Exclusive Licensing Contributor Angela Perez is a wedding and creative fashion photographer based out of Florida in the United States. She incorporates vibrant colors in her images, creating a dynamic flare that helps her stand out.
Q: Your photo ‘Harajuku Fashion’ is fun, bright, and really pops. What inspired this shoot and how many balloons did you need to blow up to fill your frame?
A: We were inspired by Tokyo street fashion mostly found on the streets of the Harajuku District. We ended up blowing up over 250 balloons. Our hand pumps broke mid blowing, and we had the entire styling team blowing up balloons by mouth. We were all out of breath by the time we were done, but it was one of the most fun shoots I have ever worked on or designed.
Q: ‘Squishy Belly’ is another image that incorporates a vibrant aesthetic, and also drives a positive message around body image. What concepts are you trying to convey with this photo?
A: With this photo, we wanted to empower women of all sizes not to be afraid to have fun and enjoy their bodies, and that all bodies are summer/bikini bodies. That a bikini body is a body with a bikini on it. Embrace all your curves.
Q: You shoot a variety of content that spans from creative fashion to weddings and engagements. How do you feel these genres complement one another in your photography?
A: I feel that my fashion style really [brings] a different and unique view to my wedding photography. A lot of my wedding and engagement clients really enjoy the editorial aspect that I add to wedding photography, and the play of emotions and editorial poses gives more of a fine art aspect to their wedding photos.
Q: Do your creative fashion shoots and wedding/engagement shoots ever overlap?
A: I try to keep them both separate. I even have two separate websites with separate branding in order to not confuse the demographics I am targeting with each brand. However, the fashion does slightly overlap into my wedding work as I gather a lot of my inspiration for my wedding work from my past experience photographing fashion. So I feel like you definitely see the fashion influences in my wedding photography.
Q: What made you pursue weddings and engagements, and how did you start your wedding photography business?
A: I started my wedding photography in 2017, so I am pretty new at weddings. The reason was, I wanted to fill some more of my schedule and do photography full time as I was not busy enough shooting only fashion.
I wanted to focus on destination weddings to explore new locations for photography, as I love shooting in new places. I fell in love with the genre because it gave me an opportunity to shoot people on one of the most special days of their life, while they were fully made up (no need for me to gather a styling team). Also, wedding photography has really opened the doors for me to travel all around the nation and explore new locations I would not have thought to photograph before.
Q: How do you ensure you maintain a steady influx of work? Do you have any tips for marketing yourself as a wedding or creative fashion photographer?
A: Referrals are my biggest source of marketing, as well as social media. I make sure to keep busy by networking with local vendors in person and always staying active online.
In my off-season, I take that time to shoot creative projects to have plenty of content to share with the world. You have to put yourself out there constantly — otherwise, you will disappear into oblivion. So I just make myself known by shooting creative content that will be worthy of being shared. The more you are shared, the more eyes you will have on your work and the more people that will want to contact you for work.
Q: What are some key things that every photographer should know when beginning in photography and starting their own business?
A: Expect to fail a lot. It is part of the process of molding you as a photographer. Understand that you will never stop learning and will forever be a student because photography evolves, and so should you. Success is a process, not a moment, so just keep on going and don’t give up.
Q: You recently won a Licensing Quest with your image ‘Lush Summer’. How would you encourage someone to also try their hand at a Quest?
A: I always have so much fun submitting to the Quests. They serve as great inspiration for me to shoot something new or resurface something old. I would say submit, as you have nothing to lose, and even if you don’t win the Quest, it is a great source to find inspiration.
Q: What’s one thing you think every photographer should know about Licensing their photography?
A: Licensing is a good way to sell creative work without a client telling you what to do. I find licensing your images is a great opportunity to make some complementary income on the side.
Q: What do you have planned for your next shoot?
A: [For] my next shoot, I will be doing an ethereal fine art beauty series with an African American model covered in flowers that will showcase the beautiful features of black women.
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