Jul 25, 2011

Spotlight on... Martha Bravo!!!

I'm so excited and honored to share with you another of my favorite photographers!  I "met" Martha on an online forum and have been admiring her amazing work for a few years now.  Her work is bright, colorful and oh-so REAL!  She captures such beauty in every human being she photographs, from tiny babies to the elderly and does it in a way that makes you want to be part of her world.  Her work is artistic and full of emotion.  I am so thrilled that she agreed to be part of my new blog project!!

Name: Martha Bravo
Business name: Martha Bravo Photography
Website or blog: www.marthabravo.com 




Where do you live?  Tell us what you love most about living there!

Right now I live in Panama City, Panama in Central America. What I love of living here are the different scenarios I get to see every day. Even though I was born and raised in Mexico, Panama is completely different from my Country, especially the people. I lived for 10 years in the States before coming here and the change was brutal, but through my lens I´ve learned to love this Country.
***Martha has been kind enough to share a gorgeous album she created about her new homeland!  check it out here:  Panama Book



Describe your photography style

I think my style is natural, fun and relaxed, i try people to enjoy their session as much as their images so the whole experience is something they would do again.




How did you get started in photography? 



Photography was always my hobby. Both my parents were passionate about it so I got my first camera when I was really young. While growing up i always had a camera with me.  I studied film production so photography was closely related, just before graduating from college I started  portrait and commercial photography studies in a Photo School, but photography remained as a serious hobby. Then when my second kid was born I left my TV production job and started to dedicate more time to my real passion. As everybody else, I stated shooting my kids and close friends, soon after, I was shooting strangers so I opened my studio in 2005. I haven´t looked back ever since. Even though my life had gone through big geographic changes, I always open up shop again wherever I am and dedicate my life to this.



Do you shoot professionally?  Describe what you do and why.



Yes I do. As I said before I opened my studio in 2005.   I do all kinds of photography, newborns, children, families, weddings (just a few a year) seniors or quinceañeras and commercial. I believe that a good photographer has to be ready for every assignment, no matter what that is. Sure it is OK to specialize in one kind of photography or another but the possibilities are endless! Why close all the doors and leave just one open?. Truth is I get bored of doing the same over and over again so I can´t specialize just in one kind of photography.

I keep my business and my hobby appart. Even though I spent most of the time shooting for my clients, I still dedicate a lot of time to my personal photo projects. 

 

What’s in your bag, and what one piece of equipment could you absolutely not live without?

I am a Nikon girl, I have always been since I got my first real camera 25 years ago.  I shoot with the D700. My all time favorite lens is the 70 200 2.8 almost 85% of my work is shot with that lens. Other than that I use the 24 70 2.8  and the 50 1.4  I have a macro too for baby parts and my most recent toy is the lensbaby composer which I really really enjoy to play with.


What is your best post-processing tip?



Keep it simple, fast and consistent. I create my images in camera, I prefer to spend my time shooting than in front of the computer so I try not to do much on postprocessing. I do use textures many times and those take more time.


Was there ever an “aha” moment when you knew you had found your photographic voice?



Photography was always part of my life and I always knew that eventually I wanted to dedicate my life to it. I always knew what I wanted to do: travel and shoot.  Even though I love my portraits studio what I really love are my documentary photography projects.  I had a mentor from National Geographic and i think that with him I discovered my real passion.




What is your best advice for those who are new to photography?



As the quote says, Owning a fancy camera doesn´t make you a photographer. Learn, read, experiment, shoot in manual and then think about opening a business. This is a hard industry and photography is not as easy and glamorous as it seems. You have to work hard to survive.




If you could spend your life doing anything you wanted to do with no financial concerns, what would it be?



Exactly what I do with a little bit more of traveling.





 What inspires you?



All the things that you can see through the lens: faces, bonds, relationships, the beauty of the world.





 Show us your favorite image taken by you! (if you have one)



uff there are so many I love for one reason or another, it is hard to choose. But the ones I have shared throughout this interview are a few of my favorites both from my studio and my personal projects.




Thank you again so much Martha for sharing your beautiful work here!  If you'd like to see more of Martha's photography, you can visit her website at the link above, or check out this video ! 

3 comments:

Hayley said...

Beautiful images, and a great interview!! Thanks for sharing :)

Allison said...

Martha, your images are SO beautiful!! I am so inspired by your work. Thanks Denise for spotlighting her!

shannon said...

Martha you know I LOVE YOUR WORK! What a great honor to be featured by Denise.

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