with a smile on their face that could light up the sky.
I’ve worked with people who tell me they were too scared to do their shoot because they think “they’re ugly and fat”.
I’ve worked with people who had past photographers make them feel small and behave inappropriately.
I’ve worked with students who have someone in their parent’s native land hand-make traditional dresses and send them over to them because they want to walk the stage while at the same time representing where they came from.
Every single one of them at the end of their shoot, can not believe how amazing they look.
When they tell me, “you made me look amazing!” I always tell them, “no, you ARE amazing but I just made you face it!”
I am so SO honored to work with such a diverse group of people.
It was during this shoot that I fell in love with this type of photography.
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?
Not smooth at all.
I had to completely rewire my mindset. I had a huge case of “imposter syndrome” where I convinced myself I could never be a full-time photographer. Everyone around me always talked about how “real photographers do weddings” and so I believed that Senior Portrait Photographers such as myself weren’t a thing.
I, of course, struggled business-wise. I had to learn about how to run a business. Luckily while at HEB, I was trying to move up in the company so I got to get my feet wet with that aspect. I have read dozens of books and still continue to learn.
There are tons of ways the road was not smooth but its all part of this amazing entrepreneur life!
Regina Blancas Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a senior portrait photographer who is known for creating beautiful portraits out of extremely shy people. Most of my clients believe that they aren’t capable of having amazing photos of themselves. I love when they think that because when I show them the back of the camera as we are working, their entire attitude shifts and they are in disbelief that they could look as amazing as I knew they could. By the end of their shoot, they are 100% of the time a more confident person!
I work with a lot of first-generation people of color, and they come to me because I like to incorporate where they come from. I am very proud of my Mexican roots, and I love to show off other students’ roots as well.
I have worked with first-generation students from Mexico, El Salvador, Africa, Peru, Philipines, Cuba, Russia, Honduras, Belize, the Caribbean.
I highlight their accomplishments with their roots because it is important to represent where you come from. Not all, but alot of these students have parents who gave up everything for their kids to be in the US. So graduating from college isn’t part of a system for them. It was an opportunity to make it all WORTH IT for their parents. To say thank you in the most meaningful way possible: showing them that their sacrifices weren’t in vain.
For that exact reason is that I encourage my clients to show that part of them off.
That desire to represent those qualities are what sets me apart from others.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It’s hard to choose so I will say 2.
I had five clients who booked me a year in advance because they wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be booked up for their graduation. That meant the world to me that someone would book me a whole year in advance! I felt like Apple when there is a new iPhone out and there is a line outside the building!
The second is when I had a client drive 5 hours to come to shoot with me! She wasn’t even from Austin but she wanted me to take her high school senior portraits. I was mind blown when she let me know!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.reginablancas.com
- Phone: 5128204295
- Email: Regina.blancas@gmail.com
- Instagram: reginablancas
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reginablancasphotography/
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